Robert Villanueva

…but everyone just calls me “Robby”

U.S. Immigration & Global Mobility | Immigrated 3,000+ Foreign Nationals to the U.S.

My mission is to accelerate innovation through faster and more transparent immigration support. I have helped thousands of immigrant builders and technologists move themselves and their companies to the U.S. I live by two core tenets: (1) bureaucracy should not be a deterrent to U.S. innovation and (2) any immigrant can build a legal path to move to the U.S. 

About

I am a U.S. immigration and global mobility expert with experience working for some of the largest multinational employers and immigration providers in the U.S.

I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from UC Berkeley, where I was a Regents’ and Chancellor’s Scholar (top 200 students admitted to Cal).

I am passionate about the the intersection of global immigration and its impacts on economic innovation. I have dedicated both my education and career to discovering alternative immigration pathways that enable innovation in the U.S. and ensure the viability of the U.S. workforce.

I am currently the Head of Legal Operations at Lighthouse HQ, the fastest immigration solution for the startup and technology industry. I have built the process powering our AI-powered platform, enabling Lighthouse to immigrate 10x the foreign nationals than a law firm, at higher speed and quality. I was the former Founder of the immigration technology startup, Visa Timesaver, as well as the former Head of Business & Legal Operations at Plymouth Street and the Senior-most Global Mobility Specialist for Deel’s North American Immigration department, formerly known as ‘Legalpad’.

Originally from California’s lush Salinas Valley, I learned from a young age the value of hard work, persistence, and dedication. I am second-generation Mexican-American and the proud grandson of the U.S.-Mexico ‘Bracero Program’.

I am currently based in Palm Springs, California, but spend at least a week every month in person in San Francisco. I enjoy spending my free time with my dogs (Rocco, Onika, and Baby), my tuxedo cat, Jean-Paul, and of course, my husband of five years, Tommy. On a day off, you can either catch me reading about social movements, taking a yoga class, or watching 90 Day Fiancé re-runs.

Career highlights

Head of Legal Operations
Lighthouse HQ
2024-Present

Founder & U.S. Immigration & Global Mobility Consultant
Visa Timesaver
2023-2024

Founding Immigration Specialist
Compass Visas
2023-2024

Founding Head of Business & Legal Ops
Plymouth Street
2023

Founding Immigration Specialist
Legalpad (acquired by Deel)
2021-2023

Senior Immigration Analyst
Fragomen
2020-2021

Paralegal, Immigration & Employment
Take-Two Interactive Software
2019-2020

Immigration Policy Researcher
Committee for Economic Development
2016

Get in touch

I am always available for side collaborations, consultations, and chats worldwide. If you want to chat about immigration, startups, or anything else, don’t hesitate in reaching out.