Articles Posted in Entrepreneur Immigration

In this podcast, attorney Jacob J. Sapochnick discusses the all new International Entrepreneur rule. To hear more about this exciting new rule for entrepreneurs, please click below.

https://soundcloud.com/askanimmigrationlawyer/ep-70-proposed-parole-for-entrepreneurs

Overview: 

What is it?

The International Entrepreneur Rule will allow certain entrepreneurs the opportunity to seek ‘parole’ into the United States, based on his or her role in the startup company, provided the company can demonstrate substantial potential for rapid growth and job creation in the United States. Not all entrepreneurs will be eligible. Qualifying entrepreneurs must demonstrate that their entry would create a significant public benefit in the United States, and provide ‘substantial’ and ‘demonstrated potential’ to create more jobs and business growth in the United States, and not merely provide income to the entrepreneur and his or her family members.

What are the requirements?

Entrepreneurs must demonstrate:

  • At least a 15 percent ownership interest in their startup enterprise;
  • That they take on an active and central role in the startup enterprise’s operations;
  • That the startup enterprise has been formed in the United States within the past three years; and
  • That the startup enterprise has proven to yield a substantial and demonstrated potential for rapid business growth and job creation as evidenced by:
  1. Having received a significant investment of capital of at least $345,000 from certain qualified U.S. investors that have a proven track record of success i.e. showing established records of successful investments;
  2. Having received significant awards or grants of at least $100,000 from federal, state, or local government entities; or
  3. By partially satisfying one or both of the above criteria, in addition to presenting other reliable and compelling evidence to show the startup entity’s substantial potential for rapid growth and job creation in the United States.

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In this video, Attorney Jacob J. Sapochnick Esq. discusses one of your frequently asked questions about the E-2 visa program: Is there a minimum investment amount? How can I determine how much money to invest for the E-2 visa?

For more information please keep watching.

Overview: 

The answer is that there is no set standard requirement in the law stating a standard minimum amount of money required to be invested in order to qualify for an E-2 visa. Although there is no minimum investment amount required for E-2 visa investment purposes, as a general rule the investment must be significantly proportional to the amount of the total investment. This means that generally the investment amount must be half the total value of the enterprise, or for new businesses, an amount normally considered necessary to start the business. It is true that some applicants have been approved for the E-2 visa having made investments of less than $100,000, but the appropriate amount you must invest will depend on various factors including: the type of business you will invest in, the location, business plan, whether you plan on opening a new business or investment in an existing business, etc. In order for your application to be convincing, realistically the investment amount should approach $100,000, to increase your chances of getting your E-2 visa approved, but you must take into account that the investment amount will depend upon many different factors.

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In this segment Attorney Jacob J. Sapochnick Esq. discusses a new proposed rule referred to as the International Entrepreneur Rule. This new rule is expected to make it easier for certain foreign entrepreneurs to receive temporary permission to enter the United States, also known as ‘parole,’ for the purpose of starting or scaling their start-up business enterprise in the United States. For more information please keep watching.

Overview: 

Under this new rule, DHS would have discretionary authority to grant parole to eligible entrepreneurs of start-up companies who can demonstrate the following:

  • At least a 15 percent ownership interest in the startup enterprise in question;
  • That they take on an active and central role in the startup enterprise’s operations;
  • That the startup enterprise has been formed in the United States within the past three years; and
  • That the startup enterprise has proven to yield a substantial and demonstrated potential for rapid business growth and job creation as evidenced by:
  1. Having received a significant investment of capital of at least $345,000 from certain qualified U.S. investors that have a proven track record of success i.e. showing established records of successful investments;
  2. Having received significant awards or grants of at least $100,000 from federal, state, or local government entities; or
  3. By partially satisfying one or both of the above criteria, in addition to presenting other reliable and compelling evidence to show the startup entity’s substantial potential for rapid growth and job creation in the United States.

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