Can a Social Media Influencer Apply for a Green Card?
In today’s digital age, social media influencers have become a powerful marketing tool for businesses worldwide.
According to recent studies, the influencer marketing industry is expected to experience significant growth and reach approximately $21.1 billion by 2023. With this growth, 63% of brands plan to incorporate AI technology into their influencer campaigns, with 2/3 of those brands intending to use AI for influencer identification.
Additionally, 67% of brands budgeting for influencer marketing intend to increase their budget over 2023, with 23% of respondents planning to spend more than 40% of their marketing budget on influencer campaigns. The preference for working with small influencers (nano and micro) is evident, with 39% and 30%, respectively, while expensive macro-influencers and celebrities are less popular (19% and 12%, respectively).
The growing influence and demand for social media influencers have led to U.S. immigration policy recognizing this profession as worthy of approval in visas and green card cases.
So, can a social media influencer apply for a green card?
The answer is yes. Social media influencers can apply for permanent residency in the U.S. through the EB-1A track, which provides a more permanent option than the O-1B visa.
However, it’s essential to note that the EB-1A category carries a much higher “extraordinary ability” standard than the O-1B visa.
Therefore, before applying for an EB-1A, the applicant should evaluate their experience and accomplishments. If they feel their expertise needs to reach this higher standard, they should consider renewing their O-1B to grow their work before applying for a green card.
To fulfill the EB-1A category, social media influencers must have extraordinary abilities, including but not limited to atypical jobs that involve creative decision-making. Social media influencers fit the “extraordinary ability” umbrella through brand ambassadorships and having a high following that consistently earns them elevated views or likes.
Preparing for an EB-1A visa requires the applicant’s full cooperation with biographical documents such as a birth certificate, passport, and previous tickets. In addition, the applicant must qualify as evidence of their commercial success, including posts, blogs, or videos with their highest views, likes, shares, and downloads, and press articles they’ve received, evidencing their achievements.
In conclusion, the EB-1A route provides social media influencers a more permanent option to live and work in the United States. However, it’s essential to understand that the extraordinary ability standard for this category is much higher than other visa categories.
Therefore, applicants must prepare their case with detailed evidence of their accomplishments to meet the requirements.
https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-benchmark-report/
