[matt_the_bass]

I don’t have many suggestions for you. Perhaps reach out to an immigration lawyer? Peter Roberts is one you might consider. I haven’t used him, but he does work for YC and posts regular AMA’s (https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=proberts). He seems smart and offers good advice in the AMA’s.

I did also want to say that I feel for you. Clearly, you are type of immigrant that the US should be searching for. At 500k you’re clearly adding value to your employee. And if they couldn’t find a us person at that rate, obviously you have highly valued skills. I’m sorry our system is broken.

I hired a few H1Bs in the past. They, as a whole, were great employees and filled roles we couldn’t fill easily. Yes there is a lot of H1B abuse. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be welcoming skilled newcomers to a country founded by immigrants.