Setting Up in the USA: an introduction to practical business, tax, and immigration legal matters

Historically, the United States has represented one of the world’s most business-friendly environments. International companies seeking to grow beyond their home markets have looked to expansion in the United States as an excellent way to grow their businesses and customer bases.  But setting up operations in the United States is not as easy as one might expect. There are important cultural and legal differences between Finland and the United States that must be considered as part of the decision-making process leading up to the start of operations in the United States.

This is a symposium for anyone interested in the basic considerations a company or an entrepreneur would need to take before entirely moving operations to the United States or establishing a subsidiary office in the United States.  With the current political climate in the United States, the calculus for considering a US office may have changed.  Furthermore the US immigration system is notoriously opaque, and so incorporating an immigration strategy for executives, managers, specialized knowledge workers, or specialty occupation workers must be factored into considerations related to entry into the US market.

Program:

9.00 Welcome words WTC Turku

9.05 International Employment Situations from the Perspective of Taxation and Employer Obligations

• How is salary income taxed when working abroad?
• What tax considerations are involved in remote work from another country?
• What should be taken into account regarding pensions and social security?
• Does the employer have any specific obligations when an employee is working abroad?

9.25 Setting up in the USA

• State legislation vs Federal legislation
• Immigration law
• Being an employee in the USA
• How to set up operations in the USA

10.15 Q&A, coffee and networking

10.45 Event ends

Speakers:

Attorney Alex Isbell has been practicing US immigration law exclusively for 20 years and a core part of his practice is advising entrepreneurs and companies seeking to move people and operations to the United States. Working with Business Turku, Turunkauppakamari and Asianajotoimisto Edelle, he will provide interested parties with an overview of critical aspects of the business entity creation process in the United States, the importance of seeking accounting and taxation advice during the process of considering a move to the US, and of course the primary immigration channels that would be used to turn an idea about a US presence into the reality of a US presence.

Ronja Jokinen assists Edelle’s clients particularly with assignments related to tax and corporate law, as well as the execution of corporate restructuring. In addition, Ronja has previous experience in matters such as tax and social security issues related to international employee mobility, employer obligations, and family and inheritance law.

Krista Siro has acted as an advisor in numerous domestic and international mergers and acquisitions. Her role in an M&A transaction often begins already at the letter of intent negotiation stage and continues until the deal is successfully completed. Krista advises clients on a wide range of issues related to corporate restructuring and drafts documents required for mergers and demergers, among other things. She especially enjoys handling assignments with an international dimension. Krista drafts various international agreements, such as distribution, agency, procurement/sales, and non-disclosure agreements.