139: Why Choose the L-1 for Startups with Nadia Zaidi

Sophie Alcorn Podcast

In this week’s Immigration Law for Tech Startups podcast, I’m joined by Nadia Zaidi our expert on writing-intensive hard cases for startup founders, as we talk all about the L-1 visa and all it entails – the path to the green card, who qualifies and who doesn't, and more.

The L-1 visa is for intracompany transferees, including managers, executives, and workers with specialized knowledge. This is an episode for people who already have an operating business in a country besides the U.S. and you need to send people to the US to either start a new business, raise funding for your startup, or open a sales and marketing branch.

The L visa is not the first visa type that would come to mind for a founder. But in some cases, a company may already have incorporated an entity abroad, they want to scale and break into the U.S. market but they're not willing to shut down their foreign business. Hence, this is a great option for multinationals.

Please share this episode with companies, HR and recruiting professionals, startup founders, international talent, or anyone who can benefit from it. Sign up for the Alcorn monthly newsletter to receive the latest immigration news and issues. Reach out to us if we can help you determine the best immigration options for yourself, your company, your employees or prospective employees, or your family whether in the U.S. or abroad.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• When to consider an L visa and who qualifies for an L-1 visa?
• What “specialized knowledge” means
• Choosing between an L-1 visa vs E-2 visa
• Visa classification for the founding team
• What happens to immigration after a Delaware flip
• The importance of having an org chart for new offices
• How to get a head start on the EB-1C pathway

Don’t miss my upcoming conversations with top Silicon Valley venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, futurists, and thought leaders on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast here or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or whatever your favorite platform is. As always, we welcome your rating and review of this podcast. We appreciate your feedback!

Resources:

Alcorn Immigration Law:

• Subscribe to the monthly Alcorn newsletter
• Immigration Law for Tech Startups podcast:
  • Episode 021: Intracompany Transfers – L-1 Visas and EB-1C Green Cards for Multinational Managers, Executives, and People with Specialized Knowledge
  • Episode 44: 7 of the Most Startup-Friendly Visas Explained
  • Episode 113: How startup founders are moving to the US
• Immigration Options for Talent, Investors, and Founders
• Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook
• Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp course for best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.