Sophie Alcorn Podcast

In this episode of Immigration Law for Tech Startups, I provide a very high-level overview of how the U.S. immigration system came to be and why it’s designed the way it is.

One of the basic, fundamental rights of a nation is self-determination and the ability to define its rule of government and who can participate in that nation’s system and who will be subject to the laws of that nation. Since its beginning, the United States has had a challenged history with immigration even though the founding fathers were immigrants themselves.

The U.S. immigration system is an impersonal one that’s based on many of the same values that are enshrined in our Constitution. Even though the system has its flaws and needs resources and reforms to improve the process, successfully navigating the system for anyone is doable. Everyone from individuals to founders, startups to giant companies just need to know the right questions to ask and the information to empower them to find the right immigration path.

Immigration is too often mistakenly considered a drain on society and the system. However, there’s resounding evidence of the value of immigration. Immigration is good for the U.S. on a macro level in terms of innovation, job creation, and other economic benefits, as well as on a micro-level with one person’s quality of life improving and the butterfly effect of that.

The Alcorn Immigration Law team has been able to successfully navigate the immigration landscape during the last four years. With more opportunities likely to emerge under the incoming Biden administration, we are looking forward to seeing more people live their dreams of living, creating, and innovating in the U.S.

Please share this episode with friends, family members, investors, companies, startup founders, or anyone who can benefit from it. Reach out to us. We can help you determine your best immigration options whether you’re in the U.S. or abroad.

• What is the one-shotter phenomenon and what it means for the immigration process
• Why countries have immigration laws
• A brief history of U.S. immigration
• The difference between temporary and permanent visas
• Consular processing vs change of status/adjustment of status in the U.S.
• The five main areas of immigration law
• Visa and green card sponsors, time limits, caps, and preferences
• Visa and green card categories that don’t require a sponsor, such as the EB-1A and EB-2 NIW, which are discussed in more detail in my Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp course, along with the best practices for securing them
• Why I view immigration law as a living framework

Don’t miss my upcoming conversations with top Silicon Valley venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, futurists, and thought leaders on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or whatever your favorite platform is. As always, we welcome your rating and review of this podcast. Stay up to date with each episode by subscribing here. We appreciate your feedback!

Immigration Options Chart for Talent, Investors, and Founders

Path to Green Card

Immigration Law for Tech Startups

Episode 43: What a Biden Victory Means for Immigration

Register for Alcorn Immigraton Law’s Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp to learn the best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.

Subscribe to the Alcorn Immigration Law Newsletter, which delivers breaking news, upcoming webinars, and other info directly to your inbox

Get Alcorn Immigration Law’s Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

Before we jump into this episode of Immigration Law for Tech Startups, I am thrilled to announce that DACA is back—100% back! On Dec. 4, a federal judge ordered the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), to resume approval of new DACA applications and work permits and granting them in two-year increments.

In this podcast episode, I’m thrilled to discuss the ideal immigration system for the U.S. with Professor Bill Ong Hing, one of my heroes in the immigration law field.

Bill is a professor of law and migration studies at the University of San Francisco. He teaches a lot of really cool classes about immigration policy, rebellious lawyering, negotiation. He is also the director of the Immigration and Deportation Defense Clinic at USF, which is currently helping more than 400 asylum clients with their cases free of change. In 1979, Bill founded the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC), a national nonprofit based in San Francisco that provides legal training, technical assistance, and educational materials, and engages in advocacy and immigrant civic engagement to advance immigrant rights. He continues to volunteer at ILRC as general counsel.

While Bill is pleased by the incoming Biden administration, his outlook remains tempered as to prospects for comprehensive immigration reform in Congress. “If it had been a landslide victory for Biden, I would be more confident,” he says. Still, he remains hopeful for more positive changes ahead for U.S. immigration policy—even more than what came out of the Obama administration, such as DACA and some prosecutorial discretion moves.

Bill talks in more detail about the prospects and benefits of a startup visa—or at least the reinstatement of the International Entrepreneur Rule—shifting to a first-come, first-served green card allocation process, creating immigrant enterprise zones, reforming the asylum system, and more.

We’ve been able to successfully navigate the immigration landscape during last four years under the Trump administration, so now, even more opportunities are open under the incoming Biden administration. We are looking forward to seeing more people being able to live their dreams of living, creating, and innovating in the U.S.  Please share this episode with investors, companies, startup founders, or anyone who can benefit from it. Reach out to us. We can help you determine your best immigration options whether you’re in the U.S. or abroad.

