There are multiple immigration routes available to foreign investors looking to relocate in the United States with their teams. All of these routes are regulated by US Federal law and therefore apply nationwide in all 50 States, the federal district of Washington DC and US territories.

Existing foreign businesses planning to expand their activities in the US may do so by registering local subsidiaries in one or several US States. Foreign executives and employees who worked for a certain amount of time abroad with the existing business can apply and be granted working visas provided they comply with specific guidelines and provided the foreign business meets certain investment criteria.

Foreign entrepreneurs looking to start and run a new business in the US have a dedicated immigration route whereby they can be granted a working visa provided specific investment criteria are met including (a) substantiality of the investment (total capital investment made in consideration of the business industry), (b) irrevocability of the investment (capital and operational expenditures irrevocably made) and (c) positive impact of the investment in the United States (planned recruitment of American citizens and US Residents, other positive economic, social and environmental effects).
Foreign entrepreneurs may sponsor a working visa for foreign executives and employees who are essential to the conduct of their business in the United States. The working visa held by foreign entrepreneurs and their executives and employees stays active and may usually be renewed for as long as the business is successfully run and the revenue and local hiring milestones are met.

Foreign individuals with extraordinary abilities in any given field may be granted a renewable working visa allowing them the freedom to run one or multiple businesses in the United States. Assessment of extraordinary abilities in a certain field is made on the basis of multiple criteria which may include academic credentials, professional experience and past successes, media coverage, peer acknowledgments, social media influence, etc.

Other ways exist to immigrate in the US to run a business, they should be discussed based on your specific circumstances with an expert immigration attorney. Immigration rules, guidelines, and visa criteria are subject to interpretation and change depending on the global economic context and the policies enforced by the United States government as well as the relationships between your home country and the USA. It is therefore of paramount importance to seek professional advice.

Belaws market entry practice adopts a step-by-step approach:

• Preliminary Checks allow you to quickly determine how you may setup and run your business activities in the US. This involves figuring out before making investments: (a) how much money you will have to invest in the business depending on available immigration routes if you want to come in the US run your business and/or send executives and employees to help run it, (b) how many local recruitments you need to plan for in order to get your visa and the visa of your foreign employees, (c) how long it will take to get your visa and how to start operations before you get it. You can check the business feasibility of your investment project here.
• Market Research helps you study and analyze industries, distribution channels, total addressable market and target niches for your products and services as well as identify potential business partners and investors.
• Entry Strategy helps you assess realistic market entry costs, estimate how much revenue your business could generate, identify the most suitable investment structuring and get familiar with US business practices (HR, negotiation, marketing, etc.).
• Entity Creation connects you with expert corporate lawyers to create your company and start business operations.

Depending on the maturity of your project, you may start with any of these four steps. If you need more information, please contact us to discuss your business needs in more details.