US to implement new foreign entrepreneur rule

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced it is taking steps to implement the International Entrepreneur Rule (IER), in accordance with a recent court decision.

Although the IER was published during the previous administration with an effective date of 17th July 2017, it did not take effect because the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) delayed the IER’s start date to 14th March 2018.  This delay was meant to give USCIS time to review the International Entrepreneur Rule and, if necessary, to issue a rule proposing to remove the IER program regulations.

However, a ruling from the US District Court for the District of Columbia earlier this month means that the IER will now be implemented in the coming weeks.

The International Entrepreneur Rule will provide an unlimited number of international entrepreneurs a new avenue to apply for parole, enter the US, and use American investments to establish and grow start-up businesses.

Parole is a discretionary grant made by the Secretary of Homeland Security and is granted only on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. The IER will establish new criteria to guide the adjudication of parole applications from certain foreign entrepreneurs, providing them with temporary permission to come to the country. There will, however, be no path to citizenship through the IER as yet.

Article published 21st December 2017