E-2 Investment Visa

The E-2 visa allows investors to come to the U.S. to live and work, either by setting up a business in the U.S. or investing in an existing U.S. business. There is no minimum amount of investment necessary to obtain an E-2 visa. The investment just has to be “substantial”. A substantial amount will depend on factors such as the type of business involved, the number of jobs created by the investor’s personal assets, etc.

However, E-2 visa can only be issued to countries where there is a treaty between the foreign national’s country and the US. Some of them are:

Ukraine
Poland
Ecuador
Mongolia

Benefits

Some of benefits that E-2 investors receive:

There is no minimum investment amount that is required. Although there is no requirement for minimum or maximum amount for an E-2 visa investment, the investment must be a substantial amount
Education benefits such as Free education in US public schools and more affordable, in-state tuition costs at U.S. universities.
The spouse can work under an E-2 dependent visa, meaning no specific restriction as to where the E-2 spouse may work.
The investor can stay indefinitely in the U.S. as long as the E-2 visa renewal is approved and the business maintains operations.
E-2 visa holders can spend up to 120 days in the US without being subject to worldwide income taxation.
E-2 visa holders can sponsor specialized employees from their nation (non-family members) to work in their E-2 business.

Timeline

E-2 visa processing can take anywhere from two weeks to up to 5 months depend on the planning required to pursue investor’s business activity and whether the investor’s family will join the investor as E-2 dependants.

There are 2 stages to the E-2 visa application process. The first step is to complete the investor’s application with all necessary supporting document. The second step is the processing time after submitting the application. This timeline will depend on where the investor applying from and whether the investor is eligible for a premium service.

Requirements

There are some requirements for E-2 investment visa:

The investor is a national of a country which maintains a treaty of navigation and commerce with the United States.
The investor is living and working in the U.S. for the sole purpose of developing, directing or overseeing the approved investment enterprise.
The investor has invested, or is in the process of investing a substantial sum of money in an approved and legitimate business in the U.S.

The investor must show that a “substantial” investment or funds is available and committed to the investment;
The investment must be for an active business but not a passive investment such as purchasing a home;
At least 50% of the business must be owned by the investor from a country which has a treaty with the U.S.;
The investment must create enough profit to provide a living for more than just the applicant and the family.