4 ms·

This question is also in my mind. Will tourist visa work for YC?

by MojoJolo 14y ago

nchuhoai 14y ago
That would be a question I have as well. AFAIK know, there it no Visa suited for YC unless you can do ESTA.
- MojoJolo 14y ago
  Someone told me that you can't register a business or incorporate a company as a tourist. So maybe, tourist visa will not work for YC? Because AFAIK you need to be incorporated in YC, right? Also, can you explain ESTA to me?
  - nchuhoai 14y ago
    coorperation doesn't matter what status you have. Your visa is only relevant whether you are allowed to work in the US or not. No non-immigrant visa allows you to work, the B-visa technically only allows you to have meetings etc. ESTA is a an agreement with various countries for its citizens to enter the states for 3 months without a visa. Many people I know use ESTA to work in a grey-zone
  - mansigandhi 14y ago
    A non-citizen of the US can register a company in certain states (Delaware is the most common one). I'm an Indian Citizen and our company is a C-Corp there. I go back and forth on a Business Visa.
emillon 14y ago
It does not fully answer the question, but this discussion is relevant : http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3545548 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3545548
ig1 14y ago
Various non-american founders have done US accelerators on ESTA and B1 visas.
- matthewowen 14y ago
  And it is very fortunate that they weren't deported, and that it didn't harm their ability to get visas in the future. Really. US immigration is more perverse and frustrating than you can imagine. You might be fine, but just because someone said 'I did this and it was OK' doesn't mean it will be. If you aren't sure, take legal advice. Also, point of information, ESTA isn't a visa. They did it on the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). ESTA is part of the process of entering on the Visa Waiver Program
  - ig1 14y ago
    A large number of founders have done this (in the hundreds now) and I'm not aware of anyone having a problem with it, even with people specifically stating what they were doing in the US (people however have had problems when they've described YC as an "educational program"). Moreover the visa waiver is used extensively by technology companies, investment banks and consultancies when having foreign employees work out of their US offices for short periods (upto several months). Is it a legally airtight option ? - no. Is it in practice what everyone uses ? - yes.
infoseckid 14y ago
I think a business visa would be more appropriate.

This question is also in my mind. Will tourist visa work for YC?

nchuhoai 14y ago

That would be a question I have as well. AFAIK know, there it no Visa suited for YC unless you can do ESTA.

MojoJolo 14y ago
Someone told me that you can't register a business or incorporate a company as a tourist. So maybe, tourist visa will not work for YC? Because AFAIK you need to be incorporated in YC, right? Also, can you explain ESTA to me?
- nchuhoai 14y ago
  coorperation doesn't matter what status you have. Your visa is only relevant whether you are allowed to work in the US or not. No non-immigrant visa allows you to work, the B-visa technically only allows you to have meetings etc. ESTA is a an agreement with various countries for its citizens to enter the states for 3 months without a visa. Many people I know use ESTA to work in a grey-zone
- mansigandhi 14y ago
  A non-citizen of the US can register a company in certain states (Delaware is the most common one). I'm an Indian Citizen and our company is a C-Corp there. I go back and forth on a Business Visa.

emillon 14y ago

It does not fully answer the question, but this discussion is relevant : http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3545548 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3545548

ig1 14y ago

Various non-american founders have done US accelerators on ESTA and B1 visas.

matthewowen 14y ago
And it is very fortunate that they weren't deported, and that it didn't harm their ability to get visas in the future. Really. US immigration is more perverse and frustrating than you can imagine. You might be fine, but just because someone said 'I did this and it was OK' doesn't mean it will be. If you aren't sure, take legal advice. Also, point of information, ESTA isn't a visa. They did it on the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). ESTA is part of the process of entering on the Visa Waiver Program
- ig1 14y ago
  A large number of founders have done this (in the hundreds now) and I'm not aware of anyone having a problem with it, even with people specifically stating what they were doing in the US (people however have had problems when they've described YC as an "educational program"). Moreover the visa waiver is used extensively by technology companies, investment banks and consultancies when having foreign employees work out of their US offices for short periods (upto several months). Is it a legally airtight option ? - no. Is it in practice what everyone uses ? - yes.

infoseckid 14y ago

I think a business visa would be more appropriate.