Shift in Eligibility for Hollywood Visa
Immigration lawyers have observed a significant shift in the demographic seeking the Hollywood-based O-1 visa, originally intended for traditional actors and musicians. Now, a new wave of applicants, primarily composed of OnlyFans creators and other influencers, is emerging.
Criteria for O-1 Visa
To be eligible for an O-1 visa, applicants must demonstrate extraordinary abilities by sustained national or international acclaim. Traditionally, this involved significant achievements in the entertainment industry, such as awards and major roles. Recently, this criteria has expanded to include digital success metrics like follower counts, engagement rates, brand partnerships, and revenue from platforms such as OnlyFans.
Influencers on OnlyFans Seeking U.S. Residency
Among the notable OnlyFans creators applying for U.S. residency through the O-1 visa route are individuals like Yanet Garcia, a model and actress from Mexico currently residing in New York City, and influencers Aishah Sofey from Canada and Joyy Mei from China, who live in Bop House, a communal residence in Florida for prominent adult content creators.
Changing Landscape of Visa Applicants
Michael Wildes, a respected New York-based immigration attorney, highlighted the transition in his client base from legendary artists to modern digital influencers since 2020. Wildes, whose clientele once included iconic figures such as John Lennon and Boy George, now sees a dominance of digital content creators among his applicants.
Growth in O-1 Visas Issuance
Statistics indicate that from 2017 to the present, over 125,000 O-1 visas have been issued, with a notable increase in the last decade. This uptick in issuance reflects the broader acceptance of digital and online achievements as forms of artistic accomplishment in the visa application process.
Concerns Over Digital Metrics in Artistic Evaluation
Some experts, however, voice concerns about this shift towards digital metrics. Attorney Shervin Abachi argues that evaluating artistic merit based on online popularity and algorithm-driven data risks diminishing the perceived value and quality of cultural contributions. Abachi warns that equating artistic worth to numerical scores could potentially undermine the integrity of the artistic visa application process itself.