• Bill’s assessment of where things stand with immigration now, and how that may change under the incoming Biden administration
• Why he hopes the Biden administration will achieve more in immigration reform than President Obama
• Rebellious lawyering—what it is and what it means
• Why immigrants create jobs, and why a variety of job skills are needed in the U.S.
• Why Bill sees the good news about DACA as tempered by a potential legal challenge by the state of Texas to work permits under DACA
• Bill’s thoughts on the prospects of a startup visa or the reinstatement of the International Entrepreneur Rule
• Why immigrants significantly contribute to the economy, particularly the Social Security system
• The benefits of making the green card process based on first come, first served; creating immigrant enterprise zones; and things to think about when creating a fair point-based immigration system
• Where things stand with asylum system in the U.S., and where should it go from here
• Where Bill draws inspiration and his advice to listeners

Don’t miss my upcoming conversations with other top Silicon Valley venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, futurists, and thought leaders on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast here or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or whatever your favorite platform is. As always, we welcome your rating and review of this podcast. We appreciate your feedback!

To donate to Bill’s program, the Immigration and Deportation Defense Clinic at the University of San Francisco Law School, click here and make sure to designate your donation to the Immigration and Deportation Defense Clinic.

Sophie mentioned a book that offers a positive alternative from the “drama triangle” trap of victims, persecutors, and rescuers to something more freeing and positive. Check out The Power of TED (The Empowerment Dynamic) to understand how to transform your relationships into those of creators, challengers, and coaches.

Immigration Options Chart

All About H-1Bs

Immigration Law for Tech Startups

Episode 43: What a Biden Victory Means for Immigration

Tech Crunch Dear Sophie columns

“What does Biden’s win mean for tech immigration?”

Register for Alcorn’s Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp to learn the best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.

Get Alcorn’s Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

In this episode of Immigration Law for Tech Startups, I am thrilled to be joined once again by my fabulous law partner, Anita Koumriqian, to discuss what we’re calling the four commandments of an immigration attorney.

Violating any of these commandments may not only have a negative impact on your most immediate petition or entry into the U.S., but also could jeopardize the rest of your immigration journey. Here are our four commandments:

• Thou shalt not lie or maketh misrepresentations
• Thou shalt not make filing mistakes—or if thou maketh a mistake, thou shall fess up!
• Thou shalt not leave anything unanswered
• Thou shalt not cut corners

We discuss in more detail in this podcast what we mean with each of these commandments and provide tips on how to work with an immigration attorney and deal with immigration officers.

We’ve been able to successfully navigate the immigration landscape during last four years under the Trump administration. Now, even more opportunities are open under the incoming Biden administration. We are looking forward to seeing more people being able to live their dreams of living, creating, and innovating in the U.S.

Please share this episode with friends, family members, investors, companies, startup founders, or anyone who can benefit from it. Reach out to us. We can help you determine your best immigration options whether you’re in the U.S. or abroad.

• The four top commandments from seasoned immigration attorneys who are experts in the field and examples and experiences drawn from real clients
• The biggest mistakes people make
• Why an immigration application is more than just filling out forms
• The role of an immigration attorney
• What to expect from the immigration interview process
• Practical advice for dealing with immigration officials
• Tips for proceeding if you insist on DIYing immigration

Don’t miss my upcoming conversations with top Silicon Valley venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, futurists, and thought leaders on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or whatever your favorite platform is. As always, we welcome your rating and review of this podcast. Stay up to date with each episode by subscribing here. We appreciate your feedback!

Path to Green Card

Immigration Options Chart

Immigration Law for Tech Startups

Episode 13: Show the Love: Family-Based Alternatives for Technology Professionals

Episode 27: How to Prepare for Visa and Green Card Interview

Episode 35: Becoming a U.S. Citizen: Naturalization and Citizenship

Episode 43: What a Biden Victory Means for Immigration

Tech Crunch Dear Sophie columns

“What does Biden’s win mean for tech immigration?”

Register for Alcorn’s Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp to learn the best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.

Get Alcorn’s Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more athttps://emeraldcitypro.com

In this episode of Immigration Law for Tech Startups, I discuss all the amazing immigration changes on the horizon for 2021. If you had put your immigration plans on hold during the past four years to wait for the right time, the right time is here!

