In a bid to make it nice and easy for foreign entrepreneurs to navigate the usually tricky US immigration system, the government have launched a new website to provide much-needed assistance.
Article written by The Overseas Guides Company
The new website, “Entrepreneur Pathways” launched by the US Citizenship and Immigration Service went live last week and aims to help businessmen and women understand what visa options are most appropriate to their needs by providing detailed overviews of what they need to produce in order to be able to successfully apply.
The site is part of a larger initiative, Entrepreneurs in Residence, which has been masterminded in an attempt to stimulate the US economy by welcoming foreign start-ups.
Critics have been quick to speak out about the fact that although the site is a helpful resource, if the government really want to attract and retain start-up enterprises from abroad, they will have to look at changing the actual immigration laws which at present make things complicated and expensive for aspiring entrepreneurs without US passports to start businesses.
The main point of contention is that there is no existing visa provided for foreigners wishing to create start-ups and the visas that do exist are not always viable. For example, the EB-5 visa has a requirement of $1million attached to it. Similarly the E-2 investor visa requires less money but is only available to those from certain countries – eliminating thousands of candidates.
One major problem with the obstacles in place for these business pioneers is that the limits stopping them from entering the country mean that the US, a world leader, is losing its competitive edge.
Many businessmen have voiced their unhappiness about the lack of visas available for foreign talent, believing it is causing the country to lose its competitive edge.
Despite this, movement is being made and under the Entrepreneurs in Residence programme, decision making immigration officers are being trained to evaluate visa applications in a more innovative way that is hoping to include fresh new ideas that don’t necessarily fit traditional business models.
With a large amount of US businessmen and pressure groups becoming more outspoken about the issue, more pressure is being put on Congress to pass a bill which will relax requirement for foreigners wanting to launch companies.
For details of property for sale in the USA, visit the American listings on Rightmove Overseas. Anyone on the verge of buying a property in the USA, who will need to transfer Sterling to a dollar account to pay for their purchase should use a currency exchange specialist to guarantee a favourable exchange rate. For more information, visit the Currency Zone or download Smart Curreny Exchange’s free report here.
To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in America, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘USA Property Buying Guide’
The views and comments herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Rightmove Overseas, Rightmove Group Ltd or Rightmove Plc