A Guide to Starting a Business as An Immigrant
The population of immigrant in the United States reached 44.5 million in 2017, and despite life being hard for immigrants today, their population continues to expand. While numerous people flee to other countries to escape graft and war, the majority of immigrant are university educated and seek better jobs to provide a better life for their families. Immigrant-run companies have succeeded over time meaning and show that everyone can still chase and live the American Dream. If you are an immigrant and want to start business, you should know that you will be treated uniquely compared to US natives. You will require to get an entrepreneur’s visa. Beneath are all the details an immigrant should be aware of regarding starting a business.
It is a good idea that before you start looking for an entrepreneur visa, first try to be conversant with the typical business types in the US. Some of the business structure consists of an S-Corporation, accessible to citizens only, a C-Corporation, what you would refer as a corporation or Inc, as well as a Parnership which is two or more entities jointly owning a company.
Furthermore, another thing to know before you list your company is that there are different entrepreneur visa options which you should understand to know what you are eligible for. The first option is the EB-5 Immigrant Investors Visa. If you have amassed a huge amount of money as capital and intend to put it in the US market; then this is the kind of Visa that will suit you best. The good side with the visa is that upon qualification and getting it, you and your family are instantly given green cards; however, the downside is that the expenses of obtaining the visa will be 1 million dollars and you should be ready for a lot of documentation. Likewise, you can apply for an F-2 Investor Visa which only enables you to live in the US for a particular timeline and to qualify you are needed to operate a company or be an investor in American business. Next is the L-Visa; which involves you branch out a business from your native country to the US.
After you have gotten the right visa, the next step is making sure that your business is listed. Determine the state that you will want to set up a business and understand that some will be more lenient to immigrants than others when it comes to registering and operating a company. Depending on the business, you may need to have a physical business address.
It is essential that you find a name for your company which includes your business name and trade name. Additionally, ensure that you work on your tax info which comprises of your getting an employer identification number.