U.S. immigration lawyers are cashing out from a special O-1 visa category that allows OnlyFans models, content creators and influencers from Nigeria and other countries to enter the U.S. based on their proven “extraordinary” abilities.

Given the travel restrictions on B-1, B‑2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visa applicants, Nigerian sex workers and social media influencers are exploring the O-1 route to enter the U.S. and circumvent the ban.

The peculiarity of this category forbids direct visa applications. Instead, O-1 visa applications must be filed through a U.S. employer or agent and in most cases, lawyers.

The O-1 comprises O-1A and O-1B with their dependents like spouse and children under O-3. O-1As are visas issued to persons of proven extraordinary skills in athletics, science, education and business while O-1Bs are for art creatives which lawyers have successfully argued to include porn stars, content creators and influencers.

Top immigration lawyers such as Michael Wildes told Financial Times that the majority of his clients were “scroll kings and queens” mostly from OnlyFans, whose visa petitions were easily approved due to the ease of measuring their value in numbers. 

Likes, views and subscriber figures are useful metrics in determining and verifying their abilities. Other criteria for O-1Bs include starring as a lead character in a film, commercial success, expert recognition, gaining international prominence through published works, and so on.

The lawyers said influencer gigs and brand ambassadorial deals could pass as endorsement of one’s skills. Large online following and high remuneration could also be used to argue in favour of an O-1B applicant.

Given O-1B category mostly dealt in figures, visas are easily approved unlike other talented individuals in science and education which make up O-1A visa applicants and whose lawyers have to present a strong argument to prove their “extraordinary” skills without online figures.

Fiona McEntee told Financial Times that featuring at a store launch could count as “starring in a distinguished production.”

There are, however, concerns that the O-1B route might be abused to deprive deserving extraordinary talents with limited social media influence from securing travel opportunities to the U.S.circumventing the blanket visa ban on Nigerian nationals

OnlyFans models and influencers are trooping to the U.S. using a special visa category O-1B that allows persons of “extraordinary” talents to enter the country.