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.
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Dear Sophia,
We are an overseas startup with 1 million users and 30,000 paying customers. We raised some seed money overseas, but now the prospective investors in the Series A round want us to have a parent company in Delaware. They also said they want all founders to get green cards. What is the fastest way to get green cards if we are from India or China?
— Innovator from India
Hello, Innovator!
Congratulations on all your successes! These are remarkable accomplishments — and ones that you and your co-founders can use to your advantage when you apply for visas and green cards to live and work in the United States!
Before I get into your question, remember that as startup founders, the wait for a green card is usually very slow to get to the US Find a way to come to the US sooner, like through O-1A or an H-1B by lottery (many H-1B lottery updates coming soon — sign up for my free training program webinar this week.)
It is extremely important to ensure that you are getting what you need from your investors to continue to succeed, including visa and green card support such as training, resources and signing letters of recommendation. That’s what Kristen Ostro and Nicole Fuller of Strut Consulting, a VC consulting firm, pointed out during our conversation about my podcast. Many founders appreciate working with US VCs who understand their space, are industry experts, and have the client connections and networks to introduce people who will be active participants in the founders’ success, rather than just providing the capital .
Many VCs also provide support services, including recommending immigration attorneys who can help with visas and green cards. If prospective investors in your startup don’t, I suggest you and your co-founders work with an immigration attorney who can devise strategies for each of you based on your accomplishments and timing and guide you through the immigration process .
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