what are the immigration requirements for an english citizen to move
to the united states to start a buisness?

The following pages provide visa information for those seeking to
enter the United States for a temporary period and for those wishing
to take up indefinite or permanent residence. If the information you
require is not available here, you may either call the Embassy's live
operator service, or write to the Consular Information Unit.
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A visa is issued by a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. A visa entitles the
holder to travel to the United States and apply for admission; it does
not guarantee entry. An immigration inspector at the port of entry
determines the visa holder's eligibility for admission into the United
States.
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Who needs a visa?

Anyone who is not eligible to enter the United States visa free under
the Visa Waiver Program, or is not exempt from the visa requirement.
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Nonimmigrant Visas: 

A nonimmigrant visa is required by anyone seeking temporary admission
into the United States who is not eligible to travel visa free under
the Visa Waiver Program, or is not exempt from the visa requirement.
Nonimmigrant visas cover visits for tourism, business, work or study.
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Immigrant Visas: *******This is the one that probable pertains most to
your situation******

An immigrant visa is required by anyone seeking to take up indefinite
or permanent residence in the United States. Upon entry into the
United States, an immigrant vsia holder is processed for a Permanent
Resident Card (PRC), commonly known as a Green Card. The holder of PRC
may reside and work in the United States. There is no requirement that
the holder of a PRC apply to become a naturalized U.S. citizen; he or
she may retain his or her citizenship and passport. However, those
seeking to become naturalized U.S. citizens may file an application
after five years; the period is three years if married to a U.S.
citizen.
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There are 5 main ways an individual can obtain residency and work
authorization in the United States:

    * Sponsorship by an Employer
    * Investment
    * Sponsorship by a close Family Member in the United States
    * The Diversity Visa Lottery Program
    * Asylum & Refugee Status

www.Workpermit.com can help you with the first 4 items from the above list.

The main types of temporary US work visas are the H1B, the L1 and the E.

Source: http://www.workpermit.com/us/employee.htm
http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_web/visa/visaindex.htm

You can contact he London Office at +44 (0)20 7842 0800 for a
consultation or an appointment. They also have online forms you can
contact them through for:
    
    * I want help/advice with a visa, work permit or immigration
    * I want to contact one of your offices Worldwide
    * I have comments regarding the Web-Site
    * I want to exchange links with your Web-Site
    * I want to represent your services
    * Other

http://www.workpermit.com/contact_us.htm
Workpermit.com is registered with the Office of the Immigration
Services Commissioner and offers immigration and work permit services
for entry to the UK, Australia, USA, New Zealand, Canada and most
Western European Countries.

If this answer requires further explanation, please request
clarification before rating it, and I'll be happy to look into this
further.
Nenna-GA
Google Answers Researcher

Much of the world (including the USA) is making painful adjustments to
a flood of ilegal immigration, so you can understand we would prefer
legal imigrants who are likely to help us solve problems rather than
create more problems. Many of our low paid jobs have been sent
overseas by imprudent government practices such as GATT, WTO, and
NAFTA in my opinion, so you need a skill that is in short supply
rather than a skill that is surplus.  What sort of business do you
wish to start? What applicable experience or training do you have? Are
you willing to work for $7 per hour if your business fails?   Neil