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> Imagine how many startups simply don't come into existence because the founders are stuck on life long H1B visas. This implicitly assumes that startups need

by tdeck 5y ago

> Imagine how many startups simply don't come into existence because the founders are stuck on life long H1B visas. This implicitly assumes that startups need to happen in the U.S. Another option that may be more preferable to some founders is getting access to appropriate capital and resources in their home country, or in another country of their choice. Getting rid of the exploitative H1B system is only a solution for some people and having every founder move to the U.S. isn't necessarily good for the rest of world.

baybal2 5y ago
> Another option that may be more preferable to some founders is getting access to appropriate capital and resources in their home country, or in another country of their choice. I spent most of my childhood in Russia, and I am stuck with a Russian passport. Russia is a mafia state I absolutely don't want my children to grow up in. It's absolutely out of the question for anybody of talent, or ability. My parents personally knew a number of dollar millionaires who lost all their livelihoods to the mafia. No way I'm going back. So, what is the crowd of us expat entrepreneurs from 3rd world countries do have as an option? 1. Startup visas: largely open to people from first world countries only. Paperwork requirements make it effectively impossible to prove ones background as an entrepreneur, or a graduate of a high profile university. 2. Freelancer visas: a bit easier, most countries just want a proof of substantial income, or an LLC documents. It's still a perpetual visa program, without a way to settle down in most of these countries. Dubai PR was ever given to just few thousand people. Singapore PR is possible, but again not the lowest effort around. 3. Create a business in your home country, cook books, and establish a subsidiary in a developed world: explicitly illegal, but widely practiced to the point of getting some semi-official recognition. A patently absurd scheme normalising a nominally illegal behaviour. 4. Investment immigration, and such: investment immigration to the West is plainly out of reach financially to the most people whom I can genuinely call entrepreneurs. Western world's investment immigration programmes are both dysfunctional, and expensive, as they mean to steer you into bad investments. 5. Go from one 3rd-world mafia state, to another which is less of a mafia state; Have hope, and pray: pretty much the only option opened unconditionally to the widest number of people. 3rd world countries are very hungry for just any money, and their investment programmes are largely "anything goes," as well as having the least of inspections/scrutiny/enforcement. It's the toughest option, but the easiest to get into one. India will sell you a PR for 15 lakh USD, Indonesia for 8 lakh, Bangladesh for 75 thousand, and Pakistan for just around 35k-30k given the extreme PKR depreciation in recent years. I think it's the best option for anybody in the factory business, and 5-7 years experience actually running things, despite the South Asia's well known problems like extreme bureaucracy, and overt corruption.
- tdeck 5y ago
  I don't understand why this is getting downvoted. It's worthwhile to hear a perspective on why someone might want to leave a particular country and the options they see available to them.
imtringued 5y ago
If that country is net indebted in USD, it has no choice other than to send its citizen to the source of the dollars. Example: Venezuela has a trade deficit against the US. [0] Lots of Venezuelans work in Miami. [0] https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c3070.html https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c3070.html

by tdeck 5y ago

baybal2 5y ago

> Another option that may be more preferable to some founders is getting access to appropriate capital and resources in their home country, or in another country of their choice. I spent most of my childhood in Russia, and I am stuck with a Russian passport. Russia is a mafia state I absolutely don't want my children to grow up in. It's absolutely out of the question for anybody of talent, or ability. My parents personally knew a number of dollar millionaires who lost all their livelihoods to the mafia. No way I'm going back. So, what is the crowd of us expat entrepreneurs from 3rd world countries do have as an option? 1. Startup visas: largely open to people from first world countries only. Paperwork requirements make it effectively impossible to prove ones background as an entrepreneur, or a graduate of a high profile university. 2. Freelancer visas: a bit easier, most countries just want a proof of substantial income, or an LLC documents. It's still a perpetual visa program, without a way to settle down in most of these countries. Dubai PR was ever given to just few thousand people. Singapore PR is possible, but again not the lowest effort around. 3. Create a business in your home country, cook books, and establish a subsidiary in a developed world: explicitly illegal, but widely practiced to the point of getting some semi-official recognition. A patently absurd scheme normalising a nominally illegal behaviour. 4. Investment immigration, and such: investment immigration to the West is plainly out of reach financially to the most people whom I can genuinely call entrepreneurs. Western world's investment immigration programmes are both dysfunctional, and expensive, as they mean to steer you into bad investments. 5. Go from one 3rd-world mafia state, to another which is less of a mafia state; Have hope, and pray: pretty much the only option opened unconditionally to the widest number of people. 3rd world countries are very hungry for just any money, and their investment programmes are largely "anything goes," as well as having the least of inspections/scrutiny/enforcement. It's the toughest option, but the easiest to get into one. India will sell you a PR for 15 lakh USD, Indonesia for 8 lakh, Bangladesh for 75 thousand, and Pakistan for just around 35k-30k given the extreme PKR depreciation in recent years. I think it's the best option for anybody in the factory business, and 5-7 years experience actually running things, despite the South Asia's well known problems like extreme bureaucracy, and overt corruption.

tdeck 5y ago
I don't understand why this is getting downvoted. It's worthwhile to hear a perspective on why someone might want to leave a particular country and the options they see available to them.

imtringued 5y ago

If that country is net indebted in USD, it has no choice other than to send its citizen to the source of the dollars. Example: Venezuela has a trade deficit against the US. [0] Lots of Venezuelans work in Miami. [0] https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c3070.html https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c3070.html