Hi Guy's,

Well I've finally arrived in the U.S. (K1 fiancee visa) and am getting married on the 14th December.

So now begins the process of building a life over here.
In an ideal world i'd like to be my own boss having had my own business back in the UK, however money is really tight and there is no way I could finance it on my own. My other half is doing education and working a part time care job so no finance there either.

My soon to be mother-in-law has been telling me that the U.S government has grants to help foreigners start up a business, however she dosen't know what they are called and I can't find anything on my online searches, plenty of grants for minority's or females but none for my situation.

My question is, has anyone had any experience getting any grants to start up a business? Or does anyone know what the grant maybe called so I could find it online?

I'm sure that i'd not be able to use the loan route as i've just arrived and my credit score will be 0, so that'll take a couple of years to get me in the right position to apply.

Many thanks for any help,

Pete

If you're not a minority, I'd imagine the chances are slim, maybe none for a grant.

Perhaps a government or state backed loan?

Also worth checking with local chamber of commerce type thing.

See if your city has a Small Business Association, and start there.

My foreign husband is self-employed. His was the type of business that didn't need much start-up money, though. After a couple of years, he registered an actual business name and opened up specific business accounts at Wells Fargo (our personal bank as well). He got a business checking account, business credit card, and business line of credit immediately (but as I say, this was after about 2 years after he got to the USA).

A few years ago when the economy tanked, we looked into a small business loan for him. I did the research for him and went down in person to talk to someone at the Small Business Association. OMG what a hassle. It was so much paperwork and fine print and presenting years of record books, tax returns, bank statements, etc...we are organized, but it was still just too much work to go through, and we ended up not following through.

Rene

http://www.sba.gov/category/navigati...e/loans-grants

You're going to have to find some capital to put in. The SBA underwrite the loan rather than produce the money.