The H-1B visa is not designed to encourage people to start new companies. It’s for people coming to America who want to work for existing ventures. If you are

The H-1B visa is not designed to encourage people to start new companies. It’s for people coming to America who want to work for existing ventures. If you are from India or China you will likely spend a decade or more on this visa before you can get a green card and be able to start your own company. Europeans have it a little better as visa quotas are based on geographic regions. I know all this because I was on a H1B for 6 years. I really wanted to start my own company but I couldn’t do so until I got my green card. I think it’s wrong to conflate arguments in favor of immigrant founders with H1B workers. H1B visa holders are easier to exploit than US citizens as they have no real job security. This is the main point of contention with the visa and as a former H1B holder I feel inclined to agree with this critique. I wish the companies and individuals who call for more H1B visas would instead call for comprehensive visa reforms which would enable qualified immigrants to start companies immediately.