EB-1A Petition for Outstanding Shanghai Restaurant Chef

The term “exceptional talent in a special field” refers to an applicant who possesses high professional skills in the fields of science, art, business education or sports, and is among the top few in his or her field, and whose talents and achievements are recognized and respected internationally and nationally in his or her field of expertise. Let’s take a look at a case from Tsang & Associates to see how Joseph Tsang & Associates helped this client achieve his goals in a short period of time.

Applicant: Mr. Wang, Executive Chef of the restaurant

Specialized talents: Shanghai cuisine flavor cuisine

Awards received: 8

Affiliated associations: 1

Acting as a food judge: 2 items

Professional publications: 2 food publications have published Mr. Wang’s articles/reports

Salary level: enjoy a high salary in the industry

Mr. Wang, who specializes in Shanghai cuisine, was introduced to Tsang & Associates Law Firm by a friend and hired Tsang’s team to apply for his EB-1 Exceptional Talent Immigration. We noticed that Mr. Wang’s award was highly regional and his area of expertise was not internationally popular and understood; in addition, he had joined few professional associations, served as a judge, and received few reports, which made his application difficult.

Shortly after the petition was filed, the USCIS had questions about Mr. Wang’s outstanding performance in the Shanghai cuisine industry and wanted to submit an RFE supplement to fully demonstrate Mr. Wang’s outstanding talent. After receiving the RFE notification from the USCIS, Mr. Zang led the team to compile and send the file in the shortest time possible, and successfully assisted Mr. Wang in obtaining his EB-1A petition within 3 months.

Keys to Success

– Proof of importance of awards: One of the major challenges in submitting additional evidence was that most of the awards Mr. Wang received were regional rather than international. Therefore, we added several letters of recommendation from internationally renowned chefs to prove that Shanghai cuisine is one of the top ten cuisines in China and that Mr. Wang’s awards are mostly government awards, which are of great importance and authority. This proves that Mr. Wang is widely recognized for his excellence in Shanghai cuisine.
– Additional background knowledge on Chinese cuisine: Since Mr. Wang’s awards clearly indicate that Mr. Wang’s professional “deli” cooking ability makes the immigration office question that Mr. Wang is not a full range of professional culinary talents. In response, we prepared a letter from an internationally renowned chef explaining that Chinese cuisine includes a variety of different styles of cooked food, cold dishes, and desserts, with cooked food being the most difficult and complex. This demonstrates the importance of Mr. Wang’s culinary ability and the awards he has received.
– The criteria for membership in the Culinary Association: During the application process, USCIS questioned the fact that Mr. Wang’s membership in the Culinary Association was not based on culinary prowess and therefore did not prove Mr. Wang’s professional ability. In order to successfully address this concern, we explained in detail that only current five-star restaurant chefs could join the association, and that Mr. Wang’s salary was higher than what his peers generally received. We were able to prove that Mr. Wang is not only a culinary professional but also highly active in the industry.
– Possible Contribution of Mr. Wang’s Talents to the United States: Finally, the biggest challenge in the RFE Notice of Filing is that Mr. Wang’s ability to cook Shanghainese cuisine is not of great importance in the culinary industry. In response to this challenge, we first proposed that Mr. Wang had published two gourmet articles, one of which was included in the Shanghai Top 100 Chefs Journal by the President of the Global Chinese Cuisine Association and the President of the Shanghai Cuisine Research and Cuisine Association. Secondly, we prepared several letters from experts and Mr. Wang’s students to illustrate his outstanding culinary skills; we also suggested that Mr. Wang’s specialized culinary style has formed a new culinary style in Shanghai restaurants. This is a successful testament to Mr. Wang’s culinary excellence.

case outcome

We successfully assisted Mr. Wang in obtaining approval for EB-1A immigration for outstanding individuals within 3 months.

Zang Lawyer Review

The EB-1A petition for distinguished immigrants is unique in that it does not require an employer in the United States and can be filed on its own, there is no immigration quota restriction, applicants do not need to wait in line, and the entire processing cycle is short.

Applicants must meet at least three of the following conditions.

1. having received national or international awards (e.g. Nobel Prize, Olympic, Oscar, etc.).
2. membership in a professional association (membership in the association must be restricted to outstanding individuals).
3. the expatriate and his or her relevant work or achievements in his or her field of expertise have been reported in professional journals or mainstream media.
4. has served as a judge, either individually or as a member of a group, on the work of others in their field of expertise or in other related fields.
5. contribute more than other colleagues in the field in science, education, arts and sports business.
6. my publications must have appeared in regular national and international journals.
7. organizing national/reputable/big impact art exhibitions/performances.
8. holding key positions and playing key roles in important work bodies/organizational groups.
9. Enjoy high salary;
10. commercial success in the performing arts (as demonstrated by box office or audiovisual sales).

For more information, please refer to: EB-1A Immigrant Specialists in Special Fields Tips

If you have passed the initial self-assessment and are likely to meet the “3 out of 10” criteria above, you are welcome to contact Tsang & Associates.

*To protect customer privacy, customer names are pseudonyms.