Sophie Alcorn, lawyerits author and founder Alcorn Immigration Law in Silicon Valley, California, is an award-winning Certified Specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law from the State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. Sophie is passionate about overcoming borders, expanding opportunities and connecting the world by practicing compassionate, visionary and experienced immigration law. Connect with Sophia on LinkedIn and Twitter.
TechCrunch+ members have access to weekly Ask Sophie columns. use promo code ALCORN to purchase a one- or two-year subscription at 50% off.
Dear Sophia,
I am the founder of a startup in Estonia. I listened to your podcast about the importance of international founders coming to the US to meet partners and discover customers before expanding into the market. Do I have to come on a visitor visa? Any other visa options I should consider?
— Willing in Estonia
Dear Willing,
Glad you’re listening to my podcast from Estonia! Thanks for contacting me with your questions!
For those who haven’t heard of it, the podcast episode refer to features by Jeff Wallace, co-founder of startup community and accelerator platform Silicon Valley in Your Pocket, and Ann Lee, who explores the challenges and benefits for international founders expanding to the United States, particularly Silicon Valley. As you know, their advice is to thoroughly research, analyze and understand the market before diving in. Congratulations to you for deciding to take the plunge!
But before you do, I recommend that you consult with a US immigration attorney to plan a strategy for you based on your short-term and long-term goals. Also, discuss with your attorney when to apply for a work visa, such as an H-1B, L-1A, O-1A, or E-2, which I discuss in more detail below. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is expected to finalize significant increases to most petition and application fees in the coming months.
For example, the current filing fee for E, H, L and O visa applications is $460. The USCIS proposal called for raising the filing fee for E visa applications to $1,015, H visa applications to $780, L-1 visa applications to $1,385, and O visa applications to $1,055.
USCIS may have changed them proposed fee increasesreleased about a year ago, based on nearly 8,000 public comments received. Regardless, the final rule on the fee increases will likely go into effect at least 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register, which could be soon.
Now, let’s look at your immigration options for coming to the United States.
