Title: I've been living in the Bay Area (in Berkeley) on a J-1 research visa for half a year, fell in love with the startup community and now I need to extend my stay. As a "researcher" at UC Berkeley I was able to work on my own projects and engage in the nearby startup scene without problems.<p>Now that I need to find a legit job allowing me to stay in the U.S., I'm afraid that I will not be able to work on my own projects as much anymore. In Germany I used to work as a freelance consultant. Is it possible to get a Visa doing freelance work? Or part-time work?<p>Another question is what kind of Visa I can get? Apparently regular H1-B working Visas are handed out only in April, so I'm out of luck. Is it easier to get internship Visas?<p>The next-best thing to working on my own projects would be to work for an early stage startup (the earlier, the better). Is it even possible/economical/easy for a small startup to acquire a working Visa for me?<p>I should talk to a lawyer but I figured that HN is more likely to provide me with the "dirty" tricks of immigration ;)
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