No More Hustleporn: Are you a non-US resident who wants to start a business in America but are concerned about your visa & immigration status?

Yiren Lu -

Tweet by Ankur Nagpal
https://twitter.com/ankurnagpal

   @ankurnagpal:  
 
     
      Are you a non-US resident who wants to start a business in America but are concerned about your visa & immigration status?
 
  Here is a step-by-step guide on what to do:
 
  This works equally well if you want to start your own freelancing or consulting business or a tech startup
 
             @ankurnagpal:  
 
     
      My immigration status was the #1 thing that held me back from starting my startup
 
  And it's the same for most immigrants
 
  Your work authorization in the country is tied to your employment status
 
  And it's not easy to figure out how you can get a visa with your own business!
 
             @ankurnagpal:  
 
     
      There are a few things to figure out:
 
  1 - What type of business you need to start
 
  2 - Do you have business partners that are US residents?
 
  3 - What type of visa to apply for & if it allows you to work for multiple clients (important if freelancing or consulting)
 
  Let's dive in
 
             @ankurnagpal:  
 
     
      The good news: You don't have to be a US resident to start a company in America
 
  If you want to start a tech startup, incorporate a C-Corp
 
  If you want to freelance or consult with your own business, incorporate a LLC
 
  This should be straightforward - use
 
         @doolaHQ  
 
      & you're good
 
             @ankurnagpal:  
 
     
      Now, the million dollar question:
 
  What type of visa to apply for?
 
  I recommend the O-1 or extraordinary ability visa, for a few reasons:
 
  - There is no cap like the H1-B
 
  - Takes a couple of months to process, & you can pay for premium processing to get a decision in ~2 weeks
 
             @ankurnagpal:  
 
     
      - You also don't have to tie yourself to one employer (I'll show you how)
 
  - And most significantly, the same criteria can be used for a green card aka permanent residence later on!
 
  An O-1 visa takes work, but it's well worth the effort since it gives you a ton of freedoms
 
             @ankurnagpal:  
 
     
      O-1 visa criteria may seem intimidating
 
  But you only have to fulfill any 3 requirements
 
  And most people can  find a way to:
 
  - Get some press
  - Show a high salary
  - Judge other peoples work
  - Make contributions in your field
  - Serve in a critical capacity for organizations
 
  etc
 

   @ankurnagpal:  
 
     
      The important thing to have a successful O-1 application is:
 
  1 - Get a good attorney
 
  2 - Have strong letters of reference from other well respected people
 
  On #2 - A ton of people on Twitter (including me!) have offered to sign letters of support:
 
 
 
         twitter.com/ankurnagpal/st…  
 
                           @ankurnagpal:    
   
           
            If you're trying to immigrate to the US and applying for an O-1 visa and need references...
   
    I'll sign your letter even if I don't know you
   
    Costs me nothing, and the more skilled immigrants here, the better off we all are
   
    I've been there, and know what a pain the process is
   
                     @ankurnagpal:  
 
     
      An employer needs to apply for an O-1
 
  If you are starting your own tech startup, you can apply for yourself either via:
 
  1 - A cofounder that is a US resident drafting you an offer letter
 
  2 - Alternatively, you can set up a board of directors that can also write your offer
 
             @ankurnagpal:  
 
     
      What if you want to start your own freelance or consulting company?
 
  Get an O-1 visa agent
 
  Just like a Hollywood agent, you can find someone who is your "agent" to apply on your behalf
 
  This allows you to freelance or consult with whoever while your visa is tied to the agent
 
             @ankurnagpal:  
 
     
      After a successful O-1 visa, you can also use largely the same application to apply for an EB-1 green card
 
  This was the exact path I took many years ago
 
  The criteria are the same, but the standards are higher
 
  But with an O-1 in hand, there's a lot less to lose!
 
  Worth a shot
 
             @ankurnagpal:  
 
     
      OK, we covered a lot in this thread!
 
  50% of this is my experience and 50% I learnt from
 
         @Loganullyott  
 
     
 
  If you want to learn about this in more detail, he & I are hosting a free live workshop on Tuesday, April 11:
 
 
 
         ocho.com/webinar/regist…  
 
     
 
  We'll send a replay to all signups too!
 
             @ankurnagpal:  
 
     
      The #1 thing we can do for entrepreneurship in this country is make it easier for immigrants to start companies
 
  If you know someone this can help, send them this thread or the link to the workshop
 
  And retweet the thread, if you found it useful:
 
 
 
         twitter.com/ankurnagpal/st…  
 
                           @ankurnagpal:    
   
           
            Are you a non-US resident who wants to start a business in America but are concerned about your visa & immigration status?
   
    Here is a step-by-step guide on what to do:
   
    This works equally well if you want to start your own freelancing or consulting business or a tech startup