A Guide to Obtaining a US E2 Visa for Treaty Investors
The E2 visa allows you to easily invest and trade in the United States of America. The E2 visa is a trader and investor visa for the United States.
It is also a category of US
non-immigrant visa issued to individual investors or investment companies from
countries that have an agreement with the United States. Investments can be in
any industry or business such as tourism, IT, marketing, etc.
In this article, you will learn how to
apply for an E2 visa and which country has an investment treaty with the United
States of America. In addition, you will know the requirements for applying for
this E2 visa.
Importance of the US E2 visa
The E-2 visa is a treaty investor visa
that is part of a family of US visas available to citizens of more than 30
countries that have trade agreements with the United States. Individuals with
significant investment funds can come to the US on an E-2 visa to open a
business, practice, or office.
Eligibility criteria for the E2 visa
You are eligible to apply for this
visa if you meet the following criteria:
·
Or
if the applicant is a company, it must be at least 50% owned by the investing
state.
·
If
the company sends an employee with an E2 visa, the employee must be a citizen
of the contracting country and hold a managerial, managerial, executive or
specialist position (key employee).
·
The
investor (individual or company) must intend to invest a significant amount of
capital in an existing or new bona fide business. A bona fide company is a
genuine company that produces products or services and makes a profit.
·
And
the investor (individual or company) needs to make sure that the business is
more profitable than just making a living.
·
New
businesses are exempt from the marginal profit requirement, but must meet the
requirement within five years.
·
The
investor (individual or company) must have the goal of further business
development with the help of these investments.
·
Again,
the investor (individual or company) must deposit the funds in a bank account
or agent until their visa is approved.
·
The
investor must intend to return to his home country after completing the work.
·
It
is also recommended that the investment be between $100,000 and $200,000 in an
existing or new business, although smaller investments are sometimes suitable.
·
The
investment is expected to increase employment for at least 3-4 people.
·
By
meeting these criteria, you are eligible and eligible to apply for an E2 visa.
This does not mean that you will be issued a visa automatically. You will have
to apply for a visa.
List of treaty countries for obtaining an E2 visa
The following countries have trade and
investment agreements with the United States of America.
- v Albania
- v Argentina
- v Armenia
- v Austria
- v Azerbaijan
- v Bahrain
- v Bangladesh
- v Belgium
- v Bolivia
- v Bosnia and Herzegovina
- v Bulgaria
- v Cameroon
- v Canada
- v Chile
- v China
- v Columbia
- v Congo
- v Costa Rica
- v Croatia
- v Czech Republic
- v Denmark
- v Ecuador
- v Egypt
- v Estonia
- v Ethiopia
- v Finland
- v France
- v Georgia
- v Germany
- v Grenada
- v Honduras
- v Iran
- v Ireland
- v Israel
- v Italy
- v Jamaica
- v Japan
- v Jordan
- v Kazakhstan
- v Kosovo
- v Kirghizia
- v Latvia
- v Liberia
- v Lithuania
- v Luxembourg
- v Mexico
- v Moldova
- v Mongolia
- v Montenegro
- v Morocco
- v Netherlands
- v New Zealand
- v North Macedonia
- v Norway
- v Oman
- v Pakistan
- v Panama
- v Paraguay
- v Philippines
- v Poland
- v Romania
- v Senegal
- v Serbia
- v Singapore
- v Slovakia
- v Slovenia
- v South Korea
- v Spain
- v Sri Lanka
- v Suriname
- v Sweden
- v Switzerland
- v Thailand
- v that
- v Trinidad and Tobago
- v Tunisia
- v Turkey
- v Ukraine
Advantages of the American visa E2
There are many benefits of the E2
visa. They are:
There is no quota for this, so anyone
who meets the requirements can get this visa.
This is a much better option for
entering the US than the EB5 investor green card, which requires people to
invest more than $500,000 in the US and create jobs for at least ten people.
Easy ways to apply for an E2 visa
To apply for an E2 visa, you can apply
from within the US or from outside the US. So, there are two ways to apply for
an E2 visa:
- o From within the US.
- o Or from outside the US.
Application for an E2 visa from the USA
Those who have legal status in the US
can change their status to obtain an E2 visa. This can be done by filing Form
I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, with USCIS. The application must
include proof of your citizenship, investment and intent to return.
If you are an individual investor, you
must file the petition yourself. If you are part of a company, your employer
must file Form I-129. After processing, USCIS will either deny or approve your
request. If approved, you will receive a Form I-797, Notice of Approval, from
them.
Applying for an E2 visa from outside the United States
If you are applying from outside the
US, you must apply for an E2 visa through the US embassy in your country of
residence. So, these are the five steps you need to follow to apply for an E2
visa:
Ø File Form DS-160.
- Ø Pay the application fee.
- Ø Schedule a visa interview.
- Ø Prepare the document file.
- Ø Attend an interview.
No. 1. File Form DS-160
The first thing to do is to file the
DS-160 form. This is a nonimmigrant visa application form. This form will ask
you to provide information and the purpose of your trip to the US. After
completing it, you will be provided with a confirmation page and a code that
you need to have for the interview.
No. 2. Pay the application
Then you need to pay the fee. For an
E2 visa, the application fee is $205. You may also be required to pay
additional fees depending on your country of residence, such as visa or
reciprocity fees. Once you have paid all the fees, keep the receipts as you
will need them later.
#3. Schedule a visa interview
You should be aware that all applicants
between the ages of 13 and 80 must complete a visa interview at the US Embassy
in order to complete their visa application.
However, we recommend that you
schedule your interview as soon as possible so that you can begin immediately
due to the high workload at the US Embassy.
Note that when you schedule your
interview, you will receive a visa appointment letter that you will need to
bring to the embassy.
#4. Prepare the document file
The documents must be completed on the
day of the interview. Here is the list of required documents for obtaining an
E2 visa:
Completed Form DS-160, Application for Nonimmigrant Visa.
- Your valid passport.
· Photo requirements for a US visa.
· The receipt confirms that you made a payment of $205.
· Form DS-156E, Nonimmigration Agreement.
· Trader/contract investor application – if you are an executive/manager/key employee.
· Confirmation that you intend to return to your country, such as:
· Property rights.
· Renting an apartment, etc.
· Proof that the business you will be investing in is genuine (bona fide), for example:
· Business licenses and registration documents.
· Financial Statements.
· Office lease agreements.
· Organizational chart.
· Tax declarations.
· Bank statements.
· Contracts with employees and clients, etc.
· Evidence that your investment is significant, such as:
· Your personal or business bank statements.
· License or registration documents for your business, if you are starting one
· A business plan.
#5. Attend the scheduled interview
In this final step, a US Embassy
official will interview you about your purpose and intentions to travel to the
US. The interviewer will also ask about your intentions to return to your home
country, which you must prove. If it is suspected that you want to stay in the
US permanently, your application may be rejected.
Therefore, once you apply and are
interviewed, the US Embassy will process your application.
How to apply for a Green Card as an E2 visa holder
Applying for a Green Card with an E2
Visa is difficult because one of the E2 visa requirements is proof of intent to
return home. Therefore, it is not easy to go from an E2 visa to a Green Card.
However, you can use these four methods to apply for a green card.
No. 1. Get an EB-5 investor visa
The EB-5 visa is an immigrant visa or
green card for investors. Because the E2 visa is also a nonimmigrant treaty
investor visa, it is similar to the EB-5 visa.
Anyone can get an EB-5 visa, but the
investment amount is quite large. For example, an investor seeking an EB-5 visa
must invest between $500,000 and $1 million in a commercial enterprise and
create ten or more jobs.
No. 2. EB-1 visa self-application
The EB-1 visa is a Green Card for
people with extraordinary ability in science, business, education, athletics,
and the arts, and for those who have previously held a managerial or executive
position in a foreign affiliate of a U.S. company. three years.
Another thing is that you can either
have an employer petition for you, which is recommended if you worked for a
foreign branch of a US company, or you can petition USCIS yourself.
No. 3. Get a visa for immediate relatives or families
If you have a close relative living in
the US as a permanent resident or US citizen, it is much easier to get a green
card with an E2 visa. You can change your status to two types of immigrant visa
categories. They are:
- Ø Closest relative.
- Ø Family immigration visas.
#4 Change status to a dual-intent nonimmigrant work visa
Another way to get green is a less
direct route. But it leads to Green Card with E2 Visa. The method is to change
the status to a dual-purpose visa. A dual-entry visa is a non-immigrant US visa
that allows its holder to apply for a green card without having to prove their
intention to return to their home country.
Examples of dual-purpose visas are
H-1B, L-1, or O-1 visas. You can change your status to these visas by finding
an employer in the US willing to petition and sponsor you for one of these
visas. However, you will also have to meet the requirements of these visas to
be eligible to apply for them.
Questions and answers
How long does it take to convert from
E2 Visa to Green Card?
Depending on that , which option you
choose to go from E2 visa to Green Card, it can take quite some time. If you
decide to file an EB-1, EB-5, or family petition, it can take anywhere from six
months to more than a year to get your Green Card. If you decide to adapt to a
bilateral visa, it will take several years.
How long can you stay in the US on an E2 visa?
Qualified investors and contract
workers will be allowed an initial stay of no more than two years. Requests for
an extension of stay or change of status to the E-2 classification may be made
in increments of up to two years each. There is no limit to the number of
extensions that may be granted to E-2 nonimmigrants.
How can I change my status from an E2 visa to a Green Card?
You must change your status if you are
approved for one of the E2 immigrant visas. This is done by filing Form I-485,
Application to Register Permanent Residence or Change of Status, with USCIS.
They will take some time to process it and once your Green Card is complete
they will mail it to you.
Can my dependents join me?
The E2 visa allows dependents to join
the primary visa holder. Spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21 are
dependents. They can apply for an E2 visa at the same time as the main visa
holder or later.
With an E2 visa, dependents have the
right to study, and the spouse has the right to work. To begin working, the
spouse must obtain an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) by completing
Form I-765, Employment Authorization.
The validity period of the E2 visa for
dependents is the same as for the holder of the main visa. However, if
dependents want to extend their visa, they must apply for an extension by
filing Form I-539, Application for Extension or Adjustment of Status. Dependents
do not automatically renew if they leave the US and return.
In addition, E2 visa holders may
change their status if the primary visa holder also changes their status. In
addition, if the primary visa holder receives a Green Card, dependents are also
eligible.
How can I extend my stay in the United States?
You can extend your stay in the United
States as a treaty investor in two ways. One way to extend your stay is to
leave the US and return. This will result in an automatic extension for another
two years. Another way is to apply for an extension through USCIS. You can
apply for an extension by filing Form I-539, Application for Extension or
Adjustment of Status.
Extensions are granted every 2 years
and the investor can apply as often as they like. In addition, an extension
will be granted if the visa holder continues to be eligible for an E2 visa and
demonstrates an intention to return home.
How long can I stay in the US as a treaty investor?
The initial period for which the E2
visa is issued is two years. During these two years, the visