World class track athlete Eldred Henry receives P-1 visa
World class track athlete Eldred Henry receives P-1 visa
We are glad to announce yet another successful petition. Mr. Eldred Henry, an internationally recognized track athlete, 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 Professional Track Athlete to USCIS. He provided as many documents as possible for each of the criteria satisfied by Mr. Henry.
The Athlete
Mr. Eldred Henry is a world class athlete from the British Virgin Islands competing in Shot Put and Discus Throw. He is the current National Record Holder in several events. Mr. Henry has represented his country in several high-profile international games including the 2014 Commonwealth Games, 2015 Pan American Games, and 2016 Summer Olympics. He continues to work towards a world championship and an Olympic championship.
The Petitioner
AllStarz Athletix Mgt. LLC is a one-of-a-kind Sports Management marketing company that provides professional representation & mentoring for Track & Field athletes. It was founded in 2014 by Ian Weakly. Mr. Weakly is an authorized track representative and a former stand-out track athlete himself. Before setting up AllStarz Athletix Mgt., he worked for a sports representation company for 4 years. He is registered with the USATF, IAAF and as a Jamaican Athlete Representative.
The P-1 Petition
We demonstrated that AllStarz Athletix Mgt., the petitioner, would like to extend the P-1A status upon Mr. Eldred Henry, whom they consider to be an exceptionally talented track athlete.
In the petition, we presented Mr. Henry as the world-class athlete he is by explaining the showcasing his unique skills and achievements.
We provided details of reputed international competitions, for which the beneficiary has qualified. Supporting evidence included locations, dates, and names of venues of these events, along with proof of their reputation and significance.
We put forth that Mr. Henry will only compete in races with other athletes near or above his world ranking in his racing events. These events are designed to prepare athletes for and qualify for world championships and the Olympics. These races are sanctioned by IAAF which ranks athletes from all over the world and only the top ranked athletes are eligible for world championships.
We noted that the beneficiary is already in the top tier of international athletes in their sport and needs to compete with other athletes at their level. In addition, highly ranked American athletes require other highly ranked athletes to compete against, who often come from other countries. The races in the petition are designed to give the opportunity for the beneficiary to compete against international talent.
We provided the following evidence for the various P-1 requirements:
Participation in international competitions with a national team
We proved that Mr. Henry is an exceptional track athlete by showcasing his participation in the British Virgin Islands Track and Field team.
We explained that becoming and remaining a member of the National Team is no mean feat; the athlete must prove that they are amongst the strongest competitors in the country through regular regional competition. They need to maintain consistency with results at meets. These results be compared nationwide. An athlete must become the top-ranked athlete in the nation to compete in international tournaments such as world championships, commonwealth games, and Olympic trials. We provided proof of the athlete having represented the country in each of these.
Track and Field is an individual sport such that each result is obtained by the individual and not by a team of people, unless it is a relay sport. Thus, the beneficiary’s contributions to the National Team are significant.
We included accomplishments achieved as a member of the National Team. The evidence included reputed articles, official documents, and support letters from industry insiders which were described in great detail in the petition.
Internationally-recognized honors or awards
The firm established that Mr. Henry was a top-notch athlete through evidence about the following honors:
US Track and Field Coaches Athlete of the year
NCAA Champion and runner up
Many first-place finishes
Many NCAA Conference individual awards
We specifically mentioned achievements such as:
NCAA Division II Indoor Champion / Record Holder 2019
NCAA Division II Outdoor Champion / Record Holder 2019
Pan American Games Finalist 2019
Commonwealth Games Finalist 2018
CAC Games Bronze Medalist 2018
NACAC U23 bronze Medalist 2016
2016 Rio Olympian NCAA Division II Indoor Champion / Record Holder 2019
We provided coverage from multiple reputed media outlets from different countries, coverage on the British Virgin Islands national team website, confirmation and explanation of significance from experts in the industry, and information from the organizations that conduct the tournaments themselves. The organizations detailed the selection process, international coverage, and previous winners of the awards.
International Ranking
The beneficiary is ranked top 1000 in the world by the IAFF Rankings. The IAAF is dedicated to holding updated records of professional track and field athletes. It also maintains a worldwide record of best times in almost every major track event in the world. The objective of the site is to document every professional track athlete and track meet to keep results and times up to the present times. IAAF publishes ratings for all active track and field and all-time ratings. We shared the IAAF record in which the rankings were indicated.
The petition also included plenty of information about his prowess and dominance in NCAA competitions.
All the above evidence strengthened the petition, establishing the beneficiary as an exceptionally talented athlete. We, therefore, successfully demonstrated that he is unambiguously qualified to be classified for the P-1 visa.
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.