ANALYSIS & SUPPORT

The feasibility plan allows your company to:

• Define the right entry, positioning and development strategy in the US market
• Optimize the human and financial resources needed for the internationalization process
• Reduce time and start-up investments needed to reach the break-even point
• Plan the implementation of a production site

The feasibility plan consists of four documents:

• A quantitative and/or qualitative market research report that provides information about the competitive context of a sector and identify the “sine qua non conditions” to effectively reach the market.
• A “go-to-market” plan defining marketing strategies to penetrate the US market based on the information acquired through the market analysis, objectives and resources available to the company.
• A business plan, to define the investments, the cash flow, and the economic-financial impact of the entire project; this document is also the starting point of the scouting process for public or private funding.
• A project plan to indicate the activities and times of entry and development in the US market.

The service consists of seeking funding/incentives to finance internationalization activities; searches are performed:

• In Europe: public bodies such as the European Community, state bodies or regions often make subsidized or non-repayable loans available;
• In the United States: states and individual counties often provide incentive packages to attract investments from abroad; these incentives can be: subsidized public funding, non-repayable funds, tax credits, simplifications in issuing work visas, etc. These incentives vary according to the federal state, the business sector, the number of jobs generated. Investing in a productive activity may lead to an advantage;
• Through angel investors or venture capital firms, GEN USA is able to scout operators to finance start-up companies with high growth rates.

The US work visa is an essential requirement to operate permanently and live in the USA.

Work visas need to be up to date since US laws are strict and do not provide shortcuts.

Complex documentation is often required and must be presented by specialized operators. It is necessary to plan carefully for the acquisition of visas: the time needed to obtain a visa depend on the competence of the operator and the documentation accuracy.

There are different types of visas to operate in the USA depending on the activity and the role of the individual person requesting a visa. The most interesting types of visas for companies are:

• The B1
• E1 and E2, for investors
• L1 (A / B), relate to transfers of intra-company employees

The B1 Business visa is used to travel to the United States to carry out promotional and preparatory activities for commercial or sales activities in the United States (e.g. meeting potential customers, consulting professionals, visiting fairs, interviewing people).

The duration of the B1 visa ranges between six months to 10 years. It allows you to stay in the United States for continuous periods of six months.

The B1 visa does not allow you to work in America, that is, to receive compensation from American companies.

To obtain a B1 visa it is necessary to present the activity plan that you intend to carry out in the United States.

The E-1 visa is issued to those who manage substantial commercial activities with the USA. Trade must be frequent and involve numerous transactions that provide sufficient resources to support the operator and his family. The company that operates must already exist when the application is submitted.

To qualify for an E-1 visa, a company or individual must plan to establish an office in the US. The applicant must be employed in an executive or supervisory role or possess specialist skills essential for the operation of the company.

The E2 visa is aimed at citizens who want to move to the United States to direct the operations of an American company in which the applicant has made, or is about to make, a substantial investment.
The main requirements for obtaining an E-2 visa are:

• The investment must be substantial;
• The applicant must be a citizen of a country with which the United States has signed the international trade treaty;
• The applicant must move to the United States to direct the company’s operations.

American law states that the investment must be substantial, but does not specify a minimum amount; therefore, decisions on E-2 visa applications depend very much on the specific circumstances of the case. An E-2 visa can also be granted with a relatively low investment, if you are able to demonstrate that the business is feasible and will not only generate minimum income.

The L1 visa is suitable for employees of multinationals that already have offices in the United States, or who intend to open a new office or branch in the United States while maintaining interests in the original nation.

To obtain this type of visa, it is necessary for the employee to have worked in the company for at least one year. There are two categories of L1 visas:

• L1-A for managers;
• L1-B for workers with specialized knowledge.

The first type is renewable for a maximum of seven years while the second is renewable for a maximum period of five years. At the end of this period the worker must leave the United States for a total of 365 days and must continue to work for the multinational abroad before being able to apply for another L1 visa.

There are two types of ways to apply for this visa:

• Individual: this requires an individual application for each worker. This method requires applying to the U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services.
• Blanket: a method available to employers who transfer a large number of workers to the United States each year. Companies using the blanket method have already established that the company offers the necessary guarantees, and therefore only has to present a copy of the mass visa already granted, along with all the documents for each individual.