Important Updates
Important Updates
July 10, 2025 | IrelandThe Irish Times: AI Technologies Being Used in Effort to Reduce Risk of Fraud in Immigration Process Department of Justice Says New Tools Are Not Used for Application Decision-Making
July 10, 2025 | United KingdomGames Industry: What the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy and Immigration White Paper Mean for the UK Games Industry
July 10, 2025 | United KingdomPartner Julia Onslow-Cole Named to Citywealth Leaders List 2025
July 10, 2025 | PolandPoland: EU Blue Card Rules Relaxed
July 10, 2025 | Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia: Grace Period for Foreign Nationals in Irregular Status
July 10, 2025 | IrelandThe Irish Times: AI Technologies Being Used in Effort to Reduce Risk of Fraud in Immigration Process Department of Justice Says New Tools Are Not Used for Application Decision-Making
July 10, 2025 | United KingdomGames Industry: What the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy and Immigration White Paper Mean for the UK Games Industry
July 10, 2025 | United KingdomPartner Julia Onslow-Cole Named to Citywealth Leaders List 2025
July 10, 2025 | PolandPoland: EU Blue Card Rules Relaxed
July 10, 2025 | Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia: Grace Period for Foreign Nationals in Irregular Status
July 10, 2025 | IrelandThe Irish Times: AI Technologies Being Used in Effort to Reduce Risk of Fraud in Immigration Process Department of Justice Says New Tools Are Not Used for Application Decision-Making
Subscribe
Fragomen.com home
Select Language
  • English
  • French
  • French - Canadian
  • German

Select Language

  • English
  • French
  • French - Canadian
  • German
ContactCareersMedia
Search Fragomen.com
  • Our Services
    For EmployersFor IndividualsBy IndustryCase Studies
  • Our Tech & Innovation
  • Our People
  • Our Insights
    Worldwide Immigration Trends ReportsMagellan SeriesImmigration AlertsEventsMedia MentionsFragomen NewsBlogsPodcasts & Videos
  • Spotlights
    Navigating Immigration Under the Second Trump AdministrationTravel & Mobility Considerations: Situation in the Middle EastImmigration Matters: Your U.S. Compliance RoadmapHumanitarian and Evolving Legal Pathways (HELP)Vietnamese ImmigrationAustralian Immigration: New Skills in Demand Visa
  • About Us
    About FragomenOfficesResponsible Business PracticesFirm GovernanceRecognition

Our Services

  • For Employers
  • For Individuals
  • By Industry
  • Case Studies

Our Tech & Innovation

  • Our Approach

Our People

  • Overview / Directory

Our Insights

  • Worldwide Immigration Trends Reports
  • Magellan Series
  • Immigration Alerts
  • Events
  • Media Mentions
  • Fragomen News
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts & Videos

Spotlights

  • Navigating Immigration Under the Second Trump Administration
  • Travel & Mobility Considerations: Situation in the Middle East
  • Immigration Matters: Your U.S. Compliance Roadmap
  • Humanitarian and Evolving Legal Pathways (HELP)
  • Vietnamese Immigration
  • Australian Immigration: New Skills in Demand Visa

About Us

  • About Fragomen
  • Offices
  • Responsible Business Practices
  • Firm Governance
  • Recognition
Select Language
  • English
  • French
  • French - Canadian
  • German

Select Language

  • English
  • French
  • French - Canadian
  • German
ContactCareersMedia
  • Insights

U.S. Start-up Companies May Now Employ Their Foreign-born Founders & Key Staff

June 15, 2021

insight-blog-default

Country / Territory

  • United StatesUnited States

Related contacts

Porthole Headshot Image of Fragomen [WashingtonDC][Partner][AndrewGreenfield]

Andrew Greenfield

Senior Counsel

Washington, DC, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 202 349 2183

Related offices

  • Washington, DC

Related content

  • U.S. Immigration in the Biden Administration

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Related contacts

Porthole Headshot Image of Fragomen [WashingtonDC][Partner][AndrewGreenfield]

