The United States has long been the land of opportunity for ambitious individuals who could make it big with a little bit of smarts, elbow grease and luck. Yet, the United States has no entrepreneur visa. Instead, entrepreneurs are often forced to fit their ambitions into the confines of visa categories that don’t really fit. Too often they are the square block being stuffed into a round hole.
USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas has thrown entrepreneurs a life line and issued a question and answer about using the national interest waiver (NIW) to gain immigration status as entrepreneurs. The move demonstrates that the immigration agency will be more open to NIW applications from entrepreneurs. Previously, the immigration agency was not always so welcoming to such applicants.
The National Interest Waiver is the most flexible immigration category in the United States . An applicant must show that the person’s immigration to the United States will be in the “national interest,” will have substantial intrinsic merit, will benefit on a national scope, and will benefit the national interest to a substantially greater degree than would an available U.S. worker having the same minimum qualifications.
To learn if you are a good fit for a national interest waiver as an entrepreneur, please contact an entrepreneur immigration lawyer.