‘Frisky Friday’ Playboy Shera Bechard Receives US ‘Genius’ Visa

Canadian born Playboy model, Shera Bechard may not seem like your typical version of a "genius", but the United States Government seems to think so. The "Miss November 2010" cover model has been granted a genius visa based on the argument that she qualifies.

The former girlfriend of Playboy Enterprises founder Hugh Hefner recently received her 0-1s (Genius) work visa thanks to efforts by immigration lawyer Chris Wright.

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Genius work visas are typically reserved for individuals who have made an outstanding contribution or received an internationally recognized award. The government generally reserves this for "individuals with extraordinary ability."

"There's nothing in those regulations that requires you to be a genius," Wright says, according to the Associated Press.

"It's quite condescending to say, 'Oh, the idiot Playboy Playmates, they don't qualify.'"

At the end of 2010, Bechard posted the first "Frisky Friday" photo on the Twitter microblogging service. Now young women all over the world tweet scantily-clad pictures of themselves on Fridays, with Playboy selecting a weekly winner.

Here are the requirements for 0-1 Visa eligibility:

The individual must possess skills that are extraordinary within the field of sciences, arts, education, business, athletics, or within the field of motion picture or television industry. The individual must submit sufficient documentation to support their extraordinary ability petition. Extraordinary ability in the field of art means distinction demonstrated by a high level of achievement in the field. Extraordinary ability in the fields of business, science, education and athletics require a higher showing of expertise indicating that the applicant has risen to the very top of the field of endeavor.

The U.S. government gave out about 12,000 1-0s Genius visas last year, compared with only about 9,000 six years ago.