Andrew Greenfield

Senior Counsel

Washington, DC, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 202 349 2183

Related offices

  • Washington, DC

Related content

  • U.S. Immigration in the Biden Administration

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Related contacts

Porthole Headshot Image of Fragomen [WashingtonDC][Partner][AndrewGreenfield]

Andrew Greenfield

Senior Counsel

Washington, DC, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 202 349 2183

Related offices

  • Washington, DC

Related content

  • U.S. Immigration in the Biden Administration

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

By: Andrew Greenfield

A new U.S. immigration law permits U.S. start-up companies that have received significant funding from U.S. investors to employ their foreign national founders and key technical staff in the United States for up to five years.

International Entrepreneur Parole (IEP) is a new type of U.S. work permit based on a provision of the immigration laws known as “parole”. At its discretion and on a case-by-case basis, the government may grant entry and employment authorization to foreign nationals who will provide “significant public benefit” through their key roles for U.S. start-ups with potential for rapid growth and job creation.

IEP was first conceived by the Obama Administration but was dismantled during the Trump Administration. Recognizing the significant public benefit realized through entrepreneurship, innovation and job creation in the United States, the Biden Administration re-launched the program, which establishes general criteria U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may use in evaluating IEP applications filed by foreign nationals who will play key roles for well-funded U.S. start-ups.

What does IEP do?

IEP allows the entrepreneur to work for the U.S. start-up for up to five years. It offers work permit options for talented foreign nationals seeking to found, build and/or shape the course of new U.S. businesses, which were not previously available in the current U.S. immigration system. The H-1B visa, for example, is limited by an annual quota, involves competitive compensation requirements, and is often out of reach for start-ups with little or no employees or revenue. The E-2 investor visa is available only to citizens of countries with which the U.S. has a specific treaty, requires that the U.S. business be majority foreign-owned, and, like the EB-5 immigrant investor visa, typically involves a substantial capital investment from the foreign national seeking the visa.  

Which foreign nationals and start-ups are eligible?

To be eligible for IEP, the entrepreneur’s education and/or experience must qualify him or her to play a central and active role for the start-up, including managing its operations, working as a technical founder or serving in another fundamental role. The entrepreneur initially must also own at least 10% of the entity, but this ownership may decrease over the course of five years as equity is transferred to other investors.

The U.S. business must have been established within five years of the filing of the IEP application with USCIS, or within five years of the start-up receiving qualified funding. In general, qualified funding means at least $250,000 (or $100,000 in the case of government grants or awards) from established U.S. investors in the 18 months before the entrepreneur files the IEP application.

How does it work?

IEP approval provides the entrepreneur with an initial 30 months of U.S. employment authorization with the start-up. This can be extended - via re-parole - by an additional 30 months, for a total of five years. Applications for re-parole require evidence the start-up has raised substantial additional funding, created at least five full-time jobs for U.S. workers, generated significant revenue and average annual growth, and/or other compelling evidence that the entrepreneur’s role with the start-up will result in the U.S. business’s rapid growth and job creation and continue to provide significant public benefit to the United States.

The entrepreneur has a continuous obligation to notify USCIS immediately of material changes throughout the period of parole. Material changes include, among other things, significant changes in the ownership and control of the start-up.

USCIS has broad discretion to terminate parole if the agency determines the IEP no longer provides the United States with significant public benefit.

Why is this a good thing?

Foreign-born entrepreneurs and technical innovators have long played foundational roles for prominent and successful U.S. start-ups that, in turn, have shaped and propelled the digital economy. The IEP program affords a clear path for these pioneers to enter and remain in the U.S. long enough to fulfil the vision of their enterprises. For them, and for the venture capital firms, accelerators and other U.S. backers who invest in new businesses that rely on the intellectual and commercial contributions of foreign entrepreneurs, the IEP program offers a new opportunity to mitigate the immigration-related risks often presented by start-ups with foreign-born founders.

Need to know more?

