Influencers, OnlyFans Models Dominate Elite US Artist Visas

The visa once used to keep John Lennon in the United States is now helping TikTok stars and OnlyFans creators stay put, too. Immigration attorneys say applicants for the O-1B visa—meant for foreign nationals with "extraordinary" talent in the arts—are increasingly social media influencers and subscription-based models, not traditional actors or musicians, per the Financial Times. Some lawyers report that influencers now make up more than half of their cases, drawn in part by how easy it is to quantify success: follower counts, subscriber numbers, and platform earnings. "A lay person is very easily impressed by a large number of followers," says New York attorney Elektra Yao.

Issued to people with exceptional ability in the arts (O-1B) or fields like science, business, and sports (O-1A), O-1 visas have risen more than 50% over a 10-year stretch that began in 2014, while overall nonimmigrant visas grew about 10%. Still, they remain niche: Not even 20,000 were approved in 2024, a fraction of the H-1B visas granted. The O-1B category traces back to the 1970s, when attorney Leon Wildes defended Lennon from deportation and pushed for a legal path for standout artists, later codified in 1990.

Lawyers say the criteria—lead roles in "distinguished" productions, measurable commercial success, or expert recognition—have been reinterpreted for the influencer era. A major brand deal can serve as an endorsement, while a splashy store appearance can count as a starring role. Big online revenues, meanwhile, signal commercial clout. Per NDTV, Indian content creator Darshan Magdum, also a member of boy band Boy Throb, posted on Instagram late last year that "our immigration lawyer said we need 1 million followers to get a visa. So I can sing and dance in America."

Supporters argue that making a living from content in an oversaturated digital landscape is a real skill, per the FT. Critics warn, however, that tying "extraordinary" ability to metrics like reach and engagement risks sidelining traditional artists whose work doesn't thrive in algorithms. "Once that becomes normalized, the system moves [toward] treating artistic merit like a scoreboard," says immigration lawyer Shervin Abachi, who sees the influencer surge as evidence of a deeper shift in how the US now measures who deserves opportunity.