What is variant string justification and why is it required?

An applicant seeking one or more allocatable variant strings of an applied-for primary gTLD or existing gTLD must provide justification for the necessity of each variant string. This justification will be evaluated by a panel using a general standard of reasonableness based on four criteria in the context of the applied-for primary IDN gTLD or existing gTLD as outlined in the Applicant Guidebook Module 7.6 Variant String Evaluation:

1. The meaning or intended meaning of each applied-for variant string is consistent, as demonstrated by sources provided by the applicant.
2. The variant string is recognized as equivalent by the intended user community.
3. The benefits and user communities who will gain from the introduction of the applied-for variant string.
4. Steps the applicant will take to minimize operational and management complexities of the variant gTLDs and resulting variant domain names that impact registrars, resellers, or registrants.