

Residency for misv? - anonymous4this

It looks like the current startup I work for won't manage to get its next round of funding.. which means at the current burnrate its time to start making future plans. My situation is that I'm non-resident in the US, on H1B, and wondering whether its possible to stay here, and become resident, while bootstrapping a MISV?<p>While I'll be making initial calls to immigration lawyers this week about this, I'm wondering if anyone here has practical experience with this? I do not plan, at least initially, to immediately reach for the "hire 10 residents and invest $1M" level required for an investment visa. My plan is to grow slowly and sustainably with paying customers. I have about $500k savings so living expenses are not a problem (based on past experience with this type of product I expect 6 months development required to reach first release).
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alain94040
Been there, done that.

First: you are confused about the $1M investment. That's for getting a green
card. No one ever got it by the way, that's one of immigration's little
secrets.

Just as good is the E-1 visa, which requires no minimum investment. So if you
can build a strong business case that you are starting a business in the US,
with legitimate customers, it's definitely to explore. Your country of origin
needs to have a treaty in place with the US.

It costs a good lawyer about $6,000 to do a "treaty investor" visa.

<http://fairsoftware.net>: where geeks are their own boss

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anonymous4this
Thank you for the reply. I'm investigating the E-1 as an option. My preference
is to be resident though. I would like to settle down and consider purchasing
a home during the real estate downturn. But I would rather prefer my residence
to be taken care of before then.

If I consider not being resident, I could live temporarily elsewhere and fly
in on B visa as required. As I say though, I would like to settle down a bit.