All of the immigration policy changes during the past four years have come through executive proclamations and orders, administrative rule changes, policy memos, and legal challenges to new policies and immigration enforcement. President-elect Joe Biden has promised to overturn most of immigration policies put into place by the previous administration within his first 100 days of office and to recognize our strength as a nation of immigrants to resolve the most pressing issues facing the U.S., including economic revitalization and job growth.

We are already seeing some of the current administration’s more restrictive immigration policies being rolled back by federal court judges as the result of legal challenges. We’ve been able to successfully navigate the immigration landscape during the last four years under the Trump administration, so now, anything is possible! Under the incoming Biden administration, we are looking forward to seeing more people being able to live their dreams in the U.S.

Please share this episode with investors, companies, startup founders, or anyone who can benefit from it. Reach out to us. We can help you determine your best immigration options whether you’re in the U.S. or abroad.

• Why the immigration outlook is so rosy
• How COVID-19 may impact what happens and how quickly
• President-elect Biden’s immigration platform and how quickly we might see changes
• How much USCIS fees may rise in the coming year
• What might happen to the moratorium on the issuance of green cards to individuals outside the U.S.
• What’s the difference between consular processing and adjustment of status
• How Biden may increase the number of green cards available
• What might happen to the moratorium on the issuance of H-1B, H-2B, J, and L visas to individuals outside the U.S.
• How will the H-1B lottery could change and the pros and cons of the change
• Other changes that Biden has outlined, including a startup visa, fully reinstating DACA, and offering a path to citizenship for Dreamers

Don’t miss my upcoming conversations with top Silicon Valley venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, futurists, and thought leaders on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or whatever your favorite platform is. As always, we welcome your rating and review of this podcast. We appreciate your feedback!

64 Questions to Ask Your Immigration Attorney

Immigration Options Chart

All About H-1Bs

Immigration Law for Tech Startups

Episode 43: What a Biden Victory Means for Immigration

Tech Crunch Dear Sophie columns

“Would a Trump win abolish the H-1B visa lottery?”

“Now that a judge has paused Trump’s H-1B visa ban, how can I qualify my employees?”

“How will President Trump’s order ‘suspending immigration’ affect me?”

Register for Alcorn’s Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp to learn the best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.

Get Alcorn’s Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more athttps://emeraldcitypro.com

In this episode of Immigration Law for Tech Startups, I recap the unprecedented year of changes to U.S. immigration policy.

Despite all the changes this year, no new immigration legislation was passed in 2020. In fact, Congress has failed to enact any new immigration laws for decades. All of the immigration policy changes this year have come through executive proclamations and orders, administrative rule changes, policy memos, and legal challenges to new policies and immigration enforcement.

The outgoing administration threatened to end several immigration benefits and programs that ultimately failed. And despite all the changes and proposed changes that have made immigration more challenging, a few good things came out of 2020 with respect to immigration.

Immigration is never easy, but it’s always possible! Please share this episode with investors, companies, startup founders, or anyone who can benefit from it. Reach out to us. We can help you determine your best immigration options whether you’re in the U.S. or abroad.

• What immigration programs Trump threatened to eliminate this year
• The good things that happened this year in immigration
• Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
• The H-4 EAD program
• Diversity green card
• Birthright citizenship and anchor babies
• What are the social changes impacting immigration within the startup ecosystem
• President-elect Biden’s proposed changes to immigration
• Executive orders and proclamations in 2020
• Public charge rule
• Policy changes that impacted international students
• The genesis of my nonprofit, Community for Global Innovation
• The biggest changes to the H-1B lottery process
• How you should approach the next H-1B lottery

Don’t miss my upcoming conversations with top Silicon Valley venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, futurists, and thought leaders on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or whatever your favorite platform is. As always, we welcome your rating and review of this podcast.

Immigration Options Chart

All About H-1Bs

Immigration Law for Tech Startups

Episode 9: What Makes a Strong H-1B Petition

Episode 11: Your Startup’s First H-1B

Episode 39: Startup Law with Lindsey Mignano

Episode 43: What a Biden Victory Means for Immigration

Tech Crunch Dear Sophie columns

“Would a Trump win abolish the H-1B visa lottery?”

“Now that a judge has paused Trump’s H-1B visa ban, how can I qualify my employees?”

“What does the new online classes rule mean for F-1 students?”

