Venture-Ready Entrepreneur Workshop: Keeping Foreign Entrepreneurs (and Their Startups) in the United States

Morgan Lewis partners, Jeffrey Bodle, Lisa Burton, and Eleanor Pelta presented the Venture Ready Entrepreneur Workshop Series webinar focusing on immigration.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, entrepreneurs drive America's economy, accounting for the majority of our nation's new job creation and innovations. The U.S. Small Business Administration reports that America's 25.8 million small businesses employ more than 50% of the private workforce, generate more than half of the nation's gross domestic product, and are the principal source of new jobs in the U.S. economy.

Topics discussed included:

1. What investors and venture capital funds need to know when retaining foreign entrepreneurs

2. Visa options and strategies for employing foreign nationals seeking to make their mark in the United States

• How to hire and retain that key employee
• Hiring foreign employees who are new graduates
• Understanding the rules regarding compensation of foreign nationals on work visas
• Treatment of small and new businesses in visa adjudications
• Important immigration compliance obligations for emerging businesses

3. Developments in Congress and plans for the future