

Ask HN Can "Aliens" (foreigners) start a company in US? - cutechimp

I'm a foreigner (alien) in US.  Been here for about a year.  I'm on H1B visa, consulting for a company here (hence I have SSN, but nothing else).  If I want to start a company, how easy is it / is it allowed?  Anyone have such experience here?  How about a simple thing such as having Adsense on my site?  Is it that I can get paid only by my H1B sponsor, in which case not even this adsense thing is possible?
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makecheck
You can't work for yourself, because your visa only allows you to work for
your "sponsoring" company.

Though I think you can start a company, someone else would have to be
_completely_ in charge of running it (which for many people isn't the reason
they'd start one in the first place). You can't participate at all, or the
visa terms are violated. But you can make money...for example, if you have
stock, as this wouldn't be any different than any other "passive" investment.

The problem is, you still risk your visa status if you break any rule.
Changing your status first is definitely safer in my opinion.

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cutechimp
Hmmm. Changing visa status? That will take a couple of years at the minimum,
right?

Is there any other way?

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tokenadult
I used to be an immigration lawyer for a law firm in a city full of high-tech
industry. In the best case, with careful legal advice, your new business could
become a legal basis for staying in the United States, as well as your source
of income. That depends on the financials, of course, and depends on the
structure of the company. The law has changed since I last actively practiced
this area of law, but there could be a path for you to change careers this way
and stay in the States if that is your desire.

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cutechimp
I can stay here only as long as I have my H1B visa AND work for the company
that sponsored it. I'd like to start something part time and see how/where it
goes before taking it up full time. Any sites/URLs to get more info on this?

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known
[http://murthyforum.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?a=cfrm&s=10...](http://murthyforum.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?a=cfrm&s=1024039761)
is good for Visa and Immigration related topics.

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jacquesm
Absolutely. I've done this myself in Michigan while I was living _abroad_.

The process cost me about $1200 in legal stuff including a business return
address at a lawyers office and all the state fees for the registration.

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cutechimp
That is awesome. If you did it while abroad, then I should be able to do it
while being in person, here in US. HN is awesome. Thank you so much.

If it is OK to ask, yours was a web based biz? or was it not software related?
I'm thinking of doing websites, either advertising or subscription model.

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jacquesm
subscription based, I needed the company to get a VISA/MC merchant account.

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cutechimp
OK. I'm not sure yet, whether to go with ad model or subscription.

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davidw
Have a look here: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=465532>

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jff
I worked for a startup run by a Canadian and a Japanese a few years back, so I
assume so...