“How will President Trump’s order ‘suspending immigration’ affect me?”

”Is unemployment considered a public benefit?”

Register for Alcorn’s Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp to learn the best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.

Get Alcorn’s Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

In this episode of Immigration Law for Tech Startups, I discuss how the upcoming annual H-1B in March 2021 will be different from the last H-1B lottery, as well as what to expect and how to prepare.

The H-1B lottery will start on March 1, 2021, when U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) opens the electronic registration process, in which employers register each H-1B candidate for a $10 fee. The registration process remains open until March 20. USCIS will notify employers by March 31, if their H-1B candidate has been selected in the lottery. After that, employers will have 90 days to file an H-1B petition.

Immigration officials have instituted a flurry of new rules that impact the H-1B process, I recommend you proceed as usual in identifying H-1B candidates and making plans to sponsor them in the March H-1B lottery.

Immigration is never easy, but it’s always possible! Please share this episode with investors, companies, startup founders, or anyone who can benefit from it. Reach out to us. We can help you determine your best immigration options whether you’re in the U.S. or abroad.

• The H-1B visa’s brief history and how the H-1B lottery came to be
• How many H-1B visas are available each year
• The difference between a cap-subject employer and a cap-exempt employer
• How the H-1B lottery process has changed over the years
• What will be new in the upcoming H-1B lottery in March 2021
• The advantages and drawbacks of the changes to the H-1B process that has occurred during the last few years
• The impact that the Buy American and Hire American executive order had on the H-1B process

Don’t miss my upcoming conversations with top Silicon Valley venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, futurists, and thought leaders on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or whatever your favorite platform is. As always, we welcome your rating and review of this podcast.

All About H-1Bs

Immigration Law for Tech Startups:

• Episode 9: What Makes a Strong H-1B Petition

Alcorn Immigration Law’s services page on:

• H-1B Visa for Specialty Occupations

Register for Alcorn’s Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp to learn the best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.

Get Alcorn’s Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

In this episode of Immigration Law for Tech Startups, I explain the American holiday of Thanksgiving, which this year falls on November 26, and discuss the things in 2020 that I’m most appreciative of.

I’m appreciative of my amazing team and the work they do day in and day out. And I’m appreciative of the work my team did to help me put together “64 Questions to Ask Your Immigration Attorney,” a checklist of questions to ask when you interview immigration attorneys to start the immigration process.

I’m appreciative of all of our clients from all over the world who we’ve been able to support even through the darkness of the pandemic and the last four years and who have gone on to change companies, create businesses, and create jobs in the U.S.

I’m appreciative of you, my listeners, and the messages and reviews we receive about this podcast.

And finally, I’m appreciative of this amazing job I have that allows me to meet people from all around the world, listen to their stories, and support them in identifying the immigration strategies given their unique situation. I appreciate the clients who had challenging cases and trusted me and my team to help them navigate the immigration system to make their dream a reality in 2020.

On this Thanksgiving, I hope that there are many things in your life you are appreciative of. I’d love to hear your thoughts and am open to cover any topics that interest you. Please keep in touch and share this episode with investors, companies, startup founders, or anyone who can benefit from it or wants to hear more about the Thanksgiving tradition in the U.S.

Reach out to us if we can help you determine your immigration options whether you’re in the U.S. or abroad.

• What I’m appreciative of, including the challenging cases that clients trusted our team to guide them through
• “64 Questions to Ask Your Immigration Attorney”
• How we helped a client quickly get a new work visa that allowed him to accept an amazing opportunity to be part of the founding team at an early stage startup
• How we helped an international startup co-founder remain in the U.S. while maintaining his position in line for a green card when a prominent VC demanded that the international co-founder begin working for the startup before investing $6 million
• How we helped a client with a borderline case come to the U.S. during the pandemic even while most U.S. consulates remain closed, which enabled her to reunite with her loved one

Don’t miss my upcoming conversations with top technology thought leaders, venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, and futurists on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or whatever your favorite platform is. We welcome your rating and review!

64 Questions to Ask Your Immigration Attorney

Register for Alcorn’s Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp to learn the best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.

Get Alcorn’s Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

In this episode of Immigration Law for Tech Startups, I discuss the top seven most startup-friendly visas and green cards and what startup founders can and cannot do on each of them.

