I am a Canadian citizen looking to Incorporate a c-corp in US and move to the bay area in the near future to work on the business. What is the best route to take with regards to visa. The company will be based out of the bay area.
Background: I graduated from University of Waterloo last year and have worked in the bay area previously on TN visa.
As a general rule, CBP and USCIS will not approve TNs for founders or owners of the sponsoring employer so your options would be an E-2 (based on an investment) or O-1.
A follow up question for the E-2 Visa option. Am i correct in saying, as long as 50% of U.S business is Canadian owned, myself as well as other Canadian citizens can qualify as E-2 essential employees.
I believe you are correct. The downside of L1 from what i read is that you have to maintain an office outside of United States. This is a bit difficult for startups with just the co-founders. Correct me if i am wrong.
Thanks for the AMA, it is extremely helpful.
I am a Canadian citizen looking to Incorporate a c-corp in US and move to the bay area in the near future to work on the business. What is the best route to take with regards to visa. The company will be based out of the bay area.
Background: I graduated from University of Waterloo last year and have worked in the bay area previously on TN visa.