SelectUSA Investor Guide
What is the SelectUSA Investor Guide?
As the U.S. federal-level program dedicated to facilitating and promoting high-impact business investment into the United States, SelectUSA is pleased to provide the Investor Guide.
This is intended to be a first-step resource for companies exploring business investments in the United States. There are many factors to consider when investing in the United States, and we hope this guide will help answer at least a few of your initial questions on some of the most common topics we address in our day-to-day work at SelectUSA.
To provide guidance on these topics, qualified service providers who regularly work with investors have drafted the following chapters of this guide. Download the most recent edition of the Investor Guide below or browse individual chapters relevant to your interests.
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Call for Submissions
Opportunity to contribute to SelectUSA Investor Guide
SelectUSA is a program in the U.S. Department of Commerce that is focused on facilitating business investment in the United States. The SelectUSA team is seeking to publish a workforce-focused chapter to the SelectUSA Investor Guide, a public resource to help foreign investors better understand the U.S. business investment landscape.
The new chapter would present practical strategies for recruiting, hiring, training, and retaining workers, including building partnerships with K–12 schools, community colleges, universities, and other workforce development organizations. Many companies choose to invest in the United States because of the country’s strong educational institutions and dynamic, highly skilled workforce. However, they often need guidance on identifying and attracting talent, navigating the U.S. workforce development ecosystem, and becoming an employer of choice for American workers.
The chapter should be anchored by at least three case studies that provide concrete, practical examples of foreign companies that successfully partnered with U.S. educational institutions, utilized the public workforce system, and leveraged federal and state workforce development programs to meet their talent needs. By examining these examples, readers will gain a practical understanding of strategies and partnerships they can adapt to their own workforce planning and development efforts.
The completed chapter should be approximately 10–12 pages (5,000–6,000 words) in length. Case studies representing a variety of industries are preferred. SelectUSA is accepting brief proposals outlining the approach prospective authors would take in developing the chapter.
SelectUSA is inviting technical experts, such as service providers and members of academia, to submit brief proposals to partner with SelectUSA by drafting a workforce talent development case study chapter for inclusion in the Investor Guide. The suggested length of the proposal outline is approximately one page.
- SelectUSA and the selected submitter will enter into a license agreement pursuant to which:
- A timeline will be set out for drafting of the paper, discussion of content with SelectUSA, and posting of paper. [It is currently anticipated that proposals for drafts will be accepted until October 30, 2026; selection made by November 20; first drafts completed by January 11; and final versions posted in the Investor Guide on the SelectUSA website prior to the 2027 SelectUSA Investment Summit (May 2 to 5, 2027).
- The selected submitter must obtain consent from the companies presented in the case studies to be featured in the SelectUSA Investor Guide. By submitting a proposal, the author affirms that they will obtain all necessary approvals from the organizations to participate and have the submitted material published as part of the SelectUSA Investor Guide.
- The selected submitter and their respective organization will be provided an appropriate by-line, but the paper will be subject to a disclaimer by SelectUSA relating to the views expressed in the paper and its use by readers.
- The selected submitter will provide to SelectUSA a non-exclusive and irrevocable right to post the paper on the SelectUSA website as part of the Investor Guide. SelectUSA may print the content of the guide for its clients as needed.
- The selected submitter will retain the right to use and promote its paper outside of the context of the SelectUSA website.
- The paper will be reviewed periodically by SelectUSA for possible updates.
For a paper to be included, SelectUSA and the submitter must reach agreement on its content. SelectUSA will evaluate each proposed submission for completeness, appropriateness for the SelectUSA audience, consistency with applicable USG policies and guidelines, and geographic and policy neutrality. Proposal outlines and the resulting paper should cover workforce talent development as it relates to investment into the United States rather than promote the submitter’s business interests.
Please send all proposal submissions and any requests for additional information to: FDIResearch@trade.gov by October 30, 2026.
Click on the tabs below to view or download individual chapters of the SelectUSA Investor Guide and explore specific topics quickly.
Key Considerations for Foreign Investors in the United States
The United States business market is competitive. It generally allows for a relatively short period to establish new business operations. However, it is important to be mindful of the regulatory environment when setting up a company in the United States. This checklist is designed to provide an efficient and concise summary of the key issues and considerations when investing in the United States. Your U.S. advisors should be able to elaborate on many of the issues listed in this section.
Visa Overview
Most foreign citizens need to obtain a visa in order to visit or work in the United States. The U.S. Department of State, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, oversees the U.S. visa process. The purpose of your intended travel and other facts will determine what type of visa is required under U.S. immigration law. See a description of the visa types available for business and employment purposes. For information on the U.S. visa process, including updates to visa policy, please refer to the Department of State’s travel website.
U.S. Immigration Pathways: Which is Right for Your Investment Project?
