> I wish having an advanced degree was a criteria here. A few years ago, I noticed that Britain would give a blanket visa to anyone with an MBA from a list of top international schools.
Care to explain the reasoning? It seems shortsighted to limit this proposal to people with advanced degrees, and why only from the top 50 schools in the world? How does this make sense in the context of startups?
> That said, the proposed rule might mean if one gets into YC/techstars, etc. they would be able to get a visa for the US easily.
The article mentions that this is not a visa, but parole. And with the requirement of $345K in funding, getting into YC/Techstars would not be sufficient. Startups would need to raise additional money, unless they receive $100k from the Government.
I make a value judgement that the economy needs startups that work on deep, meaningful technologies. While they are certainly instances where people without advanced education are able to innovate in deep technology disciplines, there are many cases where education is the key barrier to entry. If someone spent a decade getting specialized education in an area like FPGA, MEMS design, etc. I do think they should have an easier path into the country than someone with no specialized education. Canada is trying the "we'll give you a visa if your startup is funded by recognized investors". I think that stops people who have bootstrapped ventures or funding from their own savings/family savings. I'm also not saying advanced education is THE requirement. I'm saying, it should be one of the possible options. That's just my opinion :)
With convertible notes that are sometimes given to member companies of distinguished seed funds, I think getting to 345K isn't a stretch.
Care to explain the reasoning? It seems shortsighted to limit this proposal to people with advanced degrees, and why only from the top 50 schools in the world? How does this make sense in the context of startups?
> That said, the proposed rule might mean if one gets into YC/techstars, etc. they would be able to get a visa for the US easily.
The article mentions that this is not a visa, but parole. And with the requirement of $345K in funding, getting into YC/Techstars would not be sufficient. Startups would need to raise additional money, unless they receive $100k from the Government.