Immigrant engineers solve the tedious visa problem for Silicon Valley

My name is Ryan Kim, co-founder of FoundVisa. FoundVisa helps people check whether or not they qualify for the O-1 visa.

After moving to SF, I have met hundreds of foreign entrepreneurs and software developers suffering from visa issues, many of whom end up going back to their home countries. That’s when I thought I wanted to help those people using the power of software.

When foreigners come to the US, they normally apply for the H-1B visa. According to data from the USCIS, only ⅓ of the 233,000 H-1B visa applicants in 2015 actually received visas . This means that about 155,000 people either left the U.S. or are reapplying for the H-1B visa. As a result, foreigners have started to apply for the O-1 visa instead because there is no yearly cap and you can apply throughout the year. If you pay the premium processing fee, you can get your O-1 application decision within 15 business days, whereas the H1-B typically takes 2–6 months.

This is where FoundVisa comes in. You can use FoundVisa’s pre-screening service to determine your O-1 eligibility. An immigration lawyer with over 8 years of experience in immigration law and former U.S. State Department Consular Officer will review your case and provide you with detailed feedback on your eligibility.

More information on the O-1 visa can be found here.