E-2 Investor Visa – How to Legally open a business and relocate to the USA

The E-2 Investor Visa allows entrepreneurs and business owners to come to the USA to invest and start a business, allowing them and their family members (spouse and children under 21) to live, work, and study in the United States.  If you’re interested in moving to the USA to start your own business, then this visa might be perfect for you! In this article, we’ll talk about how you can qualify for an E-2 Investor Visa and what steps need to be taken.

Step 1: Start researching

To legally operate your business inside America, you will need to either be an American citizen or hold a Permanent Residency aka “green card.” Otherwise, you will need to obtain a visa that allows you to operate a business domestically in the United States.  The treaty investor visa is a wonderful option to own and operate a business for interested investors and is generally approved for up to 5 years (depends upon the alien’s country treaty agreement with the United States) and upon entry will allow the investor to operate the business for 2 years at a time.  Upon expiration of the 2 years, they will typically have to leave and reenter to resume the operation of their business for the duration of their visa.  

Next, you need to identify the investment opportunity you would like to invest in.  The E-2 visa is very flexible, and you can invest in any legal for-profit business.  We can assist you with identifying potential businesses with proven franchises and other business opportunities, should you require assistance. 

Step 2: Find out if you qualify

Read up on E-2 visa eligibility requirements. The US State Department outlines what you need to do, including start-up capital requirements and other potential costs, for an E-1 or E-2 visa: To be eligible for an E visa, you must be a national of one of the treaty countries, meet the requirement for the investment of the business that you want to open or purchase, and have a good business plan. 

Please see the link for the treaty investor or trader eligible countries here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/fees/treaty.html 

Step 3: Meet with an immigration lawyer

The most crucial step is to find an accomplished and experienced licensed immigration attorney. They will be well-versed in addressing and navigating the many nuances of the eligibility for the visa and dealing with the government application process. We here at Immiggreat have seasoned lawyers on staff to provide you with the best service and assistance for your E-2 investor visa. They will meet and guide you with the documents and navigate you seamlessly through the process. 

Step 4: Apply for your E-2 visa at the U.S Embassy in your home country

After you have completed all the steps above, the completed application will need to be submitted to the local US embassy or consulate in your home country.  Some have electronic submissions, and some require a paper application to be mailed in.   After the application is accepted, the next step will be to wait for the appointment to be set and to attend your interview.  Again, we at Immiggreat with our dedicated support staff and attorneys, will guide you through the process step by step Although each post is different, typically about 60 days are required for processing (as the embassies and consulates gear up for normal processing post-Covid). 

Step 5: Obtain your E-2 visa

So, you got your E-2 investor visa! Congrats! Now, don’t get complacent. Although it doesn’t take too long to obtain the visa (4 months or so from start to finish), it does take a lot of planning. For that reason, I recommend starting the process at least six months in advance—this is true even if you already have your company set up.

Bonus tips

You might be able to apply for an E-2 visa even if you don’t yet have all of your start-up capital. The most common reasons for rejections are a lack of adequate funding or no market in which to sell one’s products or services. If you believe that either of these statements is true, simply work on securing more investment or proving there is sufficient demand for your product before applying for an E-2 visa.

Apply for an E-2 investor visa with us!

The E-2 investor visa allows you to start your own company in the US by investing at least $50,000 USD or more in that business, or whatever the financial figure is that allows your selected business to become operational with a balance held in capital reserve for business operations if it should be required. 

Let us help you with this huge decision and guide you along the way, we have professional lawyers that will file your E-2 visa and an accountant that will do your business plan for an E-2 investor visa and open your company. Apply today!