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…
By Sophie Alcorn and Valerie Dagama Pereira How can visas in the Land Down Under benefit U.S. companies? Australia offers a few visa options, including a pilot program that began last month, aimed at attracting specialized workers, established companies, and startups. U.S. employers could use these options to transfer foreign workers who cannot renew or…
We recently held office hours at Draper University to answer immigration questions from the current batch of students in the summer startup training program. Thanks to one of our clients—a graduate of the program—Draper staff invited me and my colleagues, Jeff Huang and Gabby Phillips, to talk to interested students about their options. When we…
Although the end is near for entrepreneur parole under the International Entrepreneur Rule (IER), startup founders have alternatives to build amazing companies in the U.S. After nearly a year of threatening to terminate the IER program, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) made good on that threat last week: It published a proposal in the…
The volume of H-1B applications submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and subject to the annual cap dropped for the second consecutive year under the Trump administration. Cap-subject H-1B filings have dropped nearly 20% since 2016. Each year since 2014, the number of cap-subject H-1B petitions submitted had steadily risen, reaching a high…
Bad news for startup founders. The International Entrepreneur Rule—the closest thing to a startup visa in the U.S.—is dying a slow painful death. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a notice in the Federal Register delaying the effective date of the rule until March 14, 2018, to consider rescinding the rule altogether. This move follows an…
If you’re an international founder, legally establishing your new startup in the United States presents a challenge. Devising the best strategy requires knowing the immigration options available, consulting with an experienced attorney, and weighing the factors in your situation. If you would like a strategy session about your immigration options, contact us at Alcorn Immigration…
Relax. Every year the Alcorn Immigration Law team helps employers and foreign professionals devise immigration strategies that fit their needs. Those strategies may include a backup plan in the event that a job candidate fails to get an H-1B specialty occupation visa in the annual H-1B lottery in April. Several other visa options exist for…
Applying for an L-1A visa may be the quickest—and cheapest—way for foreign investors and high-net-worth individuals to become permanent residents in the U.S., especially if they’re already working for a company abroad. Most foreign investors pursue an EB-5 visa to get a green card. But investors may want to consider an L-1A visa along with an EB-1C…