Different types of visas, immigrant and non immigrant, determine what type of activity international students can do while in the United States. Violation of visa rights can result in deportation and the inability to get future visas.

Attorney Jeff Joseph of Joseph Law Firm spoke to Colorado State international students Wednesday about the different types of visas and rights accompanying those visas that will allow students to create businesses.

Director of Student Legal Services Kathleen Harward said that immigration law is a very complex subject, which is why Joseph was brought in to talk with students.

“Entrepreneurship is a growing area,” Harward said. “He is one of those very generous lawyers, and it’s great because he (his work) is very specialized.”

Topics included whether students could apply for citizenship or green cards in the U.S. under their visa restrictions.

Ajay More, a chemical engineering graduate student, attended the seminar Wednesday because he is looking to start a business in the United States, but he is also aware of the legal boundaries that restrict international visitors from doing so.

“There are different kinds of visas and all the rules are different,” More said.

More has an F-1 visa, one of the most common types of visas international students have at Colorado State.

Joseph said it is difficult to obtain a Green Card under F-1 or J-1 visas, so students who are looking to start a business or stay in the U.S. after their studies should look into changing their visa status.

“We admit half a million students each year, but they are often not thinking about work options,” Joseph “If ultimately, your goal is to work and live here, what you do in your education is important.”

Collegian Campus Beat Reporter Megan Fischer can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @MegFischer04.