Founders and immigration lawyers break down the real costs, hidden fees, and visa pathways to making the move stateside.

The US is home to the majority of global VC dollars and the highest investor risk appetite: a no-brainer for founders looking to scale their startups, secure funding, and capitalize on a large pro-business economy. But getting there as a non-American founder can be a maze of visa applications, company restructuring, and hidden costs that can blindside first-time relocators.

To demystify the process and expense involved in setting up your life—and business—stateside, we spoke to founders who have successfully relocated themselves and their teams to the US, as well as immigration lawyers who specialize in helping clients navigate visa pathways to North America.

"The US is the best place in the Western world to build a tech business right now,” says Christopher Kong, founder of Corvera AI, which provides AI supply chain management for CPG brands and recently raised $2m in pre-seed funding. “Investors in the US have much deeper pockets, take much bigger bets, and invest much more readily."

According to KPMG, VC deal value in the US hit USD$91.15 billion in the last quarter of 2025: more than four times Europe’s total deal value of USD$21.1 billion in the same period, and Asia’s USD$21.4 billion.

The most significant cost for most founders isn’t relocation fees or flight tickets: it’s the immigration process to secure a visa.

Founders based outside of the US typically have a few options: an O-1 visa for highly accomplished founders with documented expertise and a public track record of achievement, an L-1 visa to expand a foreign-based company to include a US entity, or an H1-B visa for skilled workers, which operates through an annual lottery and bears a one-time USD$100,000 fee.

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There’s also the E-2 treaty investor visa, available if the founder’s company is substantially investing in the U.S. and the U.S. has a treaty with the nationality of the company’s founder, as it does with Singapore.

To access more practical tips and a step-by-step roadmap to setting up shop in the US, check out our US market entry guide for founders here.

Expert insights: Building your case for a visa

“To get an O-1, you need to show that you're a high earner, you've made a meaningful contribution to your field, and you’ve been involved in press coverage, among other criteria,” says Chris, founder of Corvera AI.

A British content creator who secured an O-1 visa told Aspire that they included their publishing deal, evidence of their multi-six figure social media following, and significant advertising partnerships in their successful petition.

For Chris, Corvera AI’s acceptance into Y Combinator’s Winter Batch was a “check mark” against his immigration application, and a “forcing function” that pushed him to take the leap and relocate from London to San Francisco with his team, who were based between the UK and Germany. It’s worth noting that programs like Y Combinator often have their own legal and immigration teams, who may work alongside third-party immigration lawyers.

Melissa Drennan, an associate specializing in immigration law at HSF Kramer, says the U.S. government cares most about independent evidence.

“It’s not enough to submit recommendation letters from those whom the founder has worked with: officers want to know that objectively in their industry, the founder is notable and their business is legitimate,” she explains.

"To keep employees in the US for the long-term, getting them on an O-1 visa means proving they are exceptionally talented, gifted, and worthwhile,” says Rahul Thayil, CEO of geospatial threat intelligence company Orion, who is now based in Colorado but has lived in Singapore and Thailand. “You have to help them with branding, marketing, and posting online: sometimes the exact same things you’re doing to raise your profile as a founder."

For founders who are already in the US, the L-1 visa allows their employees in another country to move to the US for an initial stay of 1-3 years and a total stay limit of 7 years in a managerial position. According to Francesca Bassetti, Manager of Global Immigration at Hudson McKenzie, this route is usually most suitable when there is a real overseas business to support the expansion and a clear plan for staffing and growth in the U.S.

With the current US government adding a $100,000 fee per H1-B visa petition, many early-stage founders told us that they have ruled this option out.  

According to Janice Flynn, Partner at Flynn Hodkinson, who specializes in US immigration and visas, more people who would normally qualify for the H1-B visa are now exploring the O-1 visa, which she suspects may lead to knock-on effects on the success rate of O-1 petitions.

“If you know someone who was approved last year or two years ago, things may have changed since then.”

Her biggest piece of advice? Not to be tied to one particular visa category, because there may be other categories that work and have less expensive legal and government fees.

With U.S. immigration rules changing more rapidly than ever, engaging legal support is key.

“Even if an immigration change is announced publicly, entrepreneurs need to know how it is actually being applied in practice, and should consult with counsel who is benchmarking and entrenched with how the government is treating these changes in real time,” advises Melissa.

Immigration by the numbers

Immigration legal fees and government processing charges can easily add up to tens of thousands of dollars, with petition fees ranging depending on the size of the company. Founders report paying between $12,000-13,500 per O-1 visa, with some paying additional processing fees of around $3,600.

“It’s important to engage an experienced lawyer who can prepare a detailed petition, especially if founders want to limit the likelihood of further delays and expense if the US government requests additional evidence or denies a visa petition or application,” says Janice of Flynn Hodkinson.

According to HSF Kramer’s Melissa, founders should also be aware of when they need to renew their immigration status, which usually involves similar fees. “I continue to see that the U.S. is open for business and wants founders with cutting-edge businesses,” she says.

“I wish founders understood the multiple layers to immigrating to the U.S. to make their American dream come true.”

Despite the high costs, months-long timelines and increasing uncertainty, betting on a move to the US is still a priority for many founders.

For Rahul, working US and UK hours to interface with his remote team saw him pulling 19-hour shifts for nearly a year, which wasn’t conducive to making good decisions for the company or being on the same schedule as colleagues.

He also described differences in clients’ and investors’ risk tolerance in the US, where people want to see new ideas and small companies succeed.

“In the UK, SEIS funds (the government’s Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme to encourage investment in new UK businesses) are positioned as tax breaks, which is the wrong point of view to have when looking at the category of venture capital,” adds Rahul. “The idea that VC investing, which potentially has massive upside but comes with risk, is a tax break, is problematic.”

Other founders tell us they wish they moved to the US earlier, and set up their previous businesses stateside to reap the benefits of high-caliber employees, experienced investors and a startup environment primed for success.

"I want to build a generational business and give it the best chance of success, and the best place to do that is the US,” says Corvera AI founder Chris. “That's why I'm here."

A note on this piece: The information here reflects what founders and immigration lawyers shared with us, but it's not legal advice, and immigration laws can shift quickly. Before making any moves, talk to a qualified immigration lawyer who can assess your specific situation.

To access more practical tips and a step-by-step roadmap to setting up shop in the US, check out our US market entry guide for founders here.