Guestbook Entry for Alok Thakar, United States
Name
Alok Thakar
Country
United States
State
NC
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Guestbook Entry for Anonymous, United States
Name
Anonymous
Country
United States
State
CO
Comment
Dear Mr. Khanna: My labor case is certified!!! I am so excited! I would like to thank you and all your fantastic crew for the great job you do. I greatly appreciate all your help and support. Thank you very much and have a great evening!
Guestbook Entry for Vipul Amin, United States
Name
Vipul Amin
Country
United States
State
NJ
Comment
Dear Rajiv, Leila and All, Let me thank you all for such and excellent work done by all of you for my permanent residence application. I am so happy to thank you again and again for wonderful task. With God's grace, I got my permanent residence application approved by consulate general of America at Bombay, India on 27th Feb, 2001. I am really very impressed by good work of your esteemed office. Whole process took place within 14 mos of time. Thanks to great work of you and especially Laila, Richa, Suman and Vijay. I am very much convinced now that any Immigration related work in future, I will be not going anywhere but at Rajiv's Khanna' office. Thank you very much Rajiv. With all respect, Sincerely, Vipul Amin.
The path for an entrepreneur from STEM OPT or H-1B
Question details
I'm on F-1 OPT with a STEM MS Degree. If I put a startup, I will be performing my roles directly related to the degree.
1) To establish employer-employee relations would having a board of directors be sufficient during STEM OPT?
2) If I apply for EB2-NIW and get I-140 approval then can I immediately shift to other non-tech roles within my startup (CTO -> CEO) Or do I have to wait for 6 months before doing that, all the while when I-485 is pending?
3) If I shift immediately and use I-485 EAD instead of F-1 EAD, then can that lead to I-485 being rejected?
Should I wait at least 6 months before using I-485 EAD? Also, if the startup fails, does that discontinue my I-485 process having approved I-140?
FAQ Transcript
There are various visa options for entrepreneurs both inside and outside the USA, between non-immigrant and immigrant visas. Non-immigrant options include B-1 for temporary business visits, the International Entrepreneur Rule for temporary parole, and treaty visas like E-1 and E-2. Immigrant visa options include EB-1 for exceptionally qualified individuals, EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) for those impacting US interests, and EB-5 for investors. Overall, EB-2 NIW offers flexibility in job changes within the same field and may lead to a green card without being tied to a specific job or employer.
FAQ: H-1B visa and entrepreneurship: Launching a business with US citizen brother, Shareholding, Green card
Question details
I am currently on an H-1B visa. I am planning to start a business with my brother who is a US citizen and needs some guidance.
1) Until the business is operational and generating revenue, can I just be a partner in the company without doing any work visa application with it?
2) Can I have more than a 50% share in that company? If so, would that impact anyhow my H-1B with the current company?
3) In the future, if I want to file for concurrent or full-time H-1b through the new company, is it difficult to get it approved if my brother and I are the partners of the company?
4) Once I am on an H-1B visa in this new company, can the company file for my green card in the EB-1 or EB-2 category?
5) Does the company need to meet any specific conditions before sponsoring for H-1B and Employee-Based Green Card such as being E-Verified or having at least few citizens before hiring non-citizens?
FAQ Transcript
Owning more than 50% of a company makes obtaining an H-1B visa difficult under current regulations. This is because the H-1B is for employees receiving a base salary, and owning a majority share raises doubts about a genuine employer-employee relationship. While regulations easing this restriction are pending, they haven't been finalized yet.
However, if you're a minority partner with your brother holding the majority and the job aligns with your field, securing an H-1B (concurrent or full-time) may be possible. Unfortunately, getting a green card through this company wouldn't be feasible due to your ownership. Consider exploring the EB-1A green card category, which recognizes individuals with exceptional ability in their field and doesn't require employer sponsorship.
Got my I-485 approval on March/26/2001, less than 2 yrs from when the labor certification application was sent in. I would highly recommend Rajiv Khanna to anyone looking for an immigration lawyer. Rajiv and his colleagues were all very efficient and prompt in preparing and filing the documents. Whenever I had any questions, they always replied promptly and explained everything clearly. Thanks a lot to all of them!