VRChat, Inc.

Clement Lee, the Associate Director of Immigration Legal Services at the Urban Justice Center’s Sex Workers Project, told Motherboard that the U.S. denying sex workers access to the country is a pretty common occurrence. And while Hex doesn’t technically meet the legal definition for prostitution found in U.S. immigration laws, that sadly doesn’t really matter.

“...There’s nothing legally preventing U.S. immigration authorities or the Department of State, with very little evidence or no evidence at all, from presuming that a person who does online sex work may also do in-person sex work as well, leading to a denial of a visa to the United States for ‘engaging in prostitution,’” explained Clement. In fact, he further told Motherboard that for tourist visas, the U.S. can deny anyone for any reason at all, or even for no reason.

Making matters worse for sex workers like Hex is that there is “remarkably little recourse” for someone denied a tourist visa. Often people aren’t even given a written explanation for why they were denied, and instead just have to try again and hope for a different outcome.

Advertisement

Hex isn’t giving up. She still wants to see her friends and also told Motherboard: “I want to clear my name and get this resolved as it’s unfair and not true.” Hex says she did recently receive an email from the London non-immigrant visa office and so is hopeful, but still understandably confused, by the whole situation.

Kotaku’s reached out to Hex for comment.