STEVE JOBS AND IMMIGRATION

By now you probably all have heard yesterday about the death of Steve Jobs, one of the world's greatest entrepreneurs.
You probably also know that Steve Jobs started Apple with a high school friend in a Silicon Valley garage in 1976, was forced out a decade later and returned a decade later in 1997 to rescue the company. Now it is the most valuable technology company in the world with a market value of $351 billion (largest market cap). He has been responsible for innovation of the personal computer, iMac, iPod, iPhone iPad, and many others.
It led me to think, what would happen if Steve Jobs was born outside the United States? Maybe up north in Canada or down south in Mexico (or anywhere else for that matter)? Apple would probably be dead in the water and no one would have an iPhone or iPad.
The H-1B immigration laws do not support visas for entrepreneurs who are high school or college dropouts (unless they have lots of years of experience under their belt). Also, the current USCIS policies prohibit sponsorship of H-1B visas for entrepreneurs who hold a significant ownership interest in their companies.
Too bad that USCIS doesn't think in these terms. In a recent stakeholders meeting with USCIS headquarters they reiterated that the Neufeld memo is still in effect and they are not accepting any changes to it. Litigation is the only option.