Immigration lawyers who once spent their days filing O-1 visa petitions for prima ballerinas, Grammy-nominated musicians and Olympic coaches say their client list now looks very different. A growing share of it is OnlyFans creators — and according to several attorneys now working the visa, they are arriving in numbers that rival, or in some offices exceed, applications from traditional actors and performers.
The O-1B is the United States’ “extraordinary ability” visa for the arts, created in its modern form by the Immigration Act of 1990 after John Lennon’s own fight to stay in the country. It requires U.S. employer or agent sponsorship and case-by-case evidence that the applicant has sustained national or international acclaim. For decades that meant film credits, gallery shows, or chart positions. Attorneys say it increasingly means subscriber counts, engagement rates and platform earnings.
What the numbers actually show
Overall O-1 visa issuance has climbed sharply over the past decade — one tally put the increase at more than 50% between 2014 and 2024, with more than 125,000 O-1 visas issued since 2017. O-1 visas remain a small fraction of total U.S. non-immigrant visas each year, but the composition of who’s applying has shifted.
Miami-based immigration attorney Joe Bovino told reporters that roughly 65% of his current O-1B caseload is now influencers and online creators, many of them OnlyFans-based. “It’s not just cat videos anymore,” Bovino said. “It’s social media influencers making lots of money.” New York attorney Michael Wildes — whose father represented John Lennon in the original case that led to the visa category — said “scroll kings and queens” have dominated his O-1 applications since 2020, and advises clients to document social media analytics, subscriber counts, and platform income to demonstrate high remuneration.
USCIS, for its part, disputes any suggestion that it has lowered the bar or fast-tracked a particular platform’s creators. A USCIS spokesperson called reports of preferential treatment “absurd.”
How a creator actually qualifies
The O-1B still requires the same evidentiary showing as any other applicant: proof of sustained acclaim in the field, typically shown through a mix of the following.
- Major media coverage or press about the applicant’s work
- Evidence of “high remuneration” relative to others in the field — platform earnings statements, tax records, or brand deal contracts
- A record of leading or starring roles in “distinguished” productions or ventures
- Critical acclaim, awards, or recognition from industry publications or peers
- A U.S. employer or agent willing to act as petitioner and sponsor
Not every attorney is comfortable with how loosely some of these categories are now being interpreted. Immigration lawyer Fiona McEntee has noted that “appearing at a store opening can count as a leading role in a distinguished production” under current practice, with brand deals and follower counts increasingly doing the evidentiary heavy lifting. Andre Matias, an attorney at Altius Immigration Law, put it more cautiously: “Influencers and OnlyFans creators qualifying for O-1 visas can make some eyes roll, but legally, it makes sense… I don’t think followers, engagements, or likes should outweigh traditional metrics like awards, major publications, or institutional recognition.” Matias points to the precedent set when USCIS adapted its standards to recognise professional esports players as a comparable expansion of “extraordinary ability” into a newer field.
Why creators are pursuing it at all
For non-U.S. creators, the appeal is straightforward: OnlyFans’ biggest subscriber base and highest-paying fans are disproportionately American, and a visa that allows legal work authorisation beats operating in a grey area on a tourist visa — which is not a lawful basis for paid content work in the U.S. and carries real risk of future entry bans if discovered. Attorneys interviewed by multiple outlets pointed to creators living at Florida’s “Bop House” content collective, including Canadian creator Aishah Sofey, as examples of the pattern: creators relocating to the U.S. specifically to formalise and scale a content business already generating significant income.
That mirrors a broader trend of creators moving country, or building income streams that let them travel and work more freely — as one creator we spoke to described going from a $600-a-month au pair job to funding business-class travel around the world once her content income scaled.
What this means if you’re considering it
- An O-1B petition needs a sponsoring U.S. agent or employer — this is not a solo application
- You’ll need documented proof of income and platform performance, not just a follower count
- Approval rates for O-1 petitions have historically been high, but USCIS reviews evidence case-by-case and can and does deny weak petitions
- Getting this wrong — or working in the U.S. without proper authorisation while an application is pending — carries real immigration risk
This article is for general information only and is not immigration, legal, or tax advice. Visa eligibility depends on individual circumstances; anyone considering an O-1B or other U.S. work visa application should consult a licensed immigration attorney before taking action.
