24Sep 2021 by ggarciadme@gmail.com
End of US travel ban for vaccinated passengers

End of US travel ban for vaccinated passengers

Blog
The White House announced on September 20th that the travel bans to the United States, which we have reported on previous articles in our blog on June 2020 and July 2021, will be eliminated "at the beginning of November" for vaccinated travelers. These bans were progressively imposed by the Trump Administration between January and May 2020 and have had an immense impact on the activities of international companies and executives with interests in the country. The head of the White House COVID-19 Response Team, Jeff Zients, said foreign travelers must show proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test (made three days before boarding the plane) upon entering the country. Zients said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will determine which vaccines will be accepted. These are long-awaited…
Read More
27Aug 2021 by ggarciadme@gmail.com
Biotech: The American El Dorado

Biotech: The American El Dorado

Business
By Juan Rivera-Mata, Ph. D. Markentry USA Partner. Pfizer in the first 6 months of 2021 obtained US $1,330 million in profits (+62% compared to the first half of 2020). This was mainly due to the sale of more than 1 billion COVID-19 vaccines. But the discovery of the vaccine came from BioNTech, a German company of 2 Turkish researchers. In the same period, BioNtech got 2,800 million euros in profit, while in the first 6 months of 2020 it had losses of 141.7 million euros; it was the first time they have had a profit. With the current contracts and the expected recommendation of a third booster dose, BioNtech will probably end 2021 as one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, similar to Biogen, Teva or Novo-Nordisk, a company…
Read More
21Jul 2021 by ggarciadme@gmail.com
US Travel Bans: News and Expectations

US Travel Bans: News and Expectations

Blog
What are the travel bans currently applicable to citizens of certain countries when coming to the US? What recent changes have taken place? What is their impact? Why are they maintained? What evolution can we expect? In this article we try to answer these questions. 1) Status As is well known, since January 2020, the US government has been imposing a series of entry bans on travelers from a group of countries as a result of the pandemic caused by COVID-19. These bans, which have hardly changed and currently affect 33 countries, prevent entry when the traveler has been in one of them in the previous 14 days. The countries affected are, in chronological order of their ban, China, Iran, the Schengen Area, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, South Africa…
Read More
28Apr 2021 by ggarciadme@gmail.com
Immigration and Travel to the US: Update

Immigration and Travel to the US: Update

Blog
End of immigration suspension Unsurprisingly, quietly and with little media attention, the restrictions on the issuance of nonimmigrant visas H-1B, L-1 and J-1, which had been in force since June 24, 2020, expired on March 31st. Since then, US consulates around the world have restarted the issuance of H-1B, L-1 and J-1 visas without the need for an additional request for a national interest exception. This joins the elimination of the suspension on immigrant visas or 'Green Cards' ordered by President Biden on February 24 and that we already discussed in our article Important news about immigration to the US.Therefore, US consulates have restarted the processing of visas that had been blocked and have started accepting new visa applications. It is expected that it will take some time before consular activity…
Read More
24Nov 2020 by ggarciadme@gmail.com
COVID-19: Is the vaccine safe? Should I get it? – Perspectives from the US

COVID-19: Is the vaccine safe? Should I get it? – Perspectives from the US

Blog
Given the evolution of the pandemic and the news about vaccines, many of us may be asking ourselves these questions right now, which we will try to answer with a double approach: technical and social, individual and collective. Is the vaccine safe? By María José López Barragán, Ph.D. Markentry USA Partner Despite the deep concern for our physical and mental health and for the economic situation, many citizens confess not wanting to be vaccinated, now that we almost touch the first version of that coveted vaccine with our fingers. The main concern: side effects. Nobody wants to be "first." These beliefs reflect a significant gap in the information that is distributed each day. Society is bombarded with efficacy data (70%, 90%, 95%, 96%) and technical details (RNA, DNA, attenuated viruses, viral…
Read More
28Oct 2020 by ggarciadme@gmail.com
Biopharma perspectives 2021-24 with Trump or Biden

