If you are a mediocre designer, extraordinary status is near-to-impossible to prove. But it’s arguable that talented designers can ensure they qualify by paying their ways via professional PR teams to seed press mentions, and lawyers who can make the claim that their successes are remarkable (Gao did not have a PR team in place when she applied for her O1, but Luo’s helped him gather enough press after his first show to apply for his). While Lee works with many O1 applicants with shallow pockets, he also has clients who have spent money to up their chances: “These younger people’s parents have spent a lot of money for them to stay on student visas, and paid a lot of money for college. If the goal is to create a life here, it doesn’t feel like that big of a deal to shell out more money to continue to be here.”