The Startup Visa: U.S. Immigration Visa Guide for Startups and Founders

“The startup community has needed this book for a long time. There is no one more qualified or committed than Tahmina to deliver it.”

—Brad Feld, Founder, Techstars and author of Venture Deals

“This transformative book, authored by a seasoned entrepreneur and a renowned immigration attorney, is a guiding light for aspiring startup founders in the US. Its comprehensive approach offers practical wisdom and real-world examples while addressing the unique challenges faced by international students who, like me, are pursuing entrepreneurial ambitions in the US.”

—Ankit Gongale,MBA 2024, Weatherhead School of Management and President, Weatherhead Entrepreneurship Club,Case Western Reserve University

The US immigration maze is complicated for anyone to navigate but even more so for startups and founders. Whether it is a newly established startup trying to hire its first talent,a founder who is a recent international graduate student, or an experienced high-skilled immigrant professional branching out into the startup world—for all of them, immigration obstacles are the first to overcome. Which visa is best for your situation? Do you get an H-1B, or try for an O-1? Or should you apply for an E-2, or an L-1?

Enter The Startup Visa, the solution to overcoming the many challenges of the US immigration system.

Author Tahmina Watson, a long-standing, dedicated advocate for startup visas with hundreds of success stories, is now sharing her sought-after experience as one of the country’s foremost immigration attorneys. She provides both startup founders and employers with tips and strategies to consider for the entire life cycle of the startup.

• The first chapters cover general startup immigration strategies, such as fundraising stages in visas, scaling up in visas, and IPOs.

• The book then covers non-immigrant visas to help startups get off the ground. These chapters explain visas such as H-1B, O-1, E-2, and L-1, as well as cap-exempt H-1Bs, concurrent H-1Bs, and the International Entrepreneur Rule (also known as IER or IEP).

• Once a startup has entered the US market, and established and scaled the business, a permanent immigrant visa will become a priority for the founders. The chapters on immigrant visas such as the EB-1A, EB-1B, National Interest Waiver, and more, will help to sketch out a path to permanency.

Watson effortlessly simplifies complicated immigration law, avoiding legalese and instead focusing on "human-ease.” Readers will come away with the knowledge and confidence to succeed in their entrepreneurial journey.

“Bursting with expert insights, practical advice, and compelling success stories, this captivating read is a catalyst for global collaboration and prosperity. Prepare to be inspired, enlightened, and empowered to unleash the true potential of innovation.”
—Neal Mody, Venture Capitalist

The Startup Visa: Key to Job Growth & Economic Prosperity in America, Second Edition.

Job creation. Job Growth. Economic recovery.  These urgent issues in America are at the top of everyone’s minds as we try to come out of a global recession caused by an unprecedented global pandemic. Immigration law is one such tool for recovery if only Congress would create a Startup Visa.

This book provides a compelling argument for how and why U.S. immigration policy is working against our own best interest.  It explores why a bipartisan Startup Visa for foreign entrepreneurs is now more crucial than ever. And it reaches back through the generations to acknowledge immigrants’ contributions to America.  If we want a future of economic prosperity, the Startup Visa is essential for keeping America in this global race as the rest of the world is catching up, embracing the entrepreneurs we are turning away.

With lively analysis of how existing visa options such as H-1B, L-1A, E-2 visas are not always good fits for the modern-day investor-backed founder and with discussion of the recently restored International Entrepreneur Program, the book  will be informative and educational for entrepreneurs, investors and policy makers alike.

Legal Heroes in the Trump Era

Lawyers are trained to work within the system. We’re not advocates for revolution.  Most of us aren’t even comfortable being labelled “activists.” But when the rule of law is in peril, as it is like never before, it is our duty to not just practice law, but to protect it. 

This book tells the story of 14 “legal heroes” who have responded to the crises of the Trump presidency in innovative and inspiring ways, from advocating for asylum seekers on the southern border, to defending environmental protections in the nation’s highest courts.

The creativity and sacrifice in these pages are a guide for anyone who believes in the law as a tool to fight oppression and advance the cause of freedom.

Tahmina Watson strips away the rhetoric and uses her remarkable skills as an immigration attorney to make a compelling argument for how and why U.S. immigration policy is working against our own best interest. And she explores why a bipartisan Startup Visa for foreign entrepreneurs, which the U.S. Congress has repeatedly failed to approve, is now more crucial than ever for securing job growth and economic prosperity in America. Her insightful book reaches back through the generations to acknowledge immigrants’ contribution to the American economy and offers lively analysis of how, like fitting a square peg into a round hole, existing visa options are not working for the modern entrepreneur. Regardless of class or status, this book helps us all to understand that immigrants, through hard work and ingenuity, continue to help forge the U.S. economy -- creating untold numbers of well-paying American jobs. But as the U.S. fumbles in creating a legal path for them to come and live here, the rest of the world is catching up, embracing the entrepreneurs we are turning away. As a country, we must decide: If we want a future of continued economic prosperity, the Startup Visa is essential for keeping America in this global race.

The US immigration maze is complicated for anyone to navigate but even more so for startups and founders. Whether it is a newly established startup trying to hire its first talent,a founder who is a recent international graduate student, or an experienced high-skilled immigrant professional branching out into the startup world—for all of them, immigration obstacles are the first to overcome. Which visa is best for your situation? Do you get an H-1B, or try for an O-1? Or should you apply for an E-2, or an L-1?

Enter The Startup Visa, the solution to overcoming the many challenges of the US immigration system.

Author Tahmina Watson, a long-standing, dedicated advocate for startup visas with hundreds of success stories, is now sharing her sought-after experience as one of the country’s foremost immigration attorneys. She provides both startup founders and employers with tips and strategies to consider for the entire life cycle of the startup.