An E-2 visa presents an amazing opportunity to live and work in the United States while you help set up a business or oversee its continued operation. While the E-2 visa program comes with a large set of restrictions, they all serve the primary intent of making it easier for you (and potentially your family) to move to the U.S. for the period in which you plan to help develop and operate a business.
The E-2 visa program is only possible through the formation of individual treaties with certain countries. As such, not every country can use the E-2 program for its citizens.
Further, applicants must be prepared to describe their business plans and operations in detail to the satisfaction of a U.S. consulate interviewer to be approved.
Obtaining your E-2 Treaty Investor visa is, therefore, easier than many other processes but complicated in its own right. A California E2 Visa Lawyer from Singh Ahluwalia Attorneys at Law can help determine if the program suits your personal goals.
We can assist with preparing all the needed documentation to apply and set you up for success once you can obtain an interview.
We provide confidential consultations without obligation to work with our firm after your initial appointment. Schedule your case review now when you Call (559) 878-4958 or Contact us online.
How Does a California E2 Visa Attorney Help Set Me Up for Success?
Millions of visa applicants from hundreds of countries are trying to get approval to live and work or study in the U.S. for various reasons. Only a few of these applications get to the interview phase, and many would-be visitors get rejected after their initial interview.
What separates the people who succeed in their goals from those who aren’t able to come to the U.S.? There are countless minute factors, but We can sum up the main ones under one word: preparation.
These individuals were prepared for their interviews, and they had prepared the needed documentation to convince immigration or consulate employees that they fit the intention of the program they applied under.
Singh Ahluwalia Attorneys at Law has experience helping tens of thousands of immigrants and visitors succeed in their goals to come to the United States for a specific purpose.
We can help you fully understand the available programs you could use to visit for an extended stay or to take up long-term residence. The E-2 visa can be a great option for many, but there may be other programs better suited for your own goals or your company’s goals.
Services We Provide for E-2 Visa Applicants
To increase the chances of success for your application or renewal, we provide the following services:
- Helping assemble the needed business documents to establish eligibility for the E-2 Treaty Investor Visa
- Providing guidance on how to structure or expand your investments to satisfy E-2 visa criteria
- Helping you to establish your business to the degree possible to demonstrate the foundational factors consulates look for when approving or denying E-2 visa applications
- Preparing your application and supporting documents for filing with the appropriate Embassy or Consulate
- Counseling you throughout the process, keeping you informed while answering your questions
- Assisting with bringing other employees or family members over under the E-2 visa or adjacent programs
- Monitoring your application status and helping you secure an earlier appointment should one become available
- Addressing any issues that may arise, including appealing your decision or making adjustments that can help you better satisfy the requirements of the E-2 program
While we cannot guarantee that your E-2 visa application will be successful, we can guarantee that we will do everything in our power to help you succeed in your overall goals for coming to the U.S. There may be alternative programs better suited to your situation, for example.
In other cases, we can help you set a 1-5 year plan to help you get on track to have a high likelihood of approval at your next available opportunity.
Singh Ahluwalia Attorneys at Law is ready and waiting to provide you with the immigration attorney knowledge and experience you need. We have helped tens of thousands of clients achieve their dreams, and we want yours to happen, too.
What Is the E-2 Treaty Investor Visa?
An E-2 visa is called a “treaty investor” visa because it intends to allow certain types of investors to live and work in the United States temporarily, according to the terms of a mutual travel/immigration treaty forged with individual countries.
The E-2 visa sits alongside the E-1 Treaty Trader visa, with both existing to make it easier to travel to the United States for an extended period of time to oversee and develop certain types of businesses.
An E-2 visa is a non-immigrant visa, meaning the applicant must intend to depart the country when their E-2 visa expires. An E-2 is not suited for someone with clear intent to remain in the U.S. permanently.
However, holders of an E-2 visa can renew indefinitely, provided that the qualifying business remains active. Individuals who travel using an E-2 visa can live and work in the United States for as long as their business requires, provided they can keep the business operating and obtain approval for each renewal.
Who Can Apply for an E-2 Visa?
To apply for an E-2 visa, you must first be a citizen in a country (domiciled there for at least three years) with a corresponding treaty with the United States. You must also be the primary investor in a business that operates on U.S. soil, holding 50% or more of the business’s value through your investments.
You may also be an employee of a business participating in the E-2 visa program, provided that your skills and experience are vital to the continued operations of the business.
Each E-2 visa must correspond to an established business or one that is in the process of being created. The business can be brand new, or it can be one that the investor purchases.
Only those with an “at risk” investment qualify under these conditions. This means that their investment poses a direct risk to their financial well-being.
An E-2 visa will likely not be approved if the investor is merely handling money provided by some other party, such as a family member or friend, as they are not directly assuming any risk through their role as an investor.
Employees who obtain E-2 visas are often operators, directors, executives, or supervisors. They must have skills directly necessary to the continued development or operation of the business.
The applicant must also be in the U.S. solely to conduct business operations. In other words, they cannot intend to use the E-2 visa as a “backdoor” to permanent residency or citizenship. While it is certainly possible to decide to stay in the U.S. long-term through the renewal of the E-2, the USCIS is less likely to approve applications where the intent seems to be for the individual to immigrate to the United States first and act as an active investor/operator second.
What Counts as a Qualifying Business Investment?
USCIS stipulates that anyone applying for the E-2 visa must have a “substantial investment” for a business operating on U.S. soil. That means that if minimal capital is invested in the operations, the E-2 application is likely to be rejected.
Put even more directly: the applicant must have serious money on the line to qualify. There is no set dollar amount, but most applicants will have invested $100,000 or more in creating, expanding, or purchasing a business.
Lower amounts than this can cause an application to face extra scrutiny.
The money invested should also be from a traceable source, even though it does not have to be strictly earned income.
Further, the business in question must be able to provide substantial returns to the extent that its operations will benefit the U.S. economy at large. Operations that make only enough money to sustain the existence of the primary investor or a few families will not satisfy this requirement.
Other Resources
Information on applying for an E-2 visa from Canada.
List of E-2 visa participating countries.
Work With California E-2 Visa Attorneys Who Want You to Succeed
For decades, the founding members of Singh Ahluwalia Attorneys at Law have fought for individuals to come to the U.S. or remain here rightfully. We have helped countless clients avoid deportation and many more to achieve their dreams of finding business success within our borders.
Our firm is passionate about helping the immigrant community, so we speak Punjabi, Hindi, Spanish, and English. From successful investors to impoverished migrant workers, we have assisted all manner of people with one consistent vision: making their dreams of living in the U.S. come true.
Let us help you kick off the success of your business and bring your expertise to our borders to help it operate profitably. We can also assist you with bringing employees or family members over under many possible programs.
Learn how to maximize your chances of E-2 visa approval during a confidential case review. Schedule your appointment with one of our highly experienced California immigration attorneys when you Call (559) 878-4958 or Contact us online.