Unlike Canada, Australia, the U.K., and New Zealand, the United States does not have a startup visa. Congress attempted to create a startup visa through legislation in 2010, 2011, and 2013, but each effort failed. Shortly before leaving office, the Obama administration created the International Entrepreneur Rule through an executive order. After delaying the rule’s implementation, the Trump administration eliminated it, prompting a lawsuit from the National Venture Capital Association. In 2017, a federal district court ordered U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to implement the rule. The Trump administration filed a new proposal to end the rule in 2018, but never finalized the proposal. While not officially ended, the International Entrepreneur Rule has not been implemented.

In a report issued this year on startup visas, the National Foundation for American Policy estimated that if the U.S. had created a startup visa in 2016, it would have led to the creation of as many as 3.2 million jobs in the U.S. by 2026.

Even without a startup visa, startup founders have many ways to live and work in the U.S. The top seven options are:

1. B-1 visa
2. L-1A visa
3. E-2 visa
4. H-1B visa
5. O-1A visa
6. EB-1A green card
7. EB-2 NIW green card

Please share this episode with any startup founders or entrepreneurs who can benefit from it. Reach out to us if we can help you determine your immigration options whether you’re in the U.S. or abroad.

• Which visas and green cards made it to the startup-friendly list and why
• The benefits and drawbacks of each visa and green card in the list
• Two unique H-1B hacks
• The best options for startup founders born in India or China

Don’t miss my conversations with top Silicon Valley venture capitalists, startup founders and experts, professors, futurists, and thought leaders on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or whatever your favorite platform is. We appreciate your ratings and reviews.

Enroll in Alcorn’s Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp to learn the best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promo code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.

Get Alcorn’s Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook

Immigration Law for Tech Startups:

• Episode 3: The Different Types of Nonimmigrant Visas
• Episode 11: Your Startup’s First H-1B
• Episode 14: Visas & Green Cards Based on Past Accomplishments
• Episode 16: E-2 Visa for Founders and Employees
• Episode 28: All About Priority Dates
• Episode 30: H-1B Nitty Gritty #1: Transfers, Extensions, Amendments in Tech
• Episode 31: H-1B Nitty Gritty #2: H-1B Transfer for Startup Founders
• Episode 37: What is U.S. Startup Founder Immigration?

Alcorn Immigration Law’s Menu of Services page:

• B-1 Visa for Visitors for Business
• E-2 Visa for Treaty Investors
• H-1B Visa for Specialty Occupations
• L-1A Visa for Intracompany Transferee Managers and Executives
• O-1A Visa for Extraordinary Ability
• EB-1A Extraordinary Ability Green Card
• EB-2 NIW (Exceptional Ability with National Interest Waiver)

National Foundation for American Policy’s policy brief, “The International Experience of Startup Visas for Immigrant Entrepreneurs”

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

In this episode of Immigration Law for Tech Startups, I’m thrilled to discuss the Biden administration’s plans for reforming the U.S. immigration system.

Before I dive in, I know we’ll see meaningful changes in the U.S. under President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, from the way we govern ourselves, to our relationships with other countries and people around the world, and what immigration law will look like for startups, founders, investors, inventors, highly-skilled professionals, and families.

The Biden administration will undo most of the policies that the Trump administration put into place and restore the moral imperative in the U.S to do the right thing. I will cover the six main pillars that will guide Biden’s plan to create a more fair and humane U.S. immigration system and what that means for:

• A startup visa
• A path to citizenship for Dreamers
• Work visas, such as the H-1B
• The public charge rule
• The green card process, including the Visa Bulletin, and green card wait times, particularly for individuals born in India and China
• The diversity green card
• Citizenship through naturalization
• S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
• The Muslim bans
• Family separation at the border
• Asylum and refugee policies
• Detention and deportation
• Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

Remember, the way you can support the United States on its new path of immigration reform is to share your story, talk with reporters or write a letter to the Senator or Congressman who represents your district. You don’t need to be a citizen to write a letter to your representative. Reporters say if people don’t tell their stories, they can’t publish the articles that make change. Your story matters. The time to share your story is now.

I’m so excited about the Biden administration restoring the U.S. to its original status as a place of freedom, independence, and opportunity.

Please share this episode with investors, companies, startup founders, or anyone who can benefit from it. Reach out to us if we can help you determine your immigration options whether you’re in the U.S. or abroad.

