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Geek Wire
31-07-2025
- Business
- Geek Wire
‘Take things into your control': Tips for immigrant entrepreneurs navigating the U.S. visa process
Panelists for 'Entrepreneurial Unlock: How to go from H-1B to CEO' during Seattle Tech Week, from left: Britt Provost, Siteimprove; Hendrik Pretorius, Boundless; Lisa Wehden, Plymouth; Ankit Dhawan, BluePill AI; and Xiao Wang, CEO of Boundless, who helped organize the event. Not pictured: moderator Vivek Ladsariya, Pioneer Square Labs. (GeekWire Photo / Lisa Stiffler) If it's not hard enough to launch a tech startup, add to that navigating the U.S. immigration process — which is under heightened scrutiny in the second Trump administration. But there are ways to successfully manage both. In an event called 'Entrepreneurial Unlock: How to go from H-1B to CEO,' a panel of experts on Tuesday provided paths for gaining necessary visas without relying solely on luck-based lotteries and employer support, while also cautioning against potential pitfalls. The conversation was part of Seattle Tech Week, a five-day conference running through Aug. 1 and featuring nearly 100 meetups around the region. The goal of the immigration-focused panel, said Xiao Wang, CEO and founder of Boundless Immigration, was to empower people on their journey to work in the U.S. and potentially gain citizenship, which can take many years to complete. It's helping people, Wang said, 'live the life that you want, where you want, doing the work that you love, and to try to take all of that chance out of the equation and take things into your control.' The timing is significant. Since President Trump returned to office, the immigration process has become more challenging. The backlog of pending visa cases has swelled, wait times are increasing, and approval rates have slightly declined for employment-based immigration, according to research by Boundless. Participants of the session included moderator Vivek Ladsariya, managing director at Pioneer Square Labs (PSL), and panelists Hendrik Pretorius, director of immigration strategy and partnerships at Boundless; Britt Provost, chief HR officer for Siteimprove; Ankit Dhawan, founder of BluePill AI; and Lisa Wehden, founder of the immigration startup Plymouth. The event was hosted by Boundless, PSL and JP Morgan and held at the Smith Tower. Here was some of their advice: Take control of the process. Many foreign-born workers are using H-1B visas that are annually awarded by lottery for eligible candidates, but that route is dependent on luck and support from employers. To be successful, workers should explore additional options for visas and green cards that fit their needs and qualifications. Consider other visa options. That includes O-1 and EB-1A visas awarded to individuals who demonstrate extraordinary abilities in their field and allow immigrants to work as startup founders. Wehden advised that applicants need to shed some humility that might have held sway in their native countries. 'I talk to people who are incredibly modest and say, 'I'm not extraordinary, I don't believe this visa pathway's for me.' And I totally get it, but we're in America now, so you have to sell yourself,' she said. Boosting one's professional profile. It might be that an individual doesn't immediately tick all of the boxes for O-1 and EB-1A visas, but they can work towards the qualifications. That includes activities such as presenting at events, judging contests and hackathons, receiving media coverage, publishing academic papers and demonstrating leadership in a field. Learn the fine print. Visas have different quirks and rules. If someone with an O-1 visa who has applied for a change of status or an extension travels outside the U.S., for example, that can delay the immigration process. H1-B green cards don't explicitly allow people to 'moonlight' or work on their own startups while sponsored by an employer. Entrepreneurs with H1-B status can do research for their startup, but need to proceed cautiously. That includes not accepting any customer payments, and using only personal and not work-issued devices to avoid intellectual property conflicts. Seek trusted relationships. Securing visas and green cards are not solo efforts. It's key to find trusted legal support and to build relationships with workplace managers who can provide references that bolster an applicant's professional claims. 'These are hard, emotional experiences for everybody. You're moving yourself, you're moving your family. You've got all these other things you're dealing with,' Provost said. 'So work with people you trust.' Prep for expenses. Immigration costs add up — but are likely more affordable with the help of companies including Boundless, Plymouth and the recently launched Casium. Services vary between companies and Pretorius gave a range of $10,000-$30,000 or more for Boundless customers, while Wehden gave a price tag of $5,000-$13,000 for Plymouth. There are additional costs charged by the U.S. government. While that adds up, one event participant said he spent closer to $100,000 on the process, which he navigated before these companies existed, and included his own missteps.
