There are different non-immigrant visa types that are worthwhile for founders and Silicon Valley startups to investigate. Here are the most common ones: H-1B Visa This is for an employee of a U.S. company working in a specialty occupation. This is not for self-employment. If you’re a founder out there and you don’t have a…
Draper University recently invited me to speak to participants of its Silicon Valley entrepreneurship program. In addition to covering the main pathways for international entrepreneurs to move to the U.S. to grow their startups, I focused on the journeys of three immigrant founders. Their stories all show how employing a bit of creativity produces successful…
As of June 10, New Zealand nationals can request a change of status to or apply for the E-1 Visa for Treaty Traders or the E-2 Visa for Treaty Investors The E-1 and E-2 visas are only available to citizens of countries with treaties of trade and commerce with the U.S. The U.S. and New…
After a seven-year wait, Israel citizens became eligible to apply for an E-2 visa at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv as of May 1. Both the E-1 Visa for Treaty Traders and the E-2 Visa for Treaty Investors are only available to citizens of countries with treaties of trade and commerce with the U.S.…
The U.S. Commerce Department could place limits on which companies can sponsor H-1B and O-1A visas. Commerce is evaluating designating artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and other categories as “emerging technologies” that will be subject to export controls. That could pose challenges for tech startups founded by international entrepreneurs or those employing—or looking to employ—foreign talent. If…
In a previous blog post, I discussed how individuals from China, India, and other countries that do not have a trade treaty with the U.S. can still qualify for an E-2 Visa for Treaty Investors. The process? Individuals from these countries just need to become a citizen of the Caribbean nation of Grenada, which offers…
Last year New Zealand joined the list of countries with a trade treaty with the U.S. New Zealand does not yet appear on the Department of State’s list of treaty countries. However, a DOS fact sheet on the Knowledgeable Innovators and Worthy Investors (KIWI) Act states that New Zealanders are eligible for the E-1 Visa…
We’re excited to announce a new educational program that offers budding foreign entrepreneurs and seasoned foreign business executives to sharpen their English skills and pitch their startups in Silicon Valley. Another local, woman-owned business, the San Francisco-based English Language Institute (ELI), launched its Business English for Entrepreneurs Program in October 2018. The 12-week course combines…
Although we have seen a dramatic slowdown in the Administration’s processing of nonimmigrant petitions and green cards, our firm has still achieved a very high success rate for our clients. Because we do need to advise our clients about increasing processing times, we dug a little deeper to understand what’s been going on with USCIS.…
Last week, Charles Oppenheim, chief of the Department of State’s Immigrant Visa Control & Reporting, provided an estimate of the final action dates over the next several months and the estimated wait times for an EB-5 green card. He said the final action dates will remain “current”—or ready for processing—for all countries except India China,…