green card

‘Extraordinary ability or achievement’ may sound lofty, but you don’t have to have a Nobel Prize to qualify for this visa!

‘Ask Sophie’ book excerpt: A startup founder’s guide to O-1A visas

I have a business plan and a market plan, but no immigration plan. What’s your advice? Which visa should I apply for?

Ask Sophie: Which US visas are best for international founders?

A reader asks for help determining how long their wait for a green card will be, how to parse the State Department’s Visa Bulletin and more.

Ask Sophie: How many employment green cards are available each year?

Today we bring you answers to three questions about green cards in the EB-1A category for extraordinary ability and multinational managers, EB-2 NIW and with PERM, as well as EB-3…

Dear Sophie: My EB-2 priority date will be delayed 2 years! What should I do?

I’m a Fulbright scholar on a J-1 visa. I’ve been told that after my J-1 ends, I’m required to return to my country for two years. Is there a way…

Dear Sophie: Is there a way to keep working in the US after my J-1 visa expires?

I’m a Canadian citizen working under a TN visa as a software engineer in the U.S. I want to start my own company or at least earn money through a…

Dear Sophie: Can I start a company or a side hustle on a TN visa?

US Citizenship and Immigration Services — the agency responsible for issuing green cards — is barreling toward a failure to adjudicate tens of thousands of applications before a Sept. 30…

How tech giants are responding to the growing green card backlog

Most of our team works remotely, but some of our potential recruits would want to work in the office. What are the quickest visa options we should consider?

Dear Sophie: What are the quickest visa options for bringing in international talent?

All schadenfreude aside: learning from our own mistakes is useful, but learning from someone else’s is optimal.

TechCrunch+ roundup: Why you should go APE, H-1B lottery tips, how to check references

What do I and my founding team at our early-stage startup need to be aware of so we can be on track for the next H-1B lottery for the STEM…

Dear Sophie: What should we know about the H-1B lottery before we hire STEM OPTs?

I’m a UX/UI designer in Europe working at a web3 company in the United States. I want to move to the U.S. to pursue work that allows me to have…

Dear Sophie: How do I get an O-1 visa to freelance on web3 projects?

It’s hard to argue with the proverb “measure twice and cut once,” especially when it comes to laying off employees.

TechCrunch+ roundup: Down-funnel growth metrics, RIF planning, is e-commerce aggregation over?

We just raised a $20 million Series A, and we need to hire more engineers to fully develop our product. We’re excited about being decentralized — which immigration options are…

Dear Sophie: Which immigration options are best for a decentralized team in the US?

Marketing can’t cure everything that ails a company, but it is the easiest channel to make iterative changes that produce immediate results.

TechCrunch+ roundup: Revisit your marketing stack, pitch deck teardown, after the acquisition

My employer sponsored me for an EB-2 green card, and my application has been approved. Can I transfer my green card to another employer in a different field and position…

Dear Sophie: How long am I required to stay at my current job after I get my green card?

My two co-founders and I are on OPT and STEM OPT. We’re all from India and are considering the H-1B lottery. How can we structure our immigration compliance? Any advice…

Dear Sophie: Should co-founders on OPT, STEM OPT pursue H-1Bs?

I’ve been on an H-1B since 2011. I have an EB-2 I-140 approved with a priority date in April 2015. Will there be any benefit from applying for an EB-2…

Dear Sophie: Questions about green cards and EB-2 priority dates

My startup needs to hire an AI expert, and our top candidate is asking us to transfer her H-1B and green card to our company. Can we do it? Do…

Dear Sophie: How can we transfer a candidate’s H-1B and green card?

I’m a software engineer, and I’ve been waiting for a green card number for three years. My wife is a doctor, so can she apply for a green card? Will…

Dear Sophie: Will a doctor get a green card faster than an engineer?

I’m a founder from Germany. Our customers are mainly U.S.-based, and we don’t plan to raise any capital from investors. What’s my best option for bootstrapping my startup in the…

Dear Sophie: Which visa is best for bootstrapping a startup?

Our startup is looking to fill several new engineering positions. How do we handle H1-B transfers and being fully remote when it comes to immigration?

Dear Sophie: How do we handle being fully remote when it comes to immigration?

Our startup will be sponsoring my co-founders and me for O-1A visas. How do we qualify for each of the O-1A criteria?

Dear Sophie: How do we qualify for each of the O-1A criteria?

Are there any advantages to International Entrepreneur Parole over an O-1 visa? IEP seems to require $250k in institutional backing — so getting an O-1A doesn’t seem like a huge…

Dear Sophie: Does International Entrepreneur Parole have any advantages over an O-1 visa?

I’m on an L-2 visa as a dependent spouse to my husband’s L-1A. My EAD (work permit) is expiring in May. How long is the current process?

Dear Sophie: Can I do anything to speed up the EAD renewal process?

I started a startup in Pakistan with a couple of co-founders a few years ago. One of the co-founders and I want to move to the United States to access…

Dear Sophie: What are the visa options for international founders?

My H-1B expires soon and my employer filed an extension. I’m thinking about self-petitioning an EB-2 NIW green card — what’s the latest on premium processing?

Dear Sophie: Any USCIS updates on automatic work extensions and premium processing?

The engineers that we’re trying to recruit to work at our startup are increasingly requesting that we sponsor them for green cards. Can you give me a rundown of the…

Dear Sophie: When should I sponsor engineers for green cards?

Featured Article

Submit your questions for a TechCrunch+ Twitter Space with immigration law attorney Sophie Alcorn

If you’re a startup worker or founder who has questions about living and working legally in the U.S., please join this upcoming Twitter Space with immigration law attorney Sophie Alcorn.

Submit your questions for a TechCrunch+ Twitter Space with immigration law attorney Sophie Alcorn

What are the options for an advanced-degree graduate from a U.S. university who wants to co-found a startup upon graduation? Can the newly minted company or other co-founders sponsor the…

Dear Sophie: Can a startup sponsor a graduating co-founder?

My employer entered me in the H-1B lottery, but I wasn’t selected. I heard that my degree now qualifies as a STEM field, making me eligible to continue working under…

Dear Sophie: I didn’t win the H-1B lottery. What are my next steps?