How to get nonimmigrant Visa to the US for an unemployed startup founder

I'm the co-founder of a startup in India and I'm considering applying to seed-funding programs in USA like ycombinator. My problem is how do I get a non-immigrant visa to the US? I am currently unemployed as I quit my job to work on my idea. As my startup is in an early stage and in the web domain, there are no revenues etc too.My biggest problem is that as I'm unemployed, getting a B1/B2 is going to be tricky. Any suggestions on how I can overcome this issue?

Visa USA

asked Mar 1 '11 at 22:14

Jax
111 points

Maybe try to go to the UK instead:) – Vafello 13 years ago
Vafello, I would really like to explore all options for the US first, before thinking of other countries. – Jax 13 years ago

3 Answers

Apply for tourist (guest) visa, B1/B2. It allows you to spend up to 180 days a year in the States and it is often opened as multipass, so you can use it multiple times for up to 5 years.

answered Mar 15 '11 at 18:06

Maxua
155 points

Why not go to Chile? Startupchile.org is giving $40,000 to tech entrepreneurs to launch their startup in Chile. You get a temporary 1-year visa, too. Apply NOW as the deadline is pretty close.

answered Mar 14 '11 at 05:41

Isolde100
41 points

To be 24 and single again... man that sounds like an awesome plan! – Sean 13 years ago

All visa types are described at http://travel.state.gov/visa/ as well as information on how to apply for a particular visa.

The process is simple: you go to US consulate near you and apply for a visa of the type you've chosen. Your best (only?) bet is probably regular visitor visa B-2.

U.S. government either grants you a visa or not. And that's pretty much it, there are no secret handshakes for getting a visa.

answered Mar 15 '11 at 13:52

Krzysztof Kowalczyk
1,950 points