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Got accepted in an accelerator. What kind of visa?

7 points by Banzai10 ↗ HN
Guys, just got accepted in an acceleration program in Washington D.C. I'm braziliand and now I'm worried regarding what kind os visa should I get.

Do you know if I can establish a new company in US with the B-1 visa? If not what kind of visa should I got for?

Do you give any advice what should I do? I don't have much time, like a month and a few days to get it.

11 comments

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sadfaceunread
You are screwed. This is way way too little time to get your visa situation in order. Consult an immigration professional immediately to have any hope of success.
Banzai10
I'll do that ASAP.

Thank you very much!

gamechangr
I'm an American that has lived abroad twice and spent time in over 50 nations.

You really waited to the last minute on this. Most visas take 3-9 months. I would suggest your best option would be to try to apply for a student visa. I think it's called F-1

Banzai10
We received the answer from the accelerator 3 days ago, so I'm doing it as fast as I can.

Anyways, thank you for the advice!

canttestthis
He can't start a company in the US with an F-1 visa. He can't even work off-campus more than 20 hours / week with an F-1 visa. AND he has to be enrolled in an institution that grants an I-20 and has to take at least 12 credit hours / semester, which I don't think accelerators satisfy.
samiq
A couple of friends of mine came on a b1 and had no issues in NYC just make sure u bring all the papers and demo with u in case they ask.
Banzai10
Great, I'll look to get a B-1 ASAP... Do you know if they told they would be working on a company of theirs?
tobylane
Probably not. The visas are for people who can show an intent to go back home. Starting up a company is one of the better examples of proving you're staying.

EB-1 is the only relevant one I can think of.

samiq
Yes, they told the immigration officer they were coming to participate of an incubator, to one of the partners then officer asked him to show some papers and the demo. Again u have to remember u r not coming here to stay... Yet. U r here for the program, if u happen to be successful and then find the need to stay u will figure it out with the help of lawyers from the program, but for now focus on the problem at hand, been on the program
mave99a
Likely you can get a B1/B2 visa. You should be able to establish a US company with B1/2 visa, however you can't work for it.

* personal opinion only, not a legal advise.

samiq
Oh and by the way u don't even need a visa to open up a company in the states, u can do that even online, so no worries on that end