Understanding who is eligible for the E-2 visa?
Here are the general qualifications of a treaty investor:
The E-2 is a non-immigrant treaty investor visa. It permits foreign investors from a qualifying treaty country to invest in a bona fide U.S. enterprise, allowing them to work and live in the U.S. so long as their U.S. business is profitable and operating.
1. To be eligible for the E-2 visa, you must be a national of a treaty country
For instance, a country with which the U.S. maintains a qualifying international agreement, a treaty of commerce and navigation, or a country deemed qualified by legislation. To check the full list of qualified treaty countries, click here.
2. You must have already invested or be actively investing a substantial amount of capital in a legitimate business in the U.S.
Though there is no set or specified amount for the minimum capital, but to be eligible for the E-2 visa, we recommend at least $100,000 to have a good case. However, note that it still depends on the type of business being established.
Investments that are less than $100,000 can qualify for low-cost businesses. This is due to the proportionality test, which compares the total invested amount with the cost of establishing or buying an enterprise.
The higher the cost of establishing the business, the lower the percentage of investment required. On the other hand, the lower the cost of establishing the business, the higher the percentage of investment required.
3. You must enter the U.S. solely to establish and direct your bona fide U.S. enterprise
To be eligible for the E-2 visa, you need at least 50% of ownership or possession of operational control via a managerial position.
To learn more about the E-2 visa, click here.
E2VisaFranchises.Com is a team of immigration experts to assist you with your E-2 visa application. To check whether you are eligible for the E-2 visa, please do not hesitate to reach out and message us for any inquiries.