The Immigration Act of 1990 contains a definition of the term "specialized knowledge" which is different in many respects than the prior regulatory definition. The purpose of this memorandum is to provide field offices with guidance on the proper interpretation of the new statutory definition.

The prior regulatory definition required that the beneficiary possess an advanced level of expertise and proprietary knowledge not available in the United States labor market. The current definition of specialized knowledge contains two separate criteria and, obviously, involves a lesser, but still high, standard. The statute states that the alien has specialized knowledge if he/she has special knowledge of the company product and its application in international markets or has an advanced level of knowledg e of the processes and procedures of the company.

Since the statutory definitions and legislative history do not provide any further guidelines or insight as to the interpretation of the terms "advanced" or "special", officers should utilize the common dictionary definitions of the two terms as provided below.

Webster's II New Riverside University Dictionary defines the term "special" as "surpassing the usual; distinct among others of a kind." Also, Webster's Third New International Dictionary defines the term "special" as "distinguished by some unusual quality; uncommon; noteworthy."

Based on the above definition, an alien would possess specialized knowledge if it was shown that the knowledge is different from that generally found in the particular industry. The knowledge need not be proprietary or unique, but it must be different or uncommon.

The following are provided as general examples of situations where an alien possesses specialized knowledge.

• The foreign company manufactures a product which no other firm manufactures. The alien is familiar with the various procedures involved in the manufacture, use, or service of the product.
• The foreign company manufactures a product which is significantly different from other products in the industry. Although there may be similarities between products, the knowledge required to sell, manufacture, or service the product is different from the other products to the extent that the United States or foreign firm would experience a significance interruption of business in order to train a new worker to assume those duties.
• The alien beneficiary has knowledge of a foreign firm's business procedures or methods of operation to the extent that the United States firm would experience a significant interruption of business in order to train a United States worker to assume those duties.

A specific example of a situation involving specialized knowledge would be if a foreign firm in the business of purchasing used automobiles for the purpose of repairing and reselling them, some for export to the United States, petitions for an alien to come to the United States as a staff officer. The beneficiary has knowledge of the firm's operational procedures, e.g., knowledge of the expenses the firm would entail in order to repair the car as well in selling the car. The beneficiary has knowledge of the firm’s cost structure for various activities which serves as a basis for determining the proper price to be paid for the vehicle. The beneficiary also has knowledge of various United States customs laws and EPA regulations in order to determine what modifications must be made to import the vehicles into the United States. In this case it can be concluded that the alien has advanced knowledge of the firm's procedures because a substantial amount of time would be required for the foreign or United States emp loyer to teach another employee the firm's procedures. Although it can be argued that a good portion of what the beneficiary knows is general knowledge, i.e. customs and EPA regulations, the combination of the procedures which the beneficiary has knowledge of renders him essential to the firm. Specifically, the firm would have a difficult time in training another employee to assume these duties because of the inter-relationship of the beneficiary's general knowledge with the firm's method of doing business. The beneficiary therefore possesses specialized knowledge.

Further, Webster's II New Riverside University Dictionary _ defines the term "advanced" as "highly developed or complex; at a higher level than others." Also, Webster's Third New International Dictionary defines the term “advanced” as "beyond the elementary or introductory; greatly developed beyond the initial stage."

Again, based on the above definition, the alien's knowledge need not be proprietary or unique, merely advanced. Further, the statute does not require that the advanced knowledge be narrowly held throughout the company, only that the knowledge be advanced.

The determination of whether an alien possesses specialized knowledge does not involve a test of the United States labor market. Whether or not there are United States workers available to perform the duties in the United States is not a relevant factor since the test for specialized knowledge involves only an examination of the knowledge possessed by the alien, not whether there are similarly employed United States workers. However, officers adjudicating petitions involving specialized knowledge must ensur e that the knowledge possessed by the beneficiary is not general knowledge held commonly throughout the industry but that it is truly specialized. There is no requirement in current legislation that the alien's knowledge be unique, proprietary, or not commonly found in the United States labor market.

The following are some of the possible characteristics of an alien who possesses specialized knowledge. They are not all inclusive. The alien:

• Possesses knowledge that is valuable to the employer's competitiveness in the market place;
• Is qualified to contribute to the United States employer's knowledge of foreign operating conditions as a result of special knowledge not generally found in the industry;
• Has been utilized abroad in a capacity involving significant assignments which have enhanced the employer's productivity, competitiveness, image, or financial position;
• Possesses knowledge which, normally, can be gained only through prior experience with that employer;
• Possesses knowledge of a product or process, which cannot be easily transferred or taught to another individual.
• An alien beneficiary has knowledge of a process or a product, which is of a sophisticated nature, although not unique to the foreign firm, which is not generally known in the United States.

A specific example of the above is if a firm involved in processing certain shellfish desires to petition for a beneficiary to work in the United States in order to catch and process the shellfish. The beneficiary learned the process from his employment from an unrelated firm but has been utilizing that knowledge for the foreign firm for the past year. However, the knowledge required to process the shellfish is unknown in the United States. In this instance, the beneficiary possesses specialized knowledge s ince his knowledge of processing the shellfish must be considered advanced.

The common theme, which runs through these examples is that the knowledge which the beneficiary possesses, whether it is knowledge of a process or a product, would be difficult to impart to another individual without significant economic inconvenience to the United States or foreign firm. The knowledge is not generally known and is of some complexity.

The above examples and scenarios are presented as general guidelines for officers involved in the adjudication of petitions involving specialized knowledge. The examples are not all inclusive and there are many other examples of aliens who possess specialized knowledge, which are not covered in this memorandum.

From a practical point of view, the mere fact that a petitioner alleges that an alien's knowledge is somehow different does not, in and of itself, establish that the alien possesses specialized knowledge. The petitioner bears the burden of establishing through the submission of probative evidence that the alien's knowledge is uncommon, noteworthy, or distinguished by some unusual quality and not generally known by practitioners in the alien's field of endeavor. Likewise, a petitioner's assertion that the al ien possesses an advanced level of knowledge of the processes and procedures of the company must be supported by evidence describing and setting apart that knowledge from the elementary or basic knowledge possessed by others. It is the weight and type of evidence, which establishes whether or not the beneficiary possesses specialized knowledge.

In closing, this memorandum is designed solely as a guide. It must be noted that specialized knowledge can apply to any industry, including service and manufacturing firms, and can involve any type of position.