Ms. Y has worked in film, TV and fashion makeup for more than ten years and was on many TV and film crews in China. Since coming to the U.S. she has worked freelance, mainly doing hair and makeup backstage at fashion weeks, for brand campaigns and for independent films.

• Makeup artists work behind the scenes. Press coverage is mostly about the stars, directors and designers, and Ms. Y's name usually appears only in the credits or in small print in magazine bylines.
• She has no fixed employer. Her upcoming work was spread across several productions and brands, so the petition had to be filed by an agent, with a contract or letter of intent matching every engagement on the itinerary.

• With her agent as petitioner, we turned her upcoming shoots and shows into an itinerary, attached the matching contracts and letters of intent, and requested an advisory opinion from the relevant industry union.
• The evidence was organized around three criteria: a leading role in distinguished productions, industry recognition, and remuneration, with her fees and day rates compared against industry wage data.
• USCIS issued an RFE, saying the articles we filed were mainly about the productions and stars, not about her, and questioning whether she played a critical role in that work. In the response we marked her credit in every article, obtained letters from several productions and brands stating that she was head of hair and makeup and designed the overall looks, and added recommendation letters from senior peers explaining, from a professional standpoint, how much makeup contributes to a production.

Date	Milestone
Early July 2026	O-1 filed with premium processing
Late July 2026	RFE received
Late August 2026	RFE response filed
Mid-September 2026	Approved

After the RFE response went in, Ms. Y's O-1 was approved, and she can keep taking film, brand and runway work in the U.S.

O-1 approved after the RFE response (approved mid-September 2026).