For further information on International Entrepreneur Parole, please contact Andrew Greenfield at [email protected] or your Fragomen immigration professional. This blog was published on 15 June 2021, and due to the circumstances, there are frequent changes. To keep up to date with all the latest updates on global immigration, please visit our dedicated COVID-19 site, subscribe to our alerts and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

Country / Territory

  • United StatesUnited States

Related contacts

Porthole Headshot Image of Fragomen [WashingtonDC][Partner][AndrewGreenfield]

Andrew Greenfield

Senior Counsel

Washington, DC, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 202 349 2183

Related offices

  • Washington, DC

Related content

  • U.S. Immigration in the Biden Administration

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Related contacts

Porthole Headshot Image of Fragomen [WashingtonDC][Partner][AndrewGreenfield]

Andrew Greenfield

Senior Counsel

Washington, DC, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 202 349 2183

Related offices

  • Washington, DC

Related content

  • U.S. Immigration in the Biden Administration

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Related contacts

Porthole Headshot Image of Fragomen [WashingtonDC][Partner][AndrewGreenfield]

Andrew Greenfield

Senior Counsel

Washington, DC, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 202 349 2183

Related offices

  • Washington, DC

Related content

  • U.S. Immigration in the Biden Administration

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Explore more at Fragomen

Media mentions

Games Industry: What the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy and Immigration White Paper Mean for the UK Games Industry

Director Laurence Keir-Thomas outlines how recent changes to UK immigration and industrial policy may affect talent planning and hiring across the games sector.

Learn more

Video

Grace Period for Submission of Documents for Temporary Residence Permits Eliminated in Portugal | #MobilityMinute

In this Mobility Minute, Senior Consultant Ada Plant discusses how Portugal's Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) no longer accepts incomplete temporary residence applications.

Learn more

Awards

Partner Julia Onslow-Cole Named to Citywealth Leaders List 2025

Partner Julia Onslow-Cole is named to the prestigious Citywealth Leaders List 2025, which recognises leading professionals in wealth management and private client services.

Learn more

Media mentions

The Irish Times: AI Technologies Being Used in Effort to Reduce Risk of Fraud in Immigration Process Department of Justice Says New Tools Are Not Used for Application Decision-Making

Partner Ángel Bello Cortés discusses how Ireland’s Department of Justice is rolling out AI tools to reduce fraud risks in the immigration process.

Learn more

Media mentions

Business Insider: How Trump's Immigration Crackdown is Reshaping Financial Industry Hiring, Travel, and Dealmaking

Partner Isha Atassi discusses the impact of immigration policy changes on financial firms’ global mobility and workforce planning.

Learn more

Blog post

Charting a Course: Securing Space-Sector Talent Amid UK Immigration Reforms

Director Laxmi Limbani discusses strategies for securing talent in the UK space sector amid recent immigration reforms.

Learn more

Blog post

2025 APAC and Europe Immigration Trends: Shared Goals, Diverging Tools

This blog highlights the most significant immigration trends across both Europe and Asia Pacific (APAC) in 2025.

Learn more

Video

Canada Express Entry Explained: Who’s Eligible and How to Apply

In this video, Partner Jack Kim explains how Canada’s Express Entry system works.

Learn more

Awards

Fragomen, Julia Onslow-Cole Shortlisted for FT Innovative Lawyers Europe 2025 Awards

Fragomen and Partner Julia Onslow-Cole are shortlisted for the FT Innovative Lawyers Europe 2025 Awards.

Learn more

Media mentions

Leading Britain's Conversation: UK Businesses Urged to Act Fast as Immigration Reforms Clash With Industrial Strategy

Associate Aisha Shahid highlights how upcoming UK immigration reforms may impact key sectors and urges businesses to prepare.

Learn more

Awards

Partners Nadine Bahnan, Ruth Spillane and Karine Wenger Named to San Diego Business Journal’s 2025 Women of Influence in Law

Partners Nadine Bahnan, Ruth Spillane and Karine Wenger are named to San Diego Business Journal’s 2025 Women of Influence in Law list.

