Sophie Alcorn, lawyer, writer and founding father of Alcorn Immigration Regulation in Silicon Valley, California, is an award-winning Licensed Specialist Lawyer in Immigration and Nationality Regulation by the State Bar Board of Authorized Specialization. Sophie is captivated with transcending borders, increasing alternative, and connecting the world by practising compassionate, visionary, and skilled immigration legislation. Join with Sophie on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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Pricey Sophie,
For the previous 5 years, I’ve been operating the Boston-based biotech startup I co-founded whereas residing in Pakistan whereas my co-founder has been residing in Boston. Now I wish to transfer to the U.S. to broaden our enterprise. What choices can be found to me?
— Plucky Pakistani
Pricey Plucky,
I’m appreciative of all of the worldwide founders such as you who come to the U.S. to innovate, create jobs, and contribute to the economic system! And kudos to you! It seems like your biotech has hit the candy spot to sponsor you for a visa in addition to a inexperienced card if you wish to keep within the U.S. completely.
Make sure to work with an immigration lawyer, who can information you and your startup by this course of and arrange your startup for achievement in sponsoring worldwide expertise. An immigration lawyer can even put together you for an in-person interview on the embassy or a consulate in Pakistan in case you are required to have one. You might be able to get an interview waiver for the visa choices under if you happen to apply earlier than the top of the yr. Till then, consular officers have the discretion to waive the visa interview requirement for sure work visas if you happen to had been beforehand issued a visa and have by no means been denied one.
Now, let’s dive into your finest choices.
L-1A visa
The L-1A visa for intracompany transferee executives and managers is a good possibility for startup founders who’re both trying to arrange a brand new workplace within the U.S. or — such as you — wish to transfer to the U.S. to work from an already present workplace.
Your startup should meet sure necessities to sponsor you for the L-1A. Your organization will want a bodily workplace location within the U.S. if it doesn’t have one already. Not like different visas, for an L-1A petition it’s really required and can even function proof of enterprise viability. Your organization will possible additionally must submit enterprise plans, progress fashions, and group charts.
For the L-1A, it’s essential to have been working to your startup in Pakistan for not less than one steady yr throughout the previous three years for a associated firm, have an government or managerial place at your startup’s U.S. workplace, and make selections and supervise workers.
If the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Companies (USCIS) permitted you for an L-1A, it will likely be good for 3 years initially. You possibly can renew your L-1A twice for 2 years every, which offers you a most keep of seven years as an government within the U.S.