Opinion: Startup Visa Idea Good For Silicon Valley

Monday, 25 April 2011 | by Pat's Picks

An interesting idea to foster job creation in the US is posited on the front page of the San Jose Mercury News this morning. Columnist Mike Cassidy says a group of senators is pushing to create a visa that would make it easier for immigrants to start businesses in the US. Most non-citizens must obtain a green card before setting up shop, a drawn-out process that deters many start-up companies and sends entrepreneurs—and potential jobs—out of the country. The problem is felt most viscerally in the tech sector where foreign-born math and science students are often discouraged about all the red tape after completing degrees in the States and choose instead to return home with their business ideas.

A bill that would strip away many of the barriers faced was introduced to the Senate last month by Sen. John Kerry—read the StartUp Visa Act of 2011.