OnlyFans Creators Drive “Extraordinary Talent” Visa Surge

What do Justin Bieber, Hugh Jackman and Elon Musk have in common? They all came to the United States on a special visa for those with “extraordinary talent”. That visa, officially called the O-1B, is now being applied for in record numbers by OnlyFans creators and influencers. 

It might be weird to hear Beatles legend John Lennon mentioned in the same context as some of your favorite OnlyFans creators, but time marches unflinchingly onward and it’s been a record year for OnlyFans. Recently, CEO Keily Blair said the platform made more than $7 billion. OnlyFans makes money by taking a 20% cut of all transactions on the platform, so it’s no surprise how the company got so wealthy. This also makes OnlyFans a major player in US culture, so in the years since the first O-1B visa was created, the idea of “extraordinary talent” has evolved and shifted rapidly. 

In 1975, John Lennon set the stage for the creation of the O-1B visa. The Nixon administration saw Lennon’s anti-war views as dangerous (as the Vietnam War raged on) so they sought to deport him using his previous marijuana possession conviction. While the deportation order was overturned by a judge, 15 years later, the US Department of Homeland Security passed The Immigration Act of 1990, which introduced the O-1B visa for those with “extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics”.

Pennsylvania immigration lawyer Raymond Lahoud says the COVID-19 pandemic had a lot to do with OnlyFans creators being able to qualify for “extraordinary ability” visas. “During the pandemic, the films were recording, the influencers were posting, and the entire globe was at home reading or watching,” said Lahoud. This moved the goalposts as far as who’s extraordinary and who’s not. Followers, for better or worse, have become a modern metric to measure success. As opposed to the “20 or so readers” a scientist posting a study might get, OnlyFans creators can reach millions of people. Lahoud says that OnlyFans is far more popular than most streaming services, adding,”... OnlyFans film will make its way across the globe faster than any DVD or Netflix special.”

According to Miami immigration lawyer Joe Bovino, 65% of his O-1B extraordinary talent clients are OnlyFans creators or social media influencers. In 2021, the government allowed 7,294 O-1B visa applicants into the country. In 2022, they allowed 19,102. A 162 percent jump. In most cases, if someone has over 1 million followers, is making bank and perhaps has a sponsorship or two, they stand a good chance of being selected. What’s more, the O-1B has no yearly cap unlike the H-1B (work) visa, so there’s no limit to the number of applicants. Recently, the Trump administration added a $100,000 fee to all H-1B applications, which may indirectly influence a further surge in O-1B visa applications. While not $100,000 to apply, the O-1B isn’t cheap, either. Taking form fees, legal fees and everything else into account, O-1B accounts can expect to shell out anywhere from $3,500 to $11,000.

While this might be a lot of money for you and me, for most popular OnlyFans creators, it’s a drop in the bucket. Popular influencer Sophie Rain has made over $100 million and founded Bop House, a content creator mansion in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Some members of this creators mansion have been accepted as O-1B visa applicants and picked the Bop House as their first stop. Canadian Aishah Sofey and Joyy Mei from China are two creators who lived there after getting their visas approved. Their combined 5 million followers compelled the US Government to accept their applications.

To conclude, OnlyFans creators with over a million followers that wish to move to the United States have an easy path here with the O-1B. While the definition of “extraordinary talent” has certainly changed through the years, OnlyFans has put itself at the center of the action and made it so plenty of popular influencers can come to the United States for a better life.