Startups Like Berlin Because Visa Rules Are Nothing Like the U.S.
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Re: Startups Like Berlin Because Visa Rules Are Nothing Like the U.S.
#2Even Boerries says it will still take a long time for a 'techie' to acquire a Visa, Germany just offers a simpler application process and is fastER than that of Americas.
And even if the time it takes to get a Visa is close to similar, it comes down to a debate between being in Silicon Valley vs. Berlin...despite the so-called saturation of startups in the valley, the reality is opportunity is far greater in the valley than anywhere else. Silicon Valley wins IMO.
Re: Startups Like Berlin Because Visa Rules Are Nothing Like the U.S.
#3This story reminds me of those "Pivot to Canada" billboards you sometimes see in the valley.
Re: Startups Like Berlin Because Visa Rules Are Nothing Like the U.S.
#4Visas deter US-based startups from hiring foreign talent, but on the flip side, US taxation laws deter US-based talent from leaving the country.
I would love the idea of working for a startup in Berlin, but to make financially comparable, I'd have to be paid about 30% more[0] just to offset the cost of paying double taxes (both to the US, and to Germany). I'm ignoring factors like COLA, other expenses, etc., but for a US citizen this is a major deterrent to living abroad, even temporarily.
I guess a cynic would say that this is just the system "working as intended", though that just raises the question of whose intentions it's working for.
I would love to live in a foreign country for a few years in my 20s (the easiest time to do it), and assuming I eventually move back, the US will already get a cut of any foreign income I made via sales tax (when I spend it), capital gains (when I invest it), and (eventually) the estate tax.
[0] Edit: Apparently this figure is off - see discussion below. The tax/financial implications still do appear to be a hurdle, it's just (unsurprisingly) even more complicated than I realized.
Re: Startups Like Berlin Because Visa Rules Are Nothing Like the U.S.
#5As someone who is a non-US citizen going through the tortuous process of acquiring permanent residency in the US (estimated time: 8-10 years), I will advise any international people looking for their first job -- if you can get one in Berlin, Canada, or elsewhere, take it.
The US immigration system is fraught with bureaucracy, and is structured such that employers have strong incentives to delay your application for permanent residency for as long as possible. This, combined with per-country caps on green cards, makes for a process where you spend a decade or more in a country as an "alien" when you are working there and paying large amounts of taxes towards a Social Security system etc. that you have no chance of using in your present state.
(To be fair, there is a fair bit of reform in this system that has been proposed by Congress, but with the current state it is in, it could be years before those bills are passed and made into laws.)
Re: Startups Like Berlin Because Visa Rules Are Nothing Like the U.S.
#6Even Boerries says it will still take a long time for a 'techie' to acquire a Visa, Germany just offers a simpler application process and is fastER than that of Americas. And even if the time it takes to get a Visa is close to similar, it comes down to a debate between being in Silicon Valley vs. Berlin...despite the so-called saturation of startups in the valley, the reality is opportunity is far greater in the vall…
Remember, though, that Germany's in the EU; that's a big pool of people who don't require a visa at all.
Re: Startups Like Berlin Because Visa Rules Are Nothing Like the U.S.
#7Having built the first version of LayerVault in Berlin, it was remarkable to see how many expats were building companies there. It's also much more affordable than your more traditional hubs.
I can't recommend Berlin enough, especially for building an MVP.
Re: Startups Like Berlin Because Visa Rules Are Nothing Like the U.S.
#8Even Boerries says it will still take a long time for a 'techie' to acquire a Visa, Germany just offers a simpler application process and is fastER than that of Americas. And even if the time it takes to get a Visa is close to similar, it comes down to a debate between being in Silicon Valley vs. Berlin...despite the so-called saturation of startups in the valley, the reality is opportunity is far greater in the vall…
Getting a US visa is one thing, but what about tolerating the thought of someone putting their hands up your ass at the port of entry :-(
Re: Startups Like Berlin Because Visa Rules Are Nothing Like the U.S.
#9Visas deter US-based startups from hiring foreign talent, but on the flip side, US taxation laws deter US-based talent from leaving the country. I would love the idea of working for a startup in Berlin, but to make financially comparable, I'd have to be paid about 30% more[0] just to offset the cost of paying double taxes (both to the US, and to Germany). I'm ignoring factors like COLA, other expenses, etc., but for…
Any taxes you pay out of the US are credited against your US tax liability.
http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Forei...
Re: Startups Like Berlin Because Visa Rules Are Nothing Like the U.S.
#10Visas deter US-based startups from hiring foreign talent, but on the flip side, US taxation laws deter US-based talent from leaving the country. I would love the idea of working for a startup in Berlin, but to make financially comparable, I'd have to be paid about 30% more[0] just to offset the cost of paying double taxes (both to the US, and to Germany). I'm ignoring factors like COLA, other expenses, etc., but for…
> US taxation laws deter US-based talent from leaving the country
They do? I know Americans still have to pay taxes while living abroad, but they can exclude up to $97600 per year from their US taxable income which is a nice start. (And that "Earned Income Exclusion" is rising every year: http://taxes.about.com/od/taxhelp/a/ForeignIncome_3.htm)