Today, January 31, 2012, President Obama made announcements to address measures for Start-Up America. Following the White House’s announcement, the Department of Homeland Security outlined steps and plans based on these announcements. Included in the outline are the following (see the links for the entire details):
1. Allow H1b visa holders’ spouses work authorization (very much needed).
2. Allow STEM students extensions on their OPTs.
3. Allow professors and researchers scope to present broader range of evidence.
4. Improvements for E3, H1b1 visa holders.
And my favorite-
5. Launching ‘Entrepreneurs in Residence’ initiative on February 22, 2012. The initiative includes a summit with sillicon valley big wigs, the entrepreneurial community, academics and government agencies.
I am very encouraged by these announcements today and feel that 2012 has started well. While the White House announcement today doesn’t address a new start-up visa (at least, I didn’t see it), it does call for per-country cap elimination. I hope that the the DHS summit will bring about the understanding that a new start-up visa is required because the available system is simply not working. Watson Immigration Law will be watching this space closely and will post updates in due course.