In order to qualify for an O-1 visa, it is important to convince USCIS that you are successful and well-respected in your specific field. One accomplishment that can go a long way towards proving this argument is if you have served as a judge over other people’s work.

But what kinds of “judging” qualifies? And what can you provide as evidence of judging to prove you actually served as a judge?

What Kinds of “Judging” Qualifies When Applying for an O-1 Visa?

Serving as a “judge” can mean a wide variety of things — many of which you might not consider. Here are just a few:

• Peer reviewing articles
• Editing or refereeing a professional journal
• Acting as a judge in a competitions
• Evaluating research proposals
• Offering official direction for a thesis or dissertation

What Evidence Can Be Used as Proof That You Have “Judged” in Any of These Ways?

As with the above, there are a wide variety of documents that can serve as evidence of judging.

Specific types of helpful documents may include:

• a statement from the editor of the professional publication where you served as a peer reviewer, editor, and so on
• a statement from the organization that held the competition
• evidence of the testing used to judge the specialized work

The main thing to remember is that — whatever you ultimately use as proof — it is important that it show you were chosen as a judge due to your recognition and knowledge in the field in question.