Ms. Guetzkow, the 25-year-old American, chose Mongolia for her visa run because it was cheap and seemed romantic.

WSJ: A Popular Side Trip for Foreigners in China: Visa Runs

For her next visa run, she's going upscale.

WSJ: A Popular Side Trip for Foreigners in China: Visa Runs

You technically need an investment visa to run a startup, contact KC Lam at InvestHK and he can help speed up the 4 to 6 month process.

FORBES: #1 Hong Kong

But even as Pascarella tries to lure new traffic, "some are looking for ways to stay off the Visa railroad and run on less expensive tracks, " says Gwenn Bezard, an analyst with Celent.

FORBES: Companies & Strategies

Yet so far only Slovenia (exceptionally small, rich and well-run) has gained visa-free travel to America.

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Fujian Chinese run supermarkets, on the lookout for a visa for the United States.

ECONOMIST: Suriname

His visa rejected, Amit left for Canada, continuing to run his SF-based company from Vancouver via Skype.

FORBES: Should Highly Skilled International Students Be Given Green Cards?

The compelling argument is that out of 50, 000 US graduate school and PhD graduates annually, 17, 000 return back to their homeland because no appropriate visa option exists for them to stay in the US to run a startup or take on engineering jobs.

FORBES: Immigration Reform Will Get You Cash

Foreign physical therapists need to run a gauntlet of tests and procedures before even confronting the lack of an H-1B visa or green card.

FORBES: Our Immigration Rules for Physical Therapists Need Rehabilitation

Jon Prideaux, who launched his Virtual Visa at a card fair in Paris this week, says that charge-backs due to the Internet run at between ten and 40 times the level of charge-backs in face-to-face transactions.

ECONOMIST: Paying online