Overview
- State Department figures show O-1 issuances rose by more than 50% from 2014 to 2024, reaching 19,457 in 2024 after a sharp jump between 2021 and 2022.
- Immigration attorneys report that social media creators now make up a large share of O-1B clients, with some firms saying influencers account for more than half of their cases.
- Petitions increasingly lean on quantifiable online proof such as follower counts, views, subscription revenue and brand contracts to demonstrate commercial success.
- Some lawyers warn the bar is being diluted, arguing that algorithm-based metrics risk turning artistic merit into a scoreboard and enabling approvals that once would have failed.
- Coverage frequently cites OnlyFans creators in this trend, though an industry group says it is not aware of adult-content creators receiving O-1Bs, underscoring limited public data by occupation.