How Can I Start a Business if I Don't Have Papers?

Starting a business is a lifelong dream for many individuals, whether they are Americans or immigrants. While dreams can sometimes seem far-fetched, the reality is that many individuals across the country have chosen to establish their own businesses in all sorts of industries. The reality is that thousands of immigrants operate their own businesses in the United States, even if they have no legal immigration status. Nonetheless, they are operating legally valid businesses that provide goods and services to the American population each and every day. Statistics vary widely on the number of businesses nationwide owned by immigrants without a legal status. This is because business owners are not required to report their immigration status in registering or establishing a business. According to the Center for the Study of Immigration Integration at the University of Southern California, an estimated 13% of the immigration population in the state of California is self-employed. Another researcher believes that between 8 and 10% of the undocumented immigrants in the nation own their own businesses. Whichever of these figures are correct, the bottom line is that thousands of businesses are owned and operated by immigrants without a legal immigration status. The process of opening a business is surprisingly easy for an immigrant who has no papers. Using a birth certificate, military ID, passport, or state ID card, an immigrant can apply for an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). Once he or she has an ITIN, the immigrant can apply for an Employer Identification Number. These two steps make a business perfectly legal, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). But for all undocumented immigrants, even those who operate successful business, the risk of deportation is ever-present. At Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C., we care about you and your family, and want to help you preserve your home in the United States. We focus our law practice solely on deportation defense cases, which allows us to expend all of our efforts in standing up for the rights of those who are facing potential deportation, including those who are seeking asylum. Our California deportation defense lawyers know how to gather persuasive evidence to support your case and we know all of the procedural ins and outs of the U.S. deportation system. Allow us to handle your deportation case by contacting us today to schedule your .