Learn more

Blog post

Private Client Options in APAC: Bespoke Services and Residency Planning

Business Immigration Manager Yvonne Lee and Assistant Business Immigration Manager Shirley Kock discuss bespoke services and residency planning options for private clients in the Asia-Pacific region.

Learn more

Media mentions

Games Industry: What the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy and Immigration White Paper Mean for the UK Games Industry

Director Laurence Keir-Thomas outlines how recent changes to UK immigration and industrial policy may affect talent planning and hiring across the games sector.

Learn more

Video

Grace Period for Submission of Documents for Temporary Residence Permits Eliminated in Portugal | #MobilityMinute

In this Mobility Minute, Senior Consultant Ada Plant discusses how Portugal's Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) no longer accepts incomplete temporary residence applications.

Learn more

Awards

Partner Julia Onslow-Cole Named to Citywealth Leaders List 2025

Partner Julia Onslow-Cole is named to the prestigious Citywealth Leaders List 2025, which recognises leading professionals in wealth management and private client services.

Learn more

Media mentions

The Irish Times: AI Technologies Being Used in Effort to Reduce Risk of Fraud in Immigration Process Department of Justice Says New Tools Are Not Used for Application Decision-Making

Partner Ángel Bello Cortés discusses how Ireland’s Department of Justice is rolling out AI tools to reduce fraud risks in the immigration process.

Learn more

Media mentions

Business Insider: How Trump's Immigration Crackdown is Reshaping Financial Industry Hiring, Travel, and Dealmaking

Partner Isha Atassi discusses the impact of immigration policy changes on financial firms’ global mobility and workforce planning.

Learn more

Blog post

Charting a Course: Securing Space-Sector Talent Amid UK Immigration Reforms

Director Laxmi Limbani discusses strategies for securing talent in the UK space sector amid recent immigration reforms.

Learn more

Blog post

2025 APAC and Europe Immigration Trends: Shared Goals, Diverging Tools

This blog highlights the most significant immigration trends across both Europe and Asia Pacific (APAC) in 2025.

Learn more

Video

Canada Express Entry Explained: Who’s Eligible and How to Apply

In this video, Partner Jack Kim explains how Canada’s Express Entry system works.

Learn more

Awards

Fragomen, Julia Onslow-Cole Shortlisted for FT Innovative Lawyers Europe 2025 Awards

Fragomen and Partner Julia Onslow-Cole are shortlisted for the FT Innovative Lawyers Europe 2025 Awards.

Learn more

Media mentions

Leading Britain's Conversation: UK Businesses Urged to Act Fast as Immigration Reforms Clash With Industrial Strategy

Associate Aisha Shahid highlights how upcoming UK immigration reforms may impact key sectors and urges businesses to prepare.

Learn more

Awards

Partners Nadine Bahnan, Ruth Spillane and Karine Wenger Named to San Diego Business Journal’s 2025 Women of Influence in Law

Partners Nadine Bahnan, Ruth Spillane and Karine Wenger are named to San Diego Business Journal’s 2025 Women of Influence in Law list.

Learn more

Blog post

Private Client Options in APAC: Bespoke Services and Residency Planning

Business Immigration Manager Yvonne Lee and Assistant Business Immigration Manager Shirley Kock discuss bespoke services and residency planning options for private clients in the Asia-Pacific region.

Learn more

Stay in touch

Subscribe to receive our latest immigration alerts

Subscribe

Our firm

  • About
  • Careers
  • Firm Governance
  • Media Inquiries
  • Recognition

Information

  • Attorney Advertising
  • Legal Notices
  • Privacy Policies
  • UK Regulatory Requirements

Our firm

  • About
  • Careers
  • Firm Governance
  • Media Inquiries
  • Recognition

Information

  • Attorney Advertising
  • Legal Notices
  • Privacy Policies
  • UK Regulatory Requirements

Have a question?

Contact Us
  • LinkedIn
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

© 2025 Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP, Fragomen Global LLP and affiliates. All Rights Reserved.

Please note that the content made available on this site is not intended for visitors / customers located in the province of Quebec, and the information provided is not applicable to the Quebec market. To access relevant information that applies to the Quebec market, please click here.