Ask HN: What visa do foreign YC founders use to stay in US beyond 3 months?
Regardless of whether you're a YC founder or not, in general unless you're Canadian/Mexican and can qualify for a TN, or Australian and can qualify for an E-3, your only viable real option is an O-1 (Alien of Extraordinary ability). It's not an unachievable visa, and there are many founders who use it, but the requirements to demonstrate extraordinary ability are onerous.<p>From USCIS:<p>* Receipt of nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence in the field of endeavor<p>* Membership in associations in the field for which classification is sought which require outstanding achievements, as judged by recognized national or international experts in the field<p>* Published material in professional or major trade publications, newspapers or other major media about the beneficiary and the beneficiary’s work in the field for which classification is sought<p>* Original scientific, scholarly, or business-related contributions of major significance in the field<p>* Authorship of scholarly articles in professional journals or other major media in the field for which classification is sought<p>* A high salary or other remuneration for services as evidenced by contracts or other reliable evidence<p>* Participation on a panel, or individually, as a judge of the work of others in the same or in a field of specialization allied to that field for which classification is sought<p>* Employment in a critical or essential capacity for organizations and establishments that have a distinguished reputation<p>Additional info on the O-1A can be found here: <a href="http://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-workers/o-1-visa-individuals-extraordinary-ability-or-achievement" rel="nofollow">http://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-workers...</a><p>I'm specifically ignoring H-1B as an option because it's only a viable option between April 1st and 5th of a given year, and the odds are very much stacked against you at this point (from a pure statistics perspective).<p>There are a few other visas that may be an option, such as the investor visa (E-2), and intra-company transfer visa (L-1), but these are highly situation specific visas.<p>Also, this is not legal advice, I'm not an immigration lawyer, and you really should talk to an immigration lawyer :)