U.S. to Assist Immigrant Job Creators

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904292504576482573203358158.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

by sim0n • 15 years ago

58 25 15 years ago

online.wsj.com

simonw• 15 years ago

Is this the startup visa?

pmjordan• 15 years ago

No:

"The measures won't require congressional approval because they don't constitute changes in current immigration law. Instead, clarifications will be issued for existing visa categories with the objective of enabling more entrepreneurs to gain entry into the U.S. and of bringing more speed and efficiency to the visa-application process."

rdl• 15 years ago

Does that mean making O-1 more streamlined?

keeptrying3• 15 years ago

Good catch. I can't access this article for some reason. I hope it's a rewording of the H1 to allow working on your own on the side. That was a big ass loss of life for me - wrt entrepreneurship anyways

tomjen32• 15 years ago

This is potentially very, very good but given the previous US immigration mess (you can come there fast, easily and cheaply but only illegally) and the current state of Washingtons politics I, for one, am not holding my breath. At. All.

Meanwhile Chile is busy importing its own start-up culture and it is looking very, very tempting.

bugsy2• 15 years ago

What Chile is doing makes way more sense.

davidw• 15 years ago

I think a middle ground might simply "primum non nocere" - first do no harm. Rather than dishing out cash, make sure the process is quicker and less bureaucratic, and if possible, let people in who are willing to work.

bugsy2• 15 years ago

Another attack on america.

sharan• 15 years ago

What were you trying to imply here? It isn't contextually valid or clear.

johnx123-up• 15 years ago

OT: Unless you're losing your job in your own country, you cannot understand the pain

ed209• 15 years ago

(Talking specifically the high-tech sector) The US should be making it easier for skilled workers to get jobs in the US generally because some of them will go on to start their own businesses anyway. Why wait until they decide to become "entrepreneurs" - why not bag them sooner?

patio11• 15 years ago

Basically, because that would immediately result in the Indian outsourcing companies importing half a million "consultants" at $20k a year each. Not even joking.

There exist people who think that a nation's immigration laws should not be used to price that nation's citizens out of the market for jobs in their neighborhood. Reasonable people could disagree on that, but suffice it to say that it commands a supermajority in the US.

JanezStupar• 15 years ago

Would it be so bad if US setup a quota? Or is political and racial correctness so encroached that US would rather deprive itself of European workforce (which is probably more "compatible") than to stop the hypocrisy that is going on now. Since the system is currently setup the way it is to keep Mexicans and Asians out of the US?

trustfundbaby2• 15 years ago

I think there's lots of ways to stop that from happening.

For example, giving a green card to people who graduate with certain degrees like Engineering/Science or MBA's from top schools (yes its snobbish but whatever ... a degree from the University of Phoenix shouldn't get you a green card)

As well as allowing students in particular programs to work while they go to college.

tomjen32• 15 years ago

You could solve that problem buy putting a limit to the amount each immigrant must earn.

keeptrying3• 15 years ago

Can someone post the text of this article please? Can't access from India.

ajju3• 15 years ago

U.S. to Assist Immigrant Job Creators

By MIRIAM JORDAN

In its quest to spur job growth and jump-start the economy, Washington is reaching out to foreign entrepreneurs.

Alejandro Mayorkas, chief of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a unit of the Department of Homeland Security, on Tuesday will unveil several initiatives designed to attract and retain foreign entrepreneurs, particularly in the high-tech sector, who wish to launch start-up companies in the U.S.

Among the initiatives is a plan to make it easier for some foreigners to qualify for legal permanent residence, or green cards, if they can demonstrate their work will be in the U.S. national interest. The changes will also include a way for entrepreneurs to obtain work visas without a job offer from an established company.

Mr. Mayorkas also plans to announce that his agency will be training its examiners on how visa-eligibility requirements apply to entrepreneurs.

"In this economy, it certainly is in the interest of this nation to welcome foreign talent," Mr. Mayorkas said in an interview.

The changes come as increasing numbers of software entrepreneurs have been taking their start-ups to other countries, often after completing advanced degrees in the U.S., because of the difficulty in securing temporary work visas and permanent residency here.

Vivek Wadhwa, a visiting scholar at the University at California, Berkeley, who studies immigrant entrepreneurs, estimates the new measures could yield "tens of thousands of start-ups and hundreds of thousands of jobs."

The measures won't require congressional approval because they don't constitute changes in current immigration law. Instead, clarifications will be issued for existing visa categories with the objective of enabling more entrepreneurs to gain entry into the U.S. and of bringing more speed and efficiency to the visa-application process.

"The Obama administration is getting the immigration system engaged in creating jobs," said Steve Yale-Loehr, a professor of immigration law at Cornell University Law School. "They are trying to facilitate the ability of entrepreneurs to get temporary work visas and green cards when the economy is in the doldrums."

Generally, immigrant entrepreneurs must have a specific job offer to qualify for an employment-based immigrant visa or green card, such as in the category for individuals with exceptional ability in the arts, sciences and business.

