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Qualifying through work experience as an entrepreneur

Finwin

New Member
Hi everybody,

I'm a bit nervous about my case because I'm trying to qualify through work experience as an entrepreneur and CEO:

I run a bar/pool hall, which I bought 6 years ago from my employer and I have been officially an entrepreneur and CEO of my own company ever since. I currently employ 5 people and back in 2013 I also owned a small nightclub which I ran under the same company. I make a decent living as an entrepreneur and I would actually keep running the company in my home country even after moving to U.S. as my sister in-law works for me as a bar manager and would be able step up to be a COO to look after my business. So, I can honestly say that there wouldn't be a chance for me becoming a public charge in U.S. as I would still get regularly paid from my company even I wouldn't lift a finger for it.

I'm just worried about whether I would be qualified through work experience as a CEO or not? I do understand that one could form a company running a little hot dog cart and name him-/herself a CEO and get denied the DV visa, but in my honest opinion my case is a bit more legit than that.

I can get a recommendation letters from my previous employer(who sold his business to me), from my accounting company, from my main supplier(the biggest brewery in the country), from my business estate owning company, from another business estate owning company(which offered me a lease contract to one of their shopping malls) and I will of course print out a Trade Register extract for proofing that the company has been active for over 6 years and that I've been the sole owner and CEO the entire time.

Do you think I should add something else? What do you think my realistic chances are of getting approved a Green Card?

I would really appreciate good advises on this one and if anyone has taken a similar path and been granted a Green Card, I would be very grateful to read your story.

Have a nice weekend you all!
 
You've not addressed the first key step, which is to see if your claimed work experience has a matching category on o*net which is at the correct job level and SVP for DV qualification. Did you read the link about this from your selection

I did check that: CEO = 11-1011.00
When you scroll down to the bottom of the page to"Wages & Employment Trends" it shows "Top industries (2014) Self-Employed", so... that's me! :)

In the description most of it matches my job too, except education and technology skills (I don't use those softwares mentioned there, except Adobe).

So... what would you say are my chances...?
 
Oh, and I forgot to mention that the job level and spv should both be sufficient.
My biggest concern is just about how they see the o*net CEO description matching my case as I'm not a CEO of some huge corporation, but a self-employed business owner running currently only one bar/pool hall. Could you read the o*net's description please, and give your honest opinion about how it matches my case?
 
I did check that: CEO = 11-1011.00
When you scroll down to the bottom of the page to"Wages & Employment Trends" it shows "Top industries (2014) Self-Employed", so... that's me! :)

In the description most of it matches my job too, except education and technology skills (I don't use those softwares mentioned there, except Adobe).

So... what would you say are my chances...?

Like you said there is a huge difference between a CEO of a hot dog stand and a bar/pool club. There is also a huge difference between the CEO of a bar/pool club and that of a Fortune 500 company. You can't just call yourself "CEO" and think that's enough. The guidelines on the link begin with industry. Did you look at that? Bar owner for example?

Incidentally.... when you say most of it matches "except education and tech skills, the education skills tend to be pretty important for a CEO role as a rule. When I look at CEO I see right at the top it says "Determine and formulate policies and provide overall direction of companies or private and public sector organizations within guidelines set up by a board of directors or similar governing body. Plan, direct, or coordinate operational activities at the highest level of management with the help of subordinate executives and staff managers". Is this really an accurate description of your job?
 
Oh, and I forgot to mention that the job level and spv should both be sufficient.
My biggest concern is just about how they see the o*net CEO description matching my case as I'm not a CEO of some huge corporation, but a self-employed business owner running currently only one bar/pool hall. Could you read the o*net's description please, and give your honest opinion about how it matches my case?

Yeah, precisely the point I was making - we seem to have posted at the same time previously. No, I don't think you'll convince a CO that you are a CEO as per the onet definition.
 
This is not exactly the same as owner but was the closest I could find on a search of related terms that seems to match what you do. At job zone 3 however it does not meet the DV requirements. Maybe you can find a better match that will work. Remember it's not just a matter of calling yourself something, you have to clearly and verifiably demonstrate that what you do matches the description on onet.

https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/11-9051.00
 
Like you said there is a huge difference between a CEO of a hot dog stand and a bar/pool club. There is also a huge difference between the CEO of a bar/pool club and that of a Fortune 500 company. You can't just call yourself "CEO" and think that's enough. The guidelines on the link begin with industry. Did you look at that? Bar owner for example?

Incidentally.... when you say most of it matches "except education and tech skills, the education skills tend to be pretty important for a CEO role as a rule. When I look at CEO I see right at the top it says "Determine and formulate policies and provide overall direction of companies or private and public sector organizations within guidelines set up by a board of directors or similar governing body. Plan, direct, or coordinate operational activities at the highest level of management with the help of subordinate executives and staff managers". Is this really an accurate description of your job?
This is not exactly the same as owner but was the closest I could find on a search of related terms that seems to match what you do. At job zone 3 however it does not meet the DV requirements. Maybe you can find a better match that will work. Remember it's not just a matter of calling yourself something, you have to clearly and verifiably demonstrate that what you do matches the description on onet.

How about this one:
11-1021.00 - General and Operations Managers
I know that's not an exact match either, but the fact is that I have definitely more responsibilities and more demanding job than a restaurant manager as I solely own the company. Obviously I'm not doing exactly what huge corporation CEOs are doing, but in all honesty many of my duties are the same as the general manager's and CEO's duties according to o*net, only mine are in smaller scale and lower budgets.

Here's my duties as they really are in all honesty and as I have listed them on the DS-260(haven't submitted it yet):

- hiring, motivating and counseling employees
- preparation and administration of operating budgets
- monitoring employee performance
- preparation of employee work schedules
- analyzing sales to evaluate company performance and striving to increase annual turnover and maximize profit
- paying and archiving invoices
- counting the salaries of employees
- negotiating contracts and maintaining good relations with suppliers and business estate owning company
- preparing monthly documents and reports for the accounting company
- reporting quarterly alcohol sales to the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira)
- reporting monthly value-added tax sales and employer's contributions to the Finnish tax office
- organizing promotional campaigns
- networking and representing the company
- ultimately carrying full responsibility for the success of the company and the well being of its employees

I can't find an exact match from o*net as none of the occupations have a version of practicing the occupation as self-employed. So I would say the true match in my case lies somewhere between CEO/General manager and a restaurant manager.

Would you still disagree?
 
We see this every so often; people coming on the forum trying to convince us of something. You need to be sure you can convince the interviewing officer. If you can really back up and provide detailed evidence of all or most of that stuff (as per o*net definition) then go ahead. Bear in mind the visa interview fees are non-refundable.
 
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