World class reiner Luca Cozzo receives P-1 visa
World class reiner Luca Cozzo receives P-1 visa
We are extremely proud to announce yet another successful petition. Mr. Luca Cozza, an internationally recognized athlete who excels in the sport of Reining, was awarded a P-1 visa.
Managing Member of the firm, Sherrod Seward successfully presented the petition proving eligibility for the P-1 visa as a World Class Reiner to USCIS. He provided as many documents as possible for each of the criteria satisfied by Mr. Cozzo.
The Athlete
Mr. Luca Cozzo is a World Class Reiner from Italy, competing professionally since 2010. He is internationally recognized in the Horse Reining industry as one of the best in his field. Reining is a western riding competition for horses where the riders guide the horses through a precise pattern of circles, spins, and stops.
The Petitioner
Price Performance Horses is one of the leading horse performance clubs in the world that features a history of high placements in the premier competitions around the world. Price Performance Horses is run by Mr. Kole Price who is an accomplished reiner himself.
Mr. Price is an NRHA Professional Horseman. The National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) is an organization dedicated to the promotion of the Reining horse. It serves as the body which sets standards for the sport of Reining worldwide. The NRHA Professionals of the Year awards are an avenue for showcasing the accomplishments of Reining trainers in the industry. Mr. Price was 30th on NRHA’s Top Professionals list in 2017. He also coached 4 Non Pro’s on the 2017 NRHA Non Pro Top 25 list. Mr. Price worked for his first Reining horse trainer, Mr. Brent Loseke, at the young age of 16. After graduating High School, Price attended Blackhawk College. He then went on to work for NRHA Professional Horseman Mr. Gabe Hutchins for the next five years. Today, he leads Price Performance Horses, along with an expert team of an Assistant Trainer, who holds the Downunder Horsemanship clinician certification, an Equine Dentist, a Farrier and a Veterinarian.
The P-1 Petition
We demonstrated that Price Performance Horses, the petitioner, would like to extend the P-1A status upon Mr. Luca Cozza, whom they consider to be an exceptionally talented Reiner.
In the petition, we presented Mr. Cozza as the world-class athlete he is by explaining the sport of Reining and showcasing his unique skills and talents. We provided the following evidence for the various P-1 requirements:
Internationally-recognised Championships
We proved that Mr. Cozza is a person of extraordinary ability in the field of Reining by showcasing his wins at celebrated Reining Championships. His top honors include the following:
Mr. Cozza is a member of the Italian National Reining Team.
Mr. Cozza is the 2019 National Champion, Italian PHCI Reining Championship. – which is the premier sanctioning body of Reining Italy.
The following are the other prestigious international championships won by him:
First Classified - Third in PHCI 2018 Championships
Fitetrec Ante Championships 2018 - several Top Three finishes
Fitetrec Ante 2018 National Championships - 6th place in National Championships
2017 PHCI - Alter National Champion
2016 - National Champion on Halter
2016 - World Games APHA 2 place individually as Halter, Second place overall with Italian National Team (qualified for national championship through high placements in regional competitions)
ACVR Green Level Champion
2011 FISE Italian Championships - Horsemanship National Champion and western pleasure 3rd place walk and trot
We showcased the significance of the above awards and confirmations through features in prominent publications.
Media coverage
The firm established that the athletes were featured in numerous publications of international repute, testifying to their exceptional talent. We provided the title, date, and author of the title. We also submitted an abstract of the articles to give a preview of the contents of the articles.
The articles included in the petition were:
Cavallo Magazine profile on Italian National Team’s silver performance at 2016 World Games
APHA profile on the 2016 World Championships
ACVR Green Level Champion - Confirmation in Cowboy’s Magazine
Confirmation of National Championships in a recognition from San Danieles Mayor
Western Side Magazine Profile on National Championship
Luca Vittorio Cozzo Drags Team Italy - Profile on 2016 World Championships - FRIULI.IT
Memberships of Mr. Cozzo
We provided evidence that the athlete is a member of the following associations. These are some of the most reputed organizations in this sport, based in the United States and in Italy:
American Paint Horse Association
Paint Horse Club Italia
Italian Equestrian Federation
National Horse Reining Association
We established that the above organizations are highly exclusive, inviting only expert Reiners to become their members.
We included evidence that Mr. Cozzo has been competing professionally since 2010 and has garnered significant international recognition, mastering reining and developing his own method. We showcased that this method has proven to be quite successful evidenced by his high placements in the 2019 Youth World Olympic Games held in Germany and numerous other prestigious Reining championships in Italy. We also included letters from experts in the field who have personal knowledge of Mr. Cozzo’s international recognition in the Horse Reining industry.
We provided ample evidence that Mr. Cozza meets at least three of the P-1 criteria and qualifies for the non-immigrant P-1 visa. We, therefore, successfully demonstrated that he is unambiguously qualified to be classified as a P-1 athlete of extraordinary ability.
For more information on how we help support professional athletes and coaches with O-1 and P-1 visas, please contact our offices at 310-209-8545.