Credit to our devoted Associate Kiran on this one, she knows her model visas.
Spring is in the air! New York Fashion Week is upon us, and we’re excited to see the extraordinary talent and creativity of the designers, not to mention all that glitz and glamour on the runway. Many of the catwalk extraordinaires at NYFW are fashion models of international acclaim who are here in the U.S. on an employment-based visa, allowing them to strut the runway and pose for photo shoots. We have outlined the most common visas fashion models apply for through a U.S. modeling agency or agent in the U.S., including the O-1 “Artist Visa”.
O-1 Non-Immigrant Visa:
An O-1 non-immigrant visa, also known as the “artist visa” allows a model to live and work in the U.S. if the model is sponsored by a modeling agent or agency in the U.S. A model must show his or her extraordinary ability as a model through evidence such as abundant tear sheets and reference letters from leaders in the industry. Furthermore, the model must be sponsored by a modeling agency or agent in the U.S. and have an itinerary of fashion modeling projects. The O-1 visa can be granted for a 3-year period of temporary employment with the petitioning employer, depending on the length of projects on the itinerary.
H-1B Visa – Non-Immigrant Visa Petition for a Temporary Employee:
An H-1B non-immigrant visa is generally for members of “specialty occupations”, applying to more traditional occupations such as physicians, accountant, architects, etc. However, an H-1B visa may also be granted to a model who is of distinguished merit and ability in the field of fashion modeling. A model of distinguished merit and ability in the field of fashion modeling is one who is prominent in the field of fashion modeling. The model must also be coming to the United States to perform services that require a fashion model of prominence. The H-1 visa can be filed starting April 1st for an employment start date of October 1st of the same calendar year and is for a 3-year period of temporary employment with the petitioning employer. The H1-B is numerically limited to 65,000 per year so applying as early as possible in April is recommended.
In order to meet the standard for distinguished merit and ability, this usually requires national or international recognition which can be documented by such evidence as clippings showing modeling appearances in recognized and respected publications (aka “tear sheets”).
The petitioner, usually a modeling agency or an agent who is sponsoring the fashion model must establish that the position meets one of the following criteria:
(1) The services to be performed involve events or productions which have a distinguished reputation;
(2) The services are to be performed for an organization or establishment that has a distinguished reputation for, or record of, employing prominent persons.
A petitioner must establish that a beneficiary is a fashion model of distinguished merit and ability by the submission of documentation showing that the alien:
(1) Has achieved national or international recognition and acclaim for outstanding achievements in his or her field as evidenced by reviews in major newspapers, trade journals, magazines, or other published materials;
(2) Has performed and will perform services as a fashion model for employers with a distinguished reputation.
(3) Has received recognition for significant achievements from organizations, critics, fashion houses, modeling agencies, or other recognized experts in the field; or
(4) Commands a high salary or other substantial remuneration for services evidenced by contracts or other reliable evidence.
This is usually evidenced by submitting tear sheets of the fashion model’s appearances in prominent publications such as Vogue, GQ, Elle, and work for major designers such as Armani, Calvin Klein, H&M, Espirit, and the like. Furthermore, the modeling agency must also submit an itinerary – a schedule of what brands, designers, and fashion houses the fashion model will be working for.
Immigrant Visa based on Extraordinary Ability as a Fashion Model: (Greencard)
Models with years of experience that are considered the cream of the crop are generally well-qualified to apply for this visa. The process for an employment-based 1st preference immigrant visa based on extraordinary ability for models is much like the O-1 via process, with more materials (essentially an O-1 visa application on steroids, so to speak). An abundance of tear sheets and reference letters are helpful to exhibit a model’s extraordinary ability as a fashion model. This visa grants the applicant a “green card”, allowing him/her to live and work in the U.S. as a legal permanent resident of the U.S. The current processing time for such application from start to finish is about 1 year, which is a very expedient process by immigration standards.
Here are the steps to begin an immigrant visa (greencard) application for a model:
1. Fill out the attached model bio and visa questionnaire
2. The model should obtain documents from their previous non-immigrant visa application (if applicable) to the best of their ability
3. Gather new/updated tear sheets: at least 50-70
4. Create a list of 10-12 references to obtain letters from them (the attorneys draft the letters)
Please feel free to contact us as info@theartistvisa with any questions you may have about fashion models’ qualifications for these visas, or any others. Enjoy Fashion Week!









