American Dream or Bankruptcy: Difficulties of US Immigrant Entrepreneurs - ForumDaily
The article has been automatically translated into English by Google Translate from Russian and has not been edited.
Переклад цього матеріалу українською мовою з російської було автоматично здійснено сервісом Google Translate, без подальшого редагування тексту.
Bu məqalə Google Translate servisi vasitəsi ilə avtomatik olaraq rus dilindən azərbaycan dilinə tərcümə olunmuşdur. Bundan sonra mətn redaktə edilməmişdir.

The American Dream or Bankruptcy: Difficulties of U.S. Immigrant Entrepreneurs

People from all over the world have been searching for the American Dream for hundreds of years. Whether these people are seeking refuge from poverty or violence, fleeing war-torn countries, or looking to start a new business, the United States has long been seen as the preeminent place to do so - a land of opportunity, where the pursuit of happiness is considered a "birthright" and almost anything is possible.

Photo: Shutterstock

Thomas Jefferson, as you know, wrote in the Declaration of Independence: “We consider these truths self-evident: all people are created equal; all of them are endowed by the Creator with certain inalienable rights; among them life, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness, ”cited Law.com.

According to the immigrationimpact.com project, about a quarter of all businesses in the United States are created by immigrants.

“Overall, nearly one in five businesses in the country are owned by immigrants, although this share increases to about one-third in California and the District of Columbia, and more than a quarter in New York, New Jersey and Florida,” the project’s website says. “Perhaps the most prominent conglomerate of immigrant entrepreneurs in the country is California's Silicon Valley, where more than half of all company founders are immigrants.”

Forbes reports that there are 45 billionaires of foreign origin living in the United States who have taken the American dream to a whole new level, including Sergey Brin from Google (Russia), business tycoon George Soros (Hungary) and Elon Musk from SpaceX and Tesla (South Africa). However, regardless of the size of the business, the United States provides many examples of success as well as, unfortunately, failures.

On the subject: The road to success: what entrepreneurs can learn from immigrants

Chasing the American Dream

There are a number of opportunities for immigrant entrepreneurs, including, among other things, incentives from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and the United States Small Business Administration (SBA). For example, according to the Fifth Program Employment Immigrant Investor Classification (EB-5 Program), non-resident foreign citizens are eligible to apply for legal permanent residence in the United States if they make the necessary investment in a business in the United States. The program requires that they create or, under certain circumstances, retain 10 full-time jobs for skilled US workers.

The aim of the program, which was established by Congress in 1992, was to stimulate the economic development of American communities through the investment of foreign entrepreneurs. Under this program, about 10 000 EB-5 visas per year are allocated for eligible investors. Although DHS recently announced radical changes to the EB-5 visa rules, which could affect the ability of individuals to invest in the United States, the investor visa program continues to be a means by which foreigners can work towards their American dream. The new EB-5 visa regulations will enter into force on November 21, November 2019. These include an increase in the minimum investment required to obtain an EB-5 investor visa from 500 000 to 900 000 US dollars, as well as other changes that may complicate the achievement of the American dream.

On the subject: Immigrants in the USA and their own business: fears and how to overcome them

Immigrant entrepreneurs may also use other visas such as the E2 and E1, which allow them to enter and work in the United States on an investment basis, and H-1B visas for their employees. H-1B visas are temporary nonimmigrant visas that allow companies in the United States to hire workers in occupations that require specialized knowledge in fields such as computer technology, mathematics, finance, accounting, architecture, engineering, science, or medicine, which also opens opportunities for non-citizens.

Other opportunities can be found in the SBA, which helps immigrant entrepreneurs get resources, lenders, help, and other services. SBA also supports loans issued through their lending partners to lower interest rates for business owners, and often works with immigrant entrepreneurs applying for financing.

When a dream ends in bankruptcy

According to immigrationimpact.com, companies based on immigrants have actually higher survival rates than comparable entrepreneurs born in the country. However, the American dreams of some immigrant entrepreneurs will inevitably end in bankruptcy. For example, in July of 2019, according to American Bankrupt, nationwide filings for commercial bankruptcy increased by 4% over the previous year.

“Migrant entrepreneurs face disadvantages compared to their US-born counterparts. In addition to language and network barriers, immigrants face difficulty obtaining credit at a reasonable cost, tend to be overly concentrated in retail and other low-growth industries, and primarily run small businesses,” according to the report, titled “Immigrant Entrepreneurs in Bankruptcy.” Rafael Efrat.

Filing for bankruptcy does not imply a claim for citizenship, but the US Bankruptcy Code requires that anyone who seeks this kind of protection should live or have a “place of residence, place of employment, or property in the United States or municipality ...”

The Bankruptcy Code contains provisions that allow companies owned by non-resident citizens to seek protection in accordance with Chapter 11. In order to be eligible to file for bankruptcy, the company must be registered in the United States or have assets or actual transactions in the United States and a Federal Tax Identification Number (ITIN).

On the subject: Nearly half of 500's most profitable US companies were founded by immigrants and their children.

Filing a bankruptcy application usually does not affect the application for citizenship. However, if there are any criminal charges, such as having credit cards in the names of other people, a false transfer of assets, cases of tax evasion or falsification of financial statements, the immigration status of the entrepreneur may suffer.

Other problems that non-residents may face when filing for bankruptcy is the risk of being considered a “burden to society.” This clause has been an aspect of US immigration law for over 100 years and is used as a basis for inadmissibility of an applicant to live and work in the United States. But recent changes in U.S. immigration policy have expanded the circumstances under which people can be denied citizenship and green cards.

“Under the new standards, replacing guidelines in place since 1999, immigration officers will consider factors such as age, health, marital status, education, skills, assets, resources, the role of the carer, and whether person or has used one or more types of public goods in the last three years,” reports the Migration Policy Institute.

The new rules come into force in October 2019.

This change may affect the decisions of immigrants regarding the use of any public goods because of the fear of being recognized as a burden on society. As for the loan, filing for bankruptcy negatively affects the credit rating of the applicant and makes it difficult to restore an existing loan or obtain a new one.

Other issues that may affect non-resident entrepreneurs include logistical issues such as lack of sufficient financial documents or documents from the home country that may be in a language other than English. The same documents that US citizens must provide also apply to immigrants and legal permanent residents - pay checks, documents proving debt, vehicle titles, insurance, banking information or any wage payments. Lack of these documents can create problems for immigrant entrepreneurs.

Immigrant entrepreneurs considering bankruptcy should seek advice from an attorney who understands immigration and bankruptcy issues and remember that America is a country where second chances are possible. Despite bankruptcy, immigrants have an equal right to a fresh start, the opportunity to start over, learn from past failures, and focus on charting a successful path forward while maintaining the American Dream.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Scientists: immigration can adversely affect the health of several generations

What services the immigration service provides online: list

16 Green Card Lottery Myths

US government plans to collect new data from immigrants

NYT: Trump proposed shooting at the feet of illegal immigrants and digging a moat with alligators at the border

bankruptcy immigration to the USA business immigration to the USA Immigration in the USA
Subscribe to ForumDaily on Google News

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis. 



 
1064 requests in 1,194 seconds.