Everyone has little or much information about the United States. Yet, it can be a country of dreams, films, technology, and as, Ralph Waldo Emerson said, a country of opportunities. The United States is one of the ten most visited countries. More than 80 million people visit the United States per year for various reasons. We do not doubt that most of our readers have a dream to visit the USA. That is why we decided to talk about the USA visa and answer some questions. In this blog, you will find answers to these questions: what is entrepreneur visa, how to get entrepreneur visa in USA, what is an investor visa USA, what are entrepreneur visa USA requirements, and more.
Visa policy
If the visitors aren't from a visa waiver country, then they should apply for a visa. Depending on the purpose of the visit, there are more than 185 visa types. In general, we can divide them into two main groups. • Nonimmigrant visa: Temporary stays such as tourism, business, family visits, study, work, or transit. • Immigrant visa: It is for permanent residency in the United States. Firstly, the visitor gets approval with an I-551 admission stamp at the gate of entry, and this visa serves as proof of permanent residence for a year. After that, the visa holder has processed a green card. Also, a child with an IR-3 or IH-three visa automatically becomes a United States citizen upon admission and is processed for a certificate of citizenship (N-560).
Visa-free countries
Who can visit the United States without a visa? Thanks to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), citizens of 39 countries can travel to the US without a visa thanks to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). They can stay for a short period in the country, but those citizens must provide an electronic authorization (ESTA) for arrivals by air or sea. A short period stay is a maximum of 90 days. Also, if the entrance was through the United States, tourists could travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, or the islands in the Caribbean. Some of those countries are: • All Schengen Area countries • Andorra • Australia • Brunei • Chile • Ireland • Japan • Monaco • New Zealand • San Marino • Singapore • South Korea • Taiwan
US entrepreneur visa
What is entrepreneur visa? US entrepreneur visa is a type of visa which allows foreign citizens to move and start a business in the United States of America. There are two kinds of visas ideal for immigrant entrepreneurs: • Extraordinary ability visas: the EB-1 or O-1 • Immigrant investor visa for USA: the EB-5 or E-2 The O-1 and E-2 visas require you to return to your native country after operating a business, but EB-1 or EB-5 visas are permanent residency visas. Records show that there is an increase in this field. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, immigrants start 25% of new businesses in the United States of America. Via entrepreneur visa to USA, people get a chance to realize their American dream. It is important to note that, under current immigration law, there are not any official terms as "US. startup visa" or "entrepreneur visa to USA." Entrepreneurs must work within the real framework of the immigration policy. Entrepreneur visa USA requirements We can say that qualifying for an EB-1 visa is challenging. These requirements were announced by US Citizenship and Immigration Services. The applicants should demonstrate remarkable skills in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics through supported national or international approval. Also, the applicant must show the documents related to that field as proof. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services uses a point system to judge exceptional abilities, and the applicants must earn at least three points. It is a little bit hard to get an EB-1. It can be easier if your company is an industry leader or you have impressive job practice. Furthermore, EB-1 visas are preferred compared to other types of visas, except for family-based green cards. Another type, the O-1 type, is similar to the EB-1 visa because both are for highly qualified people. But, the bar is slightly lower for O-1 because it is a short, nonimmigrant visa. According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services, people who want to receive a new entrepreneur visa: • People must show extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics • People who demonstrated a career of extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry and have been known nationally or internationally for those successes Furthermore, the O-1 is a temporary visa, and the businessman can restore it indefinitely as long as the company is active. If the person's job fails or he decides that he wants to seek other opportunities, he can't stay in the United States any longer.
Investor visa USA
Investor visas allow you to travel to the country and start a business. You can bring your business to the US or begin a new one here. Also, there are no strict rules for investment. It means that the investment doesn't need to come from the money that you saved. The money can come from a business loan, too. But you should answer the following requirements: • The loan should be a secured business loan financed by the investor's personal assets that are located in the United States. • You should be the first borrower and sign an individual loan guarantee. EB-5 Investor Visa We can say that an EB-5 investor visa for USA is more challenging to get. It is quite an exclusive program, and the cap on EB-5 visas is 10,000 per year. Investors who answer both of the following requirements can get a visa. • The investor should make an investment of $1.8 million or more in his business. This number is maximum from $1 million beginning November 21, 2019, to adjust for inflation. As we mentioned above, the money can come from your savings or a business loan. • Create or preserve ten permanent full-time positions for fitted United States workers. The required amount of investment may vary depending on the business that you want to start. Keep in mind that, minimum amount and other necessary details can change year by year. So, get a piece of advice from your lawyer before proceeding. Where can I learn recent updates? Of course, you can learn all details from the United States of America Citizenship and Immigration Services. The investor should provide some documents as proof: • The business loan agreement • Investment agreement • The business plan • Copies of job advertisements E-2 Investor Visa It is no secret that a million-dollar investment is unreachable for most people. If you are included in this group, you should be interested in an E-2 "treaty investor" visa. Also, there is not any specific minimum investment requirement for the E-2. But most of the experts say that getting approval for investments less than 100000 dollars may cause some problems because you want to start a new business in the new country. If you want to apply for this visa, your country should have an investor treaty with the United States. It is interesting to note that some countries that are a significant source of immigration aren't on the list (such as India and China). If your country is on the list, then you will provide the documents below: • The business loan agreement • The bank account balance • The investor agreement • Business details. You will need to give business details, such as company identification numbers and business licenses.
Processing time and a fee
If you check the visa types and choose one, it is time to answer other essential questions. How long does processing time take? The average processing time for Employment-Based Immigrant Visas is 10-60 calendar days (it depends on your visa application country). If the center refuses your application for administrative processing, the consular section will notify you when they have finished the process or if they need additional information from you. We do not know how long administrative processing will take. In exceptional cases, it can take many months or years. Another crucial question is about the fee. How much is the visa fee? Employment-Based Immigrant Visas' charge is 445 USD for all nationalities. You will pay this price online when you list an interview.
How to get entrepreneur visa in USA?
We answered this question partly in previous sections. We mentioned the details, fees, and other requirements you will need to answer to get the visa. Another question is: Where can I apply for a new entrepreneur visa? You will apply for a visa in the United States of America visa application center, embassy, or consulate, whichever accepts visa applications, in your country of residence. If any of them are available in your country, you need to apply to your location nearest embassy or consulate. I hope that information that you read here will help you during your application process. Also, you can get more information about the investment and other visa types of the United States in the visa policy section of our website.