As part of the new initiatives, foreign entrepreneurs will be eligible for a so-called EB-2 immigrant visa without a specific job offer, as long as they demonstrate that their business endeavors will be in the U.S. national interest.

The government is also seeking to bolster use by foreign entrepreneurs of H-1Bs, which are temporary work visas for foreign workers in a specialty occupation.

The H-1B program has been a mainstay of software companies and other businesses that seek foreign nationals to fill certain jobs, and an employer-employee relationship has generally been a prerequisite for qualifying.

As part of the new measures, a sole entrepreneur can qualify for an H-1B if the individual's employment is decided by a corporate board or shareholders of the start-up company.

Mr. Mayorkas will also unveil enhancements to the EB-5 investor program, which enables foreign investors and their families to qualify for green cards if they invest at least $500,000 in a U.S. project that generates at least 10 jobs.

His agency is also seeking to speed up the approval process by hiring additional adjudicators to evaluate applications and enabling petitioners to make their case before an expert panel should their application require further evidence or be denied.

The moves come as demand for H-1B visas has fallen. As of July 22, USCIS had received approximately 21,600 H-1B petitions out of 65,000 available for the 2012 fiscal year. The agency had received approximately 26,000 such applications for the same period last year.

Several factors are at play, including higher fees for the visas and increasingly better opportunities in countries such as India that entice their skilled workers to return home rather than stay in the U.S.

While completing his Master's degree in computer science at the University of Southern California in 2008, Anuj Agarwal launched a company called Nachofoto.com, a start-up that makes a product used by search engines and digital-media companies. Unable to get a U.S. visa for himself and expecting his workers would have the same trouble, Mr. Agarwal moved the company to India.

"After realizing we had visa barriers to the U.S., we opened another company here," Mr. Agarwal said in an interview from Mumbai.

Norberto Guimaraes of Portugal said he had to leave the U.S. in May 2010 after his student visa expired and his H-1B petition was denied because he lacked an employer to sponsor him, even though he was the founder and chief executive of his start-up.

"I had to sell the start-up that I had created while doing my M.B.A. at U.C. Berkeley together with another M.B.A. colleague," he said.

Mr. Guimaraes was able to return to the U.S. this year, sponsored for a work visa by another company.

keeptrying3• 15 years ago

thanks and this is awesome news. It doesnt matter to me now but god would I have killed for this 5 years ago.

The fact that the number of applications for H1B is less than the number available shows how much better the quality of life in India has gotten.

ajju3• 15 years ago

There is a mention of a "National Interest" clause with EB2. If this is truly the national interest waiver which is an existing mechanism to accelerate residency permits, it means approved entrepreneurs will be able to become legal residents in under a year, versus 7+ years that it often takes for most visas. This would be phenomenal!

Looks like finally, the government is doing something right on immigration!

seanmccann• 15 years ago

This makes me so happy! As a Canadian, the current polices are incredibly frustrating.

AlexC04• 15 years ago

"Job Creators" is an interesting term. Apparently recently adopted by the political language surgeons. This is a fantastic example of how language can be used to change the intent of a phrase.

Here's John Stewart's light hearted take on the term 'Job Creator'

http://www.businessinsider.com/jon-stewart-daily-show-republ...

But there are a number of other interesting examples: "Undocumented Worker" vs. "Illegal Alien" - both refer tot he same person, but give wildly different "gut reactions"

http://patriotstatesman.com/2011/03/decoding-political-langu...

What's so powerful about this sort of language use is that when you get boiled down in today's media to the "soundbyte" or "headline only" (as we see here), the emotional impact of your political goal is achieved.

"Job Creators" are benevolent gift givers to the common man. Whereas "CEO salaries soar while worker salaries stagnate" has a different impact http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/story/CEO...

Politically, shouldn't you be thanking the Job creator? Rather than wondering why they are earning closer to 100 time what you're making? (Not to mention the high end tax loopholes that they can afford to find).

I was a bit surprised to find that Orwell wrote an essay about this in 1946 http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm although come to think of it, it is definitely reminiscent of the Newspeak from 1984.

Anyways, it's interesting. As far as I can tell "Job Creators" is a relatively new term that's been cooked up for some political purpose. I'd be really interested to see a graph the occurrence of that specific phrase over time.

Where is it appearing? What papers, Websites, what level of penetration does it have? What "path to entry" does this term take? Can we trace it back to its source? (Like the amazon!)

How effective is it in changing opinion? In "Manufacturing Consent" (Right? anyone remember Chompsky?)

Anyways - I'm obviously starting to ramble a bit. Nothing to do with the article. Sorry for the tangent.

Kirchart123• 15 years ago

I have my very own company in Mexico with existing clients.and ready to grow with more workers (we are 3 engineers now).

We have applied to Chile, sounds like a smart move from goverment.

will be cool to have a green card (i have a visa and family in usa, border its 20 mins from my home)... BUT im denitly not interested in having USA like headquarter, my TAXES must be not used to screw other countrys.

trustfundbaby2• 15 years ago

Official announcement from the USCIS http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/20110802-napolitano-startu...

U.S. to Assist Immigrant Job Creators

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