TylerR

I agree, that'd probably the most straightforward path of getting U.S. education and a U.S. job after graduation. My only problem with this approach is, that of course I don't want to hold hostage as an employee by my employer since he's the only person who can sponsor me my visa. I totally agree, it's not enough for sure. I'm mostly talking about in the next 2-3 years to take action to maybe open a U.S. branch. We're expecting to see a significant boost in revenue in the next few years, so in about 2-3 years, we could be looking at something like $350k to $500k.

Either way could work, right?

Alright, what happens to the visa if the business or the new U.S. branch doesn’t work out within two years, or if I can’t hire Americans for some reason? Do you have any thoughts on these two options?:

Addition: Of course, I’d need a managerial role within my U.S. branch (which I pretty much already have). If we go this route, we’d most likely set up the U.S. branch as the engineering office. In other words, the U.S. branch would focus solely on engineering, while the German branch would serve as the sales office.

I’m a 22-year-old German citizen majoring in computer science. (Yeah, I know the tech job market in the U.S. is pretty saturated right now.) I also co-run a small B2B tech startup. Our annual recurring revenue is about $120k after two years in operation. For now, the company will likely stay focused on Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. From what I understand, my main options for immigrating to the U.S. are through marriage, education, work, or investment. It’s super important to me that whatever visa I pursue eventually leads to a green card and U.S. citizenship. Becoming a U.S. citizen is one of my biggest life goals. Here are the four options I’ve been considering. I’d love your input on each and whether they seem realistic: 1. Enter the Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery 2. L-1A Visa: I could open a U.S. branch of my German company and transfer to the U.S. on an L-1A visa. Then, I’d aim to file for an EB-1 visa through the U.S. branch. I’m not sure about the regulations tied to keeping the L-1A visa, though. Would I need to hire a certain number of Americans? What other requirements are there? 3. Do a Master’s Degree in the U.S.: I could go for a master’s at a U.S. college. 4. Australia Route + E-3 Visa: I’m also interested in Australia. (Obviously, I love the U.S. a bit more.) Australia’s immigration process is way more straightforward. After living there for a few years, I could become an Australian citizen and qualify for the exclusive E-3 visa. From what I’ve read, it’s like the H-1B but way easier to get. After that, I’d need to find a U.S. company willing to sponsor me. Quick question about option 4: If I became an Australian citizen and entered the DV lottery, I’d still enter using Germany, right? Since I was born there, my chances wouldn’t increase even with Australian citizenship? A couple of notes: Even if my company becomes super successful, I’d be fine working a regular job if it helps me get a visa. My issue with investment visas is that (afaik) there’s no clear path to a green card or citizenship. While I wouldn’t move to Australia just to get into the U.S., I love Australia almost as much as the U.S. That said, I feel the U.S. would offer more opportunities for my future kids compared to Australia.