What You Need to Know About The E-2 Investor Visa

The E-2 investor visa applies to investors who want to make investments in the United States.

An investment in this sense means that the person is prepared to risk his capital with the aim of generating profit. The capital cannot be from an illegal enterprise.

An E-2 investor visa allows you to freely move in and out of the United States. It also allows you work with your business in the country and even prolong your stay by obtaining extensions when you need them.

Qualification For An E-2 Investor Visa

To qualify for an E-2 investor visa, you must fulfill the following requirements:

• You must be a national of a country that has a Treaty of Trade and Commerce with the United States. Here is a list of these countries, so you can check if your country is one.
• You need to have invested a substantial amount of capital in a legal business in the United States. If you have not fully invested in the business, you must at least be in the process of investing.
• You must show that you are entering the United States to direct and develop the business and nothing else. You can establish this by showing that you own more than 50% of the business.

Substantial Capital

The capital that you intend to put into the business must be substantial in the sense that:

• It must be substantial as far as the cost of buying an established business or starting a new one.
• It must be large enough to show that you are financially committed to the successful operation of the business
• It must be large enough to make it more likely that you would truly apply yourself to developing and directing the business.

Marginal Enterprise

The business must not be marginal. A marginal enterprise is one that does not have the capacity to create more than enough income for you and your family to live on comfortably.

Even if your business does not have that capacity at the time of application, it should be able to create that level of income within five years from the date your visa is granted.

Period of Stay

If your application for the E-2 investor visa is successful, you would be allowed to stay in the United States for up two to five years. You can also request for extensions to your period of stay.

Filing Your Application

The process of obtaining an E-2 Investor visa can be quite stressful and complex. You need to get the application absolutely spot on or else, you may lose your opportunity. So, do not leave things to chance.