Biopharma perspectives 2021-24 with Trump or Biden

Business Development
By Juan Rivera-Mata, Markentry USA Partner The US elections may entail different scenarios for the biopharmaceutical industry. During his term, Trump has tried to eliminate “Obamacare” (a law that, among other things, makes it mandatory for companies to provide health insurance to their employees), and Biden has used that possibility as a main element of his campaign. But, at the same time as the President, local and state officials are also elected, and the House of Representatives and 1/3 of the Senate are renewed. It appears that Democrats will remain a majority in the House, but the Senate, now Republican, may go "blue." Trump has appointed 3 members of the Supreme Court - for life -, making it (6/3) conservative. The obligation to have health insurance (and any subsequent reform) will…
Read More
22Jun 2020 by ggarciadme@gmail.com
USA: Status of international travel bans and immigration suspension

USA: Status of international travel bans and immigration suspension

Blog
By Gonzalo Garcia, Founder and CEO of Markentry USA CONTENIDOS 1. Introduction2. International travel bans3. Immigration suspension4. Availability of international flights5. Do travel bans make any sense?6. Forecast7. Conclusion7. Conclusión  1. Introduction The global crisis caused by COVID-19 has created countless problems for foreigners who resided or planned to reside in the United States and did not have US citizenship or permanent residence ("Green Card"), as well as for the companies that employed them or planned to. Immigration restrictions and travel bans imposed suddenly and unilaterally by the US administration in recent months have created situations of all kinds. It is difficult to estimate the number of people residing in the United States who have been indefinitely blocked outside the country, away from their families, their homes and their jobs. Those…
Read More
10Jun 2020 by ggarciadme@gmail.com
Exporting remote services to the US: opportunities and challenges during COVID-19 times

Exporting remote services to the US: opportunities and challenges during COVID-19 times

Blog
By Gonzalo Garcia, Founder and CEO of Markentry USA CONTENTS IntroductionExporting services to the US: general considerations Opportunities created by COVID-19Barriers to entryEntry strategies for companiesEntry strategies for freelancersAdded value derived from the sale of services in the USConclusions 1. Introduction In 2019, the US imported a total of $588 billion in services (ref US Census). An important part of them can be provided remotely using information and communication technologies, such as financial services, insurance, research and development, consulting, engineering, training, design and sale of intellectual property.The USA is the largest importer of services in the world (10% of the global total, (ref CRS) and one of the most open developed economiesNew technologies, the high degree of openness of the American culture and economy, and the enormous facilities for the…
Read More
23May 2020 by ggarciadme@gmail.com
COVID-19: Why enter the US market now?

COVID-19: Why enter the US market now?

Business
By Gonzalo Garcia, Founder and CEO of Markentry USA Distribution of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the US (Johns Hopkins University) CONTENTS Introduction: Why now?State of the US economy, the most powerful and resilientGeographical and sectoral differences: the US, a different and diverse worldImpact on US international trade: open for businessStatus and forecast of travel restrictions: changes coming up soonImmigration restrictions: obstacle and opportunityBusiness opportunities: plentiful if you look carefullyConclusions 1. Introduction: Why now? The famous US scientist Carl Sagan once said:  Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exceptionThis idea, related to the species that populate the Earth, can be extrapolated to the business world. Under normal conditions, in developed economies more than two thirds of companies disappear before reaching the age of 10. Half of SMEs do not reach 5 years.…
Read More
06May 2020 by ggarciadme@gmail.com
Interview with Equipo Humano

Interview with Equipo Humano

Blog
In this interview (in Spanish), Jose Enrique Garcia, director of Equipo Humano, talks with the CEO of Markentry USA, Gonzalo Garcia, about the world crisis caused by COVID-19. They discuss topics such as its impact in the US, how it affects Spanish companies working in this country, how the situation in Spain is perceived from the US, changes generated at the managerial level, and modifications that may occur in labor relations and values. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=386&v=PhkUhLjeAsk&feature=emb_logo
Read More