In an environment of fluid markets and changing policies, understanding the immigration options available to investors and their workforces is an essential — but sometimes overlooked — aspect of investing in the United States. Investors need to make sure that their employees have the correct U.S. visa or visas, and an immigration advisor to ensure any visas are secured as seamlessly as possible. This chapter details the immigration options available to business investors and their prospective U.S. employees, including information on visa requirements, timeframes, and considerations for families.
An Overview of Common Business Structures for Foreign Investors
Choosing the right type of business structure is a critical first step for foreign persons planning to conduct business in the United States. There are several types of entities available, each with its own unique benefits and limitations. The “right” choice depends on a foreign person’s specific interests and needs. There is no “one size fits all” structure. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a high-level comparison of some common business structures used by foreign persons to conduct their U.S. operations, and what impact that structure might have on the company’s business and financing opportunities.
An Overview of Key U.S. Tax Considerations for Inbound Investment
As the world’s largest economy, the United States provides tremendous operating and investment opportunities, with an innovative and productive workforce, robust infrastructure, and lucrative markets. However, foreign businesses exploring investing in the United States can find it daunting to navigate the U.S. federal tax code and regulations, as well as state and local taxes. Inadequate preparation can create undue risk, result in increased and unanticipated tax costs, and ultimately impact the overall success of U.S. operations.
Creating Employment Success in the United States
The key to any organization is people, and any company doing business in the United States will have to recruit, interview, hire, and manage a workforce. The process of hiring and managing a U.S.-based workforce may differ greatly from practices customary in other countries. In the United States, employers are regulated by (1) federal laws that apply to all companies regardless of location; (2) state laws, for the individual state or states where the employees are physically working; and (3) local- or city-based ordinances in some larger cities.
Limitations on Foreign Investment into the United States
The United States has consistently ranked as a top destination for foreign direct investment (FDI). The United States boasts a high Ease of Doing Business ranking, a population of over 325 million people, the world’s largest economy, and one of the best educated, most productive, and most innovative workforces in the world.
Considerations for Foreign Direct Investment
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is an interagency committee that is authorized to review certain transactions involving foreign investment in the United States and certain real estate transactions by foreign persons, in order to determine the effect of such transactions on U.S. national security. CFIUS is exclusively focused on national security risk and takes action only when other provisions of law do not provide adequate authority to address the risk. CFIUS operates within the broader context of the U.S. open investment environment.
An Overview of Intellectual Property for Foreign Investors
For foreign investors, like other business owners, the most valuable assets of a business are its Intellectual Property (IP). The heart of the IP are four categories of assets: trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets. Each of these assets is the basis upon which a business is built and thrives.
A Checklist for Foreign Companies Opening a Bank Account in the United States
For a foreign company establishing business operations in the United States, is there a right way to open a bank account? Consider the what, why, when, where, and how.
Site Selection in the U.S.: Key Variables, Processes, and Technologies
Site selection is a process of identifying a state, region, and local community to locate a new corporate facility. When investing in the United States, private companies take responsibility for researching, analyzing, and selecting their locations.
An Introduction to Incentives in the United States
As businesses consider investing in the United States, there are many factors to assess when evaluating where to locate facilities and operations. Economic development incentives (also commonly referred to as business incentives) may be one of those factors, because such incentives have the potential to provide financial support to minimize upfront costs and speed up the timeline to profitability.
Federal Procurement: An Overview of Federal Laws Relating to Domestic Content Requirements for Government Procurement
Providing services to the federal government is no ordinary business. While the industry can be both rewarding and profitable, it does carry additional compliance requirements which should all be considered as part of the procurement process. Throughout this chapter, we’ll explore topics that should be top of mind for organizations that are looking to enter the federal space.
Understanding the U.S. Capital Market Structure for Capital Raising Success
The capital markets in the United States are the world’s largest, which makes them very attractive for both domestic and international companies that want to grow and expand. In addition to the public equity markets which represent approximately 55% of all global public equity markets, the United States has the most developed private capital markets for companies that are not yet ready to go public or who do not want to go public. Since U.S. markets are so diverse, the range of capital providers is large and the competition for this capital is fierce. This chapter describes some of the institutional players in the U.S. market and provides guidance for effectively raising capital given the analytical nature of the U.S. institutional investment decision making process.
Partnering with U.S. Research Organizations for SME Technology Firms
The goal of this chapter is to guide small and medium-sized innovation-based foreign companies, including startups, interested in entering and scaling in the U.S. market by developing Research & Development (R&D) activities with a local research university or a federal agency. Innovation-based means a company with a strong competitive advantage based on its technology, innovation, patents, and usually with long sales cycles — a good example is in the life sciences industry.
This chapter is designed to illustrate how U.S. universities and federal laboratories can be partners to collaborate with and can provide launch pads to test the U.S. market before any market entry decision or investment.