We're doing strict self-policing so that this isn't the case.
While founders are getting their startups off the ground, they're working 8-10 hours a week as mentors at the center for entrepreneurship.
It's just too much of a risk to flout the clearly defined congressional cap, and since we can help founders, we want to ensure we can continue to do so as we scale rather than calling down the wrath of Congress.
I'm not sure you have much to worry about, congress is in full support of expanding the H-1B system and there isn't anyone to investigate abuse any way outside of the most obvious violations.
Curious, what wage category are you using in the H-1B applications? What level?
Depends on the person and their academic backgrounds. The positions are specifically designed so that the students can benefit from that person's specific expertise and experience.
You can meet the requirements in the country on the B-1 business tourist visa, visa waiver, or OPT status as an F-1 holder, but to activate parole, you need to do so outside the country.
I'm Craig, quoted in the article as the executive director of the Global EIR Coalition, which is what Nigel is using and is soon to be in the Bay Area as a visa option.
Happy to answer any questions folks have about the cap exemption and the process we're setting up.
University makes the call. If you're pre-funded, you'll work as a part-time mentor, 8-10 hours a week; post-funded, 100% of your time for your startup which has to move on/near campus.
50-70 days from university handshake to visa in hand.
Yep, Craig here with Global EIR. As the other commenter says, research universities use cap exempt H-1Bs for their full-time faculty and also lab technical staff.
Now that all of these universities have entrepreneurship centers, certain options opened up for founders.
There are lots of different options and none are all that good a fit for founders.
If you've got a year advance notice, you can set things up for the L-1. If you've got the ability to generate old media press and can raise $500k (rule of thumb), then O-1 is a good fit. If you're from the right country with $50k-150k, then E-2. If you're from Australia, E-3.
For the O-1 in particular, the three criteria we tend to use are media coverage, mentorship/conferences, and high salary for those who have been employed previously to becoming entrepreneurs.
YC asked the White House to make some tweaks to the O-1 to be a more straightforward path for founders, but the White House went in a different direction with something yet to be announced.
We have a pathway that takes advantage of cap-exemptions built into the H-1B program and partnerships with universities. It's pretty straightforward, and in exchange for a few months of part-time work, you'll draw a runway-extending salary and be sponsored for a work visa, after which you'll have a visa runway to raise capital more easily and then switch over to 100% startup time.
www.globaleir.org will have more in a short while.
