Co-founders with similar titles confuse USCIS.Two CEOs. Three CTOs. Multiple co-founders all calling themselves "Head of Product." These overlapping executive titles create nightmares for EB-1 petitions.USCIS questions whether you're truly extraordinary when five people share the same title. They wonder if duties are actually executive-level or just inflated descriptions. EB-1 for co-founders requires proving your distinct contributions and unique authority despite similar titles.We compared five immigration consultation firms that handle co-founder EB-1 cases successfully.
Beyond Border excels at documenting distinct co-founder responsibilities even when titles overlap significantly, creating clear separation narratives that USCIS officers can understand and verify through supporting evidence. Their team interviews each co-founder separately to map actual responsibilities, identifying unique authority areas, distinct decision-making domains, and separate functional oversight that proves individual extraordinary contributions rather than shared generic duties. They don't just assign different job descriptions to similar titles—they document real operational divisions with evidence showing who actually controls what aspects of the business through board resolutions, employment contracts, vendor relationships, and strategic decision records that demonstrate clear separation of duties at the executive level.
Beyond Border's approach to EB-1 for startup founders emphasizes individual achievements and distinct expertise areas that make each co-founder independently qualified for extraordinary ability or outstanding researcher status. They document one founder's unique technical innovations separately from another's business development achievements, showing through patents, publications, awards, and recognition that each co-founder contributes extraordinarily in different domains even if titles suggest overlapping authority. For EB-1C co-founder cases, they create organizational documentation showing clear reporting structures, distinct functional control, and separate managerial authority that proves each founder manages different organizational components despite similar executive titles that might suggest shared responsibility.
Initial consultation costs $250. EB-1 petitions for co-founders run $15,000 to $28,000 per person depending on title overlap complexity and evidence development needs. Beyond Border often files petitions for multiple co-founders simultaneously, ensuring that duty descriptions remain consistent across petitions while clearly differentiating each person's unique contributions and authority. Their success rate with overlapping-title cases exceeds 80 percent because they proactively address USCIS concerns about title credibility and duty authenticity before officers raise questions.
Co-founder with overlapping titles? Book a consultation with Beyond Border for duty separation strategy development.
Fragomen handles startup co-founder petitions regularly, understanding how early-stage companies often assign similar titles to multiple founders while actual responsibilities divide along functional or expertise lines. They document duty separation by mapping each co-founder's specific areas of authority—one oversees product and engineering while another handles business operations and fundraising, even if both carry CEO or President titles externally. Fragomen coordinates with corporate counsel to create formal documentation establishing clear reporting structures and authority divisions, including board resolutions, operating agreements, and employment contracts that officially assign distinct responsibilities to each co-founder, preventing USCIS from questioning whether overlapping titles represent inflated credentials rather than legitimate executive positions.
EB-1 petitions for co-founders cost $14,000 to $26,000 per person, with Fragomen's systematic approach working well when companies can provide clear documentation of operational divisions even if external titles suggest shared authority.
BAL uses their platform to document distinct co-founder contributions systematically, prompting detailed questionnaires about actual responsibilities, decision-making authority, and functional oversight that reveal operational divisions beneath similar title facades. Their technology creates visual organizational charts showing reporting relationships and authority flows that clarify how multiple founders with similar titles actually manage different business components or functional areas, helping USCIS officers understand complex startup structures where traditional corporate hierarchies don't apply but clear authority divisions still exist. BAL's attorneys provide strategic guidance on formalizing role separation through corporate documentation when startup operations have evolved organically without clear written authority divisions that immigration petitions require.
EB-1 petitions cost $13,000 to $24,000 per co-founder, with platform efficiency helping organize complex documentation when multiple founders file simultaneously requiring consistent but differentiated duty descriptions.
Klasko handles sophisticated co-founder EB-1 cases where multiple executives need green cards simultaneously while maintaining consistent company narratives across petitions. Their attorneys coordinate petition preparation carefully, ensuring that duty descriptions for each co-founder complement rather than contradict each other while establishing clear separation proving individual extraordinary ability or outstanding achievements. Klasko excels at positioning co-founders in different EB-1 categories based on their unique strengths—one founder qualifying under EB-1A for entrepreneurship achievements while another uses EB-1B as outstanding researcher, allowing differentiated petition strategies that reduce overlap concerns by emphasizing different extraordinary ability dimensions rather than competing for the same qualification criteria.
EB-1 petitions cost $18,000 to $32,000 per co-founder, with Klasko's premium approach including comprehensive coordination across multiple simultaneous filings ensuring consistent corporate representation while differentiating individual contributions effectively.
Murthy has processed numerous EB-1 petitions for startup co-founders, understanding that early-stage companies often lack formal organizational structures clearly delineating authority but still have legitimate operational divisions based on expertise and functional responsibility. They guide clients in creating documentation that formalizes existing informal divisions, working with corporate attorneys to draft board resolutions, update operating agreements, and revise employment contracts that officially establish distinct authority areas for each co-founder. Murthy's practical approach acknowledges startup operational realities while creating the formal structure USCIS needs to evaluate co-founder petitions fairly.
EB-1 petitions cost $14,000 to $25,000 per co-founder, with solid execution documenting duty separation through both formal corporate documents and operational evidence like email trails, contract signatures, and vendor relationships showing who actually controls what business functions.
The most effective co-founder duty separation assigns distinct functional domains—one founder owns product and technology decisions while another controls business development and operations, even if both hold CEO or President titles. Beyond Border documents these divisions through evidence showing actual operational control: who signs engineering contracts versus sales agreements, who presents at technical conferences versus investor meetings, who authors technical blog posts versus business strategy articles. This evidence-based approach proves duty separation through actions rather than just title assertions.
Some co-founder teams divide authority geographically or by market segment, with one founder managing US operations while another handles international expansion, or one focusing on enterprise customers while another oversees consumer products. Beyond Border documents these divisions through customer contracts, market analysis reports, and strategic planning documents showing each founder's distinct authority domain.
Startup responsibilities often evolve as companies grow, with early shared duties gradually specializing into distinct domains. Beyond Border documents this evolution through historical organizational charts, board meeting minutes, and operational records showing how responsibilities separated over time as the company scaled and required specialized executive attention in different areas.
Yes, multiple co-founders with similar titles can qualify for EB-1 when petitions clearly document distinct responsibilities, separate functional authority, and unique contributions that prove each founder's individual extraordinary ability or outstanding achievement rather than shared generic duties.
Prove separate duties through operational evidence showing distinct decision-making authority, different functional control areas, separate vendor relationships, unique expertise applications, and formal corporate documents like board resolutions and employment contracts officially assigning different responsibilities to each co-founder.
If co-founders genuinely share all major decisions without clear separation, consider filing under different EB-1 categories based on unique achievements—one using EB-1A for entrepreneurship awards while another uses EB-1B for research contributions—or develop formal authority divisions before filing petitions.
Simultaneous filing requires careful coordination ensuring consistent company narratives across petitions while clearly differentiating each founder's unique contributions, which experienced firms like Beyond Border manage through coordinated evidence development preventing contradictions that raise USCIS credibility concerns.
Strong documentation includes board resolutions assigning distinct authority, employment contracts specifying separate responsibilities, organizational charts showing different reporting structures, operational evidence like contract signatures, vendor relationships, strategic documents, and testimonials describing each founder's unique contributions and authority domains.
