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Comment by ikonst | Hacker News Reader

Uh, wait, does the US have a "startup visa" now?

The former conservative Prime Minister of Australia provided soldiers to invade Iraq, and in return got AUSFTA a free trade agreement which, amongst other things, created the E-3 visa just for Australians to enter the US. US Congress was told a trade deal with Australia would "strengthen the foundation of our security alliance” [Sydney Morning Herald 15/11/02]

Edit: source https://www.unisa.edu.au/Global/business/centres/cags/docs/a...

There's the E-3 specifically for Australians, I've been told it's fairly easy to get but I am not sure how it applies to founders.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-3_visa

It does not apply to founders. I could move to the USA and take someone's job there, but it is impossible to bring my business to the USA and employee Americans and pay masses of taxes to the U.S. Government. Visas are one area where Australia leads the USA.

The E3 requires employer sponsorship and doesn't offer a ready path to a green card, so it isn't friendly to starting a company in the US. It is fairly easy to get because it has its own special quota just for Australians so they do not need to compete with immigrants from other countries as for an H1.

I know many people that have converted an E3 to a green card, the main thing I found with US immigration is that you want a good lawyer.

There's the E2 visa (http://www.quora.com/How-can-the-E2-visa-help-US-aliens-to-w...), or if you have an established company outside the US you could use the L1 visa (intra-company transfer/opening a new office).

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