Visas and Green Cards for Artists, Musicians and Performers
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Under the various employment based categories, Category I based permanent residency is the most difficult to obtain. Initially, the foreign national must determine if he/she is eligible for lawful permanent residency according to the USCIS guidelines.
An applicant filing an EB1 alien of extraordinary ability application may self-petition, but an applicant filing under outstanding researcher and/or professor and multinational manager must have a sponsoring employer.
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?
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.
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?
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.
I first time contacted Rajiv in January 2007 by sending my CV and asked his opinion about EB1 success.
He called me next day and said that you have 50-50 chance to get EB1 approval. Immediately, we started working and in April 2007 we filed the I-140.
Since it was premier processing we got the RFE in 10 days, i was disappointed and Rajiv convinced me not to worry we will take care of it.
Both Rajiv and his team composed of Diane worked with me to collect more evidence and response the RFE in August 07, and Approval came in Sept 07.
Then they filed I-485 in Oct 2008, and Approval came today.
In summary, i would recommend all my friend and relative to hire Rajiv 's services for immigration purpose. I had an excellent working experience with his team and most importantly very nominal charges.
Thanks Rajiv and Diane for bringing freedom in my life.
GOOD JOB