• A brief history of U.S. immigration policy since the 1980s
• The six major pillars of President Biden’s immigration reform plan
• The Biden administration’s agenda for immigration reform during the first 100 days through executive orders and over the next four years through legislation
• Quotas for work visas and green cards
• Municipal immigration
• How to effect changes to immigration policy even if you aren’t a U.S. citizen and aren’t eligible to vote or even if you’re even living in the U.S.

Don’t miss my upcoming conversations with top Silicon Valley venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, futurists, and thought leaders on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or whatever your favorite platform is. As always, we welcome your rating and review of this podcast.

Immigration Law for Tech Startups:

• Episode 3: The Different Types of Nonimmigrant Visas
• Episode 11: Your Startup’s First H-1B
• Episode 28: All About Priority Dates
• Episode 35: Becoming a U.S. Citizen: Naturalization and Citizenship
• Episode 37: What is Startup Founder Immigration

Alcorn Immigration Law’s services page on:

• Employment Green Cards
• Family Green Cards
• H-1B Visa for Specialty Occupations
• Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
• Diversity Green Cards
• Citizenship Through Naturalization
• I-9 Inspections

Alcorn Immigration Law’s blog posts:

• “USCIS Issues Changes to DACA Program”
• “Imagining a Great U.S. Immigration System”
• “How Does the Visa Bulletin Work?
• “Dear Sophie: Is unemployment considered a public benefit?”
• “Three Things Employers Should Know About a Notice of Inspection”

Register for Alcorn’s Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp to learn the best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.

Get Alcorn’s Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook

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EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

In this episode of Immigration Law for Tech Startups, I’m joined by Eileen Wu, the founder of Luminarii, a creative agency that helps investors and entrepreneurs unlock the power of their authentic stories by leveraging marketing strategy, communications, and media expertise.

Eileen advises many tech startup founders on how to get the attention of investors by optimizing their startup’s story. She also provides media training and coaching to C-suite executives and venture capitalists.

“Storytelling is so important now more than ever for domestic and international entrepreneurs in light of COVID when we’re being inundated with Zoom calls and PowerPoint presentations,” she says. “Investors are investing in teams they haven’t met before. That really levels the playing field for international entrepreneurs.”

Because an entrepreneur’s first interaction with an investor these days is more likely to be through a pitch deck rather than an in-person conversation at a conference or cocktail party, spending time and energy developing your startup’s story has become even more important. 

We listen to the elevator pitches of two entrepreneurs, Phil Wennker, co-founder of Mnemonic AI, and Alkis Pananakakis, co-founder of Vuel. Eileen uses these pitches to illustrate how each of them can tell a more powerful story focusing on the particulars of how their startup is uniquely positioned to tackle the problem the startup is seeking to tackle. She even offers up suggestions for how to better market their products.

“I hope that inspires entrepreneurs to think of their businesses more than just for the functional benefits they offer,” ‘she says.

Please share this episode with investors, companies, startup founders, or anyone who can benefit from it. Reach out to us if we can help you determine your immigration options whether you’re in the U.S. or abroad.

• What inspired Eileen to work with entrepreneurs and investors
• Why telling a compelling story about yourself, your co-founders, and your startup matters
• The ingredients for a refined, compelling story
• The top two things investors most want to know from startup founders
• What an elevator pitch and a pitch deck are
• Common pitfalls for entrepreneurs devising their elevator pitch and pitch deck
• Eileen’s discussion of the good and the bad of the elevator pitches from entrepreneurs Phil and Alkis, and how each can improve their respective elevator pitch, pitch deck, website, and even service/product
• Why entrepreneurs should lighten up on the technical languages in their pitches
• Why metaphors are powerful tools in a pitch
• A case study in successful storytelling: How Airbnb differentiated itself from competitor Vrbo

Don’t miss my upcoming conversations with other top technology thought leaders, venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, and futurists on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or whatever your favorite platform is. We welcome your rating and review of this podcast.

https://mnemonic.ai/

Immigration Law for Tech Startups:

• Episode 3: The Different Types of Nonimmigrant Visas
• Episode 11: Your Startup’s First H-1B
• Episode 14: Visas & Green Cards Based on Past Accomplishments
• Episode 31: H-1B Nitty Gritty #2: H-1B Transfer for Startup Founders
• Episode 37: What is Startup Founder Immigration

Register for Alcorn’s Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp to learn the best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.

Get Alcorn’s Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook

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EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com