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…
The Alcorn Immigration Law team welcomes Karla Brashear as of counsel. An expert in immigration and family law, Karla will focus primarily on family-based immigration cases. She is working remotely from Portland, Ore. The daughter of refugees who fled the Salvadoran civil war in the 1980s, Karla respects and appreciates all the sacrifices her parents…
A bipartisan group of senators reintroduced a bill earlier this year that would create a startup visa for international entrepreneurs. It also creates a visa with a path to a green card for international students earning a master’s or higher STEM degree at U.S. universities. U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Roy Blunt…
By Sophie Alcorn and Andee Gardiner Alcorn Immigration Law and Founders Embassy have many things in common. Our companies share a startup story that began with the vision and drive of women founders. Both strive to erase borders and share a passion for helping international and immigrant startup founders succeed. Alcorn helps international entrepreneurs…
As the plane touched down in LAX, I remember the welcome wave of the California poppies blowing in the wind in the spaces between the runway. I remember sitting in my seat, my knuckles white, not quite ready to leave my familiar life in India behind. This is my new home, I repeated to myself,…
About 38% of the nearly two million people living in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro area were born outside the U.S., according to the U.S. Census Bureau in its American Community Survey. The San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metropolitan statistical area includes Santa Clara and San Benito counties. The percentage of foreign-born residents in this area is…
If patience is a virtue, then Fernando* and his employer have it in spades. Originally from Bolivia, Fernando started working in 2017 on an F-1 OPT (Optional Practical Training) status as a graphic designer for a Bay Area startup. Fernando quickly became a valued member of the company’s team. With Fernando’s work authorization set to…
The Alcorn Immigration Law team welcomes Anita Koumriqian as our newest associate. An expert in immigration law with a passion for family immigration matters, Anita will focus on individual and family immigration cases including changes of status, marriage-based and family green cards, citizenship, and asylum. She will also accompany our clients to government interviews, which…
Companies in metro areas in Texas and on the East Coast—not Silicon Valley or San Francisco—employed the most H-1B recipients between 2010 and 2016, according to a Pew Research Center report. By filing a public records request, Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington, D.C., obtained the government data on H-1B visa…
When investors perform their due diligence on a startup and its founders, one area they rarely delve into is one that could jeopardize their investment: Compliance with immigration law. The Alcorn Immigration Law team can help you perform the due diligence on a startup’s compliance with immigration law and devise immigration strategies for startup founders.…