My Visa WAS My First Startup: Immigrant Stories.

"Figuring out my Visa in the US was literally my first startup."

One of my closest immigrant friends said this last month during a breakfast we were having together. And it made me realize something; this is each immigrant's story.

As I have been having weekly conversations with multiple aspiring immigrant founders, they all have brilliant ideas for launching a business or startup, BUT their first priority is 'How can I navigate my Visa Situation in the US'. Because for us immigrants, ideas mean nothing when we don't have the freedom to exercise the execution of that idea.

Here are some situations aspiring immigrant founders are in:

1. One immigrant founder has a master's and then did another master's to have an OPT (Work Authorization) to work for a year. When that expired, they started pursuing a Ph.D. to have a CPT and be able to build their idea while having a job and full-time school.
2. Another founder has been waiting for three years to get their H1B sponsored so they can build their idea.
3. Another immigrant couple, both on H1B without I-140 approval, have an amazing idea and are the only ones that can build it (Hardware). But are restricted from actually working on their own innovation because of the limitation of H1B.
4. Another founder is building an innovative product at their company that they wanted to launch on their own and can't say that out loud for the risk of losing their job.
5. One immigrant is on H4 without EAD and is a clinical psychologist with a successful track record and wants to have their own practice. But the moment they went on H4 (Dependent Visa), they had to shut that down because you can't make any local or international income on this visa without a work permit.
6. One immigrant got the advice to file their EB1 in 5 categories and spend approximately $50K to get a green card to work on their own coaching business.
7. One immigrant founder had to leave the US because their EB1 was denied, and they are a best-selling author with many successful achievements. They are now re-appealing their case from outside of the US.
8. Another immigrant got their EB1 denied after working in venture capital with the biggest names in silicon valley and supporting startups in the US.
9. One immigrant waited 15 months to launch an idea because they had to give up their H1B and move on their partner's visa to get an EAD that gives them the freedom to build their idea. They have a waitlist of 100K people who want their product.
10. One aspiring founder is stuck in a toxic work environment just so they can get their H1B sponsored, but the company is delaying filing it. They hope someday to be able to build their impact-focused startup.

So here are my two questions:

1. Which story do you resonate with the most here?
2. Don't you think we are losing some BIG opportunities here in the US by not letting these brilliant people launch their ideas?

This is not the worst part. Because the real kicker is, I can't tag or name any of these immigrants. They have to remain faceless or run the risk of losing their visas or jobs. I know this because I have been in their shoes.

So if you are an immigrant, please know that my team of immigration lawyers, mentors, and investors and I will be here to support you every step of the way with our Foreign Founder Clinics. Feel free to apply or reach out.

And if you are an ally, then I request you to share this and amplify this message so aspiring immigrant founders know that they are NOT ALONE!

Love and light,

Arjita