In a striking shift for US immigration policy, social media influencers and creators of adult content are now successfully obtaining highly sought-after American visas reserved for individuals with "extraordinary ability." This trend persists even as the Trump administration enforces some of the toughest immigration rules in modern history.
The New Face of 'Extraordinary Ability'
Colombian-born content creator Natalia Mogollon, known online as Alinity Divine, was approved for an O-1B visa in August. The 37-year-old streams video games to 1.5 million followers and offers explicit content on OnlyFans. Her legal team successfully argued that her massive online reach demonstrated the required exceptional skill.
This case is far from isolated. Immigration lawyers across the United States report that influencers now constitute between 50% and 65% of their O-1B clientele. The criteria have adapted for the digital era, where high follower counts, brand partnerships, and substantial earnings serve as evidence of success.
"If you think about how many people are on social media every day and how few people actually make a living from it - it is really a skill," Fiona McEntee, founding partner of the McEntee Law Group, told the Financial Times.
From Lennon to Livestreams: The Visa's Evolution
The O-1 visa programme has roots in a famous 1970s legal battle. Lawyer Leon Wildes successfully defended John Lennon and Yoko Ono against deportation under the Nixon administration. That fight helped lay the groundwork for the modern O-1 visa, established in 1990 for foreigners with extraordinary talent in arts, sciences, business, or athletics.
Today, his son, Michael Wildes, continues the legacy at the firm Wildes & Weinberg, but for a new clientele. "My firm now works with 'tons of social media influencers' and has achieved enormous success with OnlyFans models," Wildes stated, joking that "though my wife doesn't really approve."
The visa category has no annual cap, giving immigration officers significant discretion. While fewer than 20,000 O-1 visas were issued last year, the total has risen by over 50% in the past decade, with a sharp acceleration post-2020.
Metrics vs. Merit: A Growing Backlash
The reliance on social media analytics has triggered concern among some immigration professionals. Critics argue that the programme's high standards are being diluted by equating online popularity with genuine extraordinary ability.
"We have scenarios where people who should never have been approved are getting approved for O-1s," said immigration lawyer Protima Daryanani. "It's been watered down because people are just meeting the categories."
New York attorney Shervin Abachi warned that traditional artists are disadvantaged as officials treat algorithmic reach as a proxy for merit. "Once that becomes normalized, the system moves toward treating artistic merit like a scoreboard," he said.
Former US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) adviser Elizabeth Jacobs cautioned that officers risk conflating clicks with talent. She noted that high follower counts in 2025 may merely indicate "above-average talent" given the vast number of digital creators.
When questioned by the Daily Mail about preferential treatment for OnlyFans models, a US government spokesman firmly denied the claim: "USCIS is not prioritizing applications for the site in question. Reports suggesting otherwise are absurd."
This evolving landscape highlights the tension between established immigration frameworks and the booming, metrics-driven economy of online influence, reshaping who America considers "extraordinary."
