Visa fees are soaring, but founders want US revenue more than US investors

U.S. immigration policies have become increasingly restrictive and costly for foreign talent seeking to work in America, according to a recent survey conducted by Singapore-based immigration platform Beyond Border. Despite the challenges, 82% of the 307 founders surveyed, mostly from Asia, have not altered their expansion plans in the U.S. due to a lack of concern over immigration uncertainty.

Instead, 85% of the respondents prioritize access to U.S. customers as their primary motivation for expansion, while only 8% are focused on fundraising or investor networks.

The majority of the startups surveyed are in seed (35%), bootstrapped (28%), or pre-seed (20%) stages, with only 5% having reached Series B or beyond. These companies view the U.S. primarily as a sales territory rather than a capital strategy, as they are less likely to attract investments from venture capitalists. The policy climate has seen recent changes, including a proposed $103,265 annual fee for new H-1B visas and a decrease in L-1 petitions while green-card approvals for top talent has decreased.

The findings indicate that the U.S. immigration system is becoming an obstacle for many founders, who are instead focusing on establishing a presence in the American market to sell to U.S. customers.