The New York Sun reports reports on immigration problems facing some of the hottest restaurants in the US. Some of the world’s best chefs are having trouble getting approved by USCIS for O-1 extraordinary ability visas.
USCIS spokesperson Chris Bentley tells you everything you need to know:
“It would have to be someone like Wolfgang Puck.”
Aside from there being no other chef in the world as famous as Puck and basically setting a standard that only one or two people in the world can meet, Bentley’s comment sheds light on a more serious problem facing applicants in arts and athletics.
Rather than looking at the evidence and applying the actual legal standard, examiners frequently base their decisions on their personal knowledge gleaned from reading People, watching The Food Network and reading Sports Illustrated. I suspect Mr. Bentley knows nothing about the culinary world other than having purchased Wolfgang Puck frozen dinners at the local supermarket. His statement was irresponsible and, unfortunately, is typical of the thinkng at USCIS.