United States of America

E2 Investor Visa Program
 
Overview
The E-2 visa is a non-immigrant visa, available to nationals from countries, which have bilateral investment, commerce, and navigation treaties with the United States. Individuals who qualify will have made a substantial investment in a United States company, and wish to come to the U.S. to develop and direct the business operations of that enterprise. This visa must be renewed every other year, but there is no limit to how many times one can renew although an E-2 visa is generally not considered to be a path to permanent residency, in some circumstances, the holder of an E-2 visa may qualify to apply for permanent residency in the United States.  

E2 Investor Visa Program

• You can work legally in the U.S. for a U.S. company that is the subject of the investment.
  
  
• You can travel freely in and out of the U.S. while on a valid E2 visa.
  
  
• You can stay on a prolonged basis with unlimited two-year extensions as long as you maintain valid E2 status.
  
  
• You may bring your dependents (spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21) to live with you in the U.S.
  
  
• Your spouse may seek employment by applying for an employment authorization document

E2 Investor Visa Program
 
Eligibility
The applicant is required to come to the United States to develop and manage the operations of an enterprise in which the applicant has invested or is actively in the process of investing a substantial amount of capital. In addition to the investment in a business enterprise, the investor must be coming to the United States to develop and direct the operations of the enterprise in which he or she has made the investment. The applicant must have more than fifty (50%) percent ownership of the investment, unless the applicant is coming as an employee of the enterprise.
 
To qualify for the E2 visa, you must fulfill the following requirements:

1. You must be a national of a treaty country
    
   You must be a national of a country that maintains treaties of navigation and commerce with the U.S. for E2 visa purposes. Treaty countries currently include: Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China (Taiwan), Colombia, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Kinshasa), Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Grenada, Honduras, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Senegal, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Yugoslavia.
   
   
2. Your investment must be substantial
    
   It must be sufficient to ensure the successful operation of the enterprise. The percentage in investment required for a low-cost business enterprise is generally higher than the percentage of investment required for a high-cost enterprise.
   
   
3. Your investment must be in a real operating commercial enterprise
    
   Speculative or passive investment does not qualify. Uncommitted funds in a bank account or similar security are not considered an investment.
   
   
4. Your investment may not be marginal
    
   The investment must have the capacity to generate significantly more income than just to provide a living to you and your family, or it must have a significant economic impact in the U.S.
   
   
5. You must have Control of Funds and Bear the Risk of Investment
    
   you must have control of the funds, and the investment must be at risk in the commercial sense. Loans secured with the assets of the investment enterprise only are not considered to be at risk.