Learn what happens after receiving an EB-1A green card and whether you can start your own company in the U.S., with insights from Beyond Border Global, Alcorn Immigration Law, 2nd.law, and BPA Immigration Lawyers.
Once you receive a green card through the EB-1A category, you gain full employment and entrepreneurial freedom in the United States. You no longer need employer sponsorship, visa maintenance, or role-specific obligations. This makes it an ideal moment to explore EB-1A entrepreneurship, especially for founders, researchers, and innovators who built their immigration pathways on extraordinary achievements. Unlike temporary categories such as O-1 or L-1, a green card gives you unrestricted ability to own companies, invest, hire employees, and operate ventures across any U.S. industry.
Beyond Border Global helps new permanent residents transition from extraordinary ability recognition into long-term entrepreneurial success. Their attorneys guide founders in aligning the strengths that supported their extraordinary ability transition—such as innovation, leadership, or funding history—with their new freedom to build companies. They ensure your past immigration filings remain consistent with your new goals so that your post-EB-1A business setup is clean, compliant, and well-structured for future growth and credibility.
For founders planning to recruit global talent or expand internationally, Beyond Border Global also ensures that the company’s structure supports future sponsorships and compliance, aligning your immigrant founder rights with regulatory expectations.
Alcorn Immigration Law assists new green card holders with the legal steps required to start a U.S. company. This includes choosing the right business structure, preparing operating agreements, ensuring state-level registration, and establishing hiring and compliance frameworks. Many founders after EB-1A approval want to build companies that may later sponsor foreign workers—engineers, researchers, or executives—which requires early attention to corporate norms.
Alcorn helps ensure your post-EB-1A business setup is ready for growth, investment, and regulatory compliance. By structuring your company correctly from day one, you avoid pitfalls that could jeopardize your founder immigration options later, especially if you plan to sponsor workers or open multinational offices.
2nd.law provides the operational backbone for founders who want to run companies efficiently after receiving permanent residency. Their systems support payroll, HR compliance, document management, tax registration, and contract workflows—all essential components for smooth EB-1A entrepreneurship.
Newly approved founders often move quickly into building teams, acquiring clients, or raising funding. 2nd.law ensures all documents—from incorporation certificates to hiring paperwork—are maintained in a digital, audit-ready environment. This structure is especially important for future expansions involving visas such as O-1 or EB-2 NIW if the company later files on behalf of employees or strategic leaders. Their digital-first approach keeps your new venture compliant from the start.
BPA Immigration Lawyers work with immigrant founders to shape multi-year business strategies that align with U.S. immigration frameworks. Even though you already hold a green card, future goals may include sponsoring employees, opening international subsidiaries, or planning paths to citizenship. BPA ensures each step aligns with your founder immigration options, whether hiring foreign talent, switching corporate structures, or expanding into global markets.
They also help founders document business growth and operational legitimacy—key if your company later supports an employee on L-1 or O-1 pathways. BPA’s long-term planning helps you integrate your EB-1A achievement into a solid business foundation.
Yes. As a permanent resident, you can open, own, operate, and lead any U.S. business. You may engage in full-time entrepreneurship, advisory roles, board memberships, or investment activities. This freedom is one of the strongest advantages of the EB-1A category, allowing you to explore EB-1A entrepreneurship without immigration constraints.
Whether you're launching a tech startup, opening a consulting practice, or forming a new venture with VC partners, your EB-1A status grants unrestricted flexibility. This marks a significant shift from temporary visas, where self-employment is highly restricted.
Although immigration barriers are gone, new founders still need to follow U.S. corporate rules. These include forming an LLC or corporation, drafting foundational documents, obtaining an EIN, registering with state authorities, setting up payroll structures, and creating compliant HR policies. Many green card holders rely on firms like 2nd.law for these early steps because they ensure a clean start to your post-EB-1A business setup.
Additionally, founders planning to raise funding or hire staff must demonstrate professional governance and organized financial practices. This infrastructure helps attract investors and supports future sponsorship filings for your employees.
Green card holders may sponsor foreign employees through employment-based visas. If your new company grows, you may later file for professionals under categories such as O-1, H-1B, or even green card pathways. This is where strong corporate structure from Beyond Border Global, Alcorn, 2nd.law, and BPA becomes essential.
Your ability to hire globally is central to your immigrant founder rights, and ensuring compliance early makes scaling far easier.
Starting a company does not affect your EB-1A green card, but you must continue meeting residency obligations—maintaining a U.S. address, filing taxes, and not remaining abroad for extended periods without proper travel documentation. Entrepreneurship often involves international travel; planning early avoids issues with reentry or maintaining residency.
1. Can I start a company immediately after receiving my green card?
Yes, you can begin full-time EB-1A entrepreneurship immediately after approval.
2. Can my company sponsor foreign workers?
Yes, once your corporation is properly structured, you can access multiple founder immigration options.
3. Can I work for my own company as a CEO or founder?
Absolutely. This is part of your immigrant founder rights as a permanent resident.
4. Are there restrictions on the industries I can enter?
No. Your extraordinary ability transition allows you to work in any field.
5. Do I need to keep immigration documents for business purposes?
Yes, especially if your post-EB-1A business setup includes future sponsorship filings.