Geek Wire
18-06-2025
- Business
- Geek Wire
‘Flight to security': Tech employers, foreign workers anxious amid ICE raids and immigration uncertainty
American flag. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser) U.S. immigration crackdowns aimed at undocumented workers in agriculture, construction and elsewhere are having ripple effects in the tech world, which employs thousands of foreign-born workers with highly sought-after computer science skills. Two Seattle startups providing immigration services say the climate is stoking fears and a sense of urgency. 'Anxiety has increased,' said Xiao Wang, co-founder and CEO of Boundless. 'The volume of questions, inquiries, and the amount of misinformation that goes on through social media is such that people are increasingly concerned about what is real, what is not real.' Priyanka Kulkarni, founder and CEO of Casium, also sees corporations that sponsor employees from abroad examining their options. A variety of temporary work visas and green cards are available for immigrants with special knowledge and abilities. That includes the H-1B visa that's often issued by lottery to qualified tech candidates, and the O-1 visa for globally exceptional talent. EB-1 'Einstein visas' are awarded to world-class professionals, professors and researchers, while EB-2 visas go to workers in areas of national importance or holding essential skills. 'Employers are getting really rational,' Kulkarni said. 'They're trying to separate signal from noise. They want to understand realistic options. We're developing multi-track strategies, so different visa categories for different talent profiles.' Amazon ranked No. 1 in the tech sector for H-1B visa approvals last year at 14,764, while Microsoft secured 4,725 of the visas. Boundless co-founder and CEO Xiao Wang. (Boundless Photo) Boundless and Casium have built technology to speed the application process for landing visas, assess the suitability of candidates, collect data on which applications are successful, and provide legal support. Wang and Kulkarni said people are being aggressive in managing their immigration status, hoping to stay ahead of a potentially shifting landscape. 'People are really trying to take control of their immigration journeys,' Kulkarni said. They're 'more proactively reaching out.' 'I call it a flight to security,' Wang said. People on temporary visas are seeking something more permanent, like a green card. Those whose status is work-related, are seeking options that aren't non-employer based. Demand for naturalization services are strong right now, he added, which is unusual. It's more common to see a lull in citizenship interest after a presidential election year. Some foreign workers aim to strengthen their profiles by holding leadership roles or publishing in academic journals, for example. Employers are ensuring their actions comply with regulations, such putting wages at the right level and aligning job duties with a visa's focus. 'As there is more increased scrutiny,' Kulkarni said, 'the ability to get clarity and the ability to get education on the options is going to become more important.' Priyanka Kulkarni, CEO and founder of Casium. (Casium Photo) While tech companies over the years have advocated for the use and expansion of visas allowing them to hire talented workers, they've been mum on ICE enforcement actions. When reached by GeekWire, Microsoft declined to comment on immigration issues, and Amazon has not responded to an inquiry. Given that the raids have focused on undocumented employees, it's no surprise to Wang that tech companies aren't speaking up. 'The immigrant community is not a monolith. There are different people with different backgrounds who come via different avenues and have different interactions with the government,' he said. 'It's a very rational decision for large tech companies wanting to keep their cohort of international employees — especially in engineering and high tech roles — out of the spotlight of this particular issue.' Even if the administration's current policies aren't directly disrupting the flow of tech workers from abroad, Wang said he's seeing a 'chilling effect' on new immigrants coming to the U.S. and companies recruiting foreign workers. By turning people away, 'there can be a real dampening effect on new job creators, new innovators, new entrepreneurs that will also cause the U.S. to lose its lead in science, technology and the global economy,' he said. 'It's against our own interest.'
