B1 Visa Application Process

[roshankuruvila]

Hi there!

I own a startup in India & we have a subsidiary registered in MN, USA 2 years back. We'd like to open a bank account & procure physical space to develop the business further. I'm planning to get these done on a B1 so that we can start L1 process.

I'm planning a trip by the end of August. I will be filing DS160, setting up appointment & paying visa fee myself without an immigration attorney. What are other steps involved before or after this?

Though its a Business Trip on B1, I prefer to fund it from my personal savings. Will that be a problem? My annual salary drawn from my startup is very minimal. Will that be a problem?

We estimate the total work (4 meetings in 4 different states, procuring office space & processing certification) could take upto 36 days. What if it exceeds?

I'll be providing my partner's uncle (a citizen/green card holder - not sure) as 'point of contact' in USA. But he is in India rightnow, will that be a problem?

Based on my situation, which type has better approval rate? B1 or B1/B2?

Thanks in advance!

[peace999]

you would need a B1.
But your basic situation is flawed. If your new business in India is not giving you good income,
how can you think of opening one in US? The first thing they are going to look at is your business turnover and your income.
Even if it is a start-up.

Other issues are minor;
6-8 weeks duration mentioned is fine. The stay given to first time B1 visitors is 3 months anyway.
Mentioning relatives as contacts when you are going for pure business is not wise. Just mention a business contact .

[roshankuruvila]

The reason I'm drawing a very minimal salary is to invest rest into the business again, that's around Rs. 3.3 Lakhs per annum. I can manage a saving of around 5 - 6 Lakhs for the travel.

Also, I'm single right now & I don't see any point in drawing a bigger monthly salary.

Even though our business is based in India, all our clients are US based. We are facing serious issues in collecting payments on a daily basis through International Wire Transfer, first time clients don't feel secure & we plan to setup a subscription business model & that requires US Bank account to be credit card gateway through Authorize or Stripe or Braintree.

Am I supposed to take any business documents? The trip is going to be self sponsored.

As far as other issues are concerned, we can keep duration to 10 days or 2 weeks, just to open bank account & procure physical space.

Will 1 business contact be good enough?

you would need a B1.
But your basic situation is flawed. If your new business in India is not giving you good income,
how can you think of opening one in US? The first thing they are going to look at is your business turnover and your income.
Even if it is a start-up.

Other issues are minor;
6-8 weeks duration mentioned is fine. The stay given to first time B1 visitors is 3 months anyway.
Mentioning relatives as contacts when you are going for pure business is not wise. Just mention a business contact .

[peace999]

see the basic thing about B1 or B2 visa is to override an assumption of being an immigrant.
Being single and showing 3.3 L income , you may just fit into that category.

The officer can ask you this; what if I do not give you the visa, how will your business work then?

[raghvi]

Something is not right, That's a freshers salary. Not to sound rude or arrogant but the cold fact is that you are doing business with US based clients and are showing an annual income of only 5000 USD Per Annum , that is less than 500 USD per Month, doesnt sound a very convincing business model.

This is my opinion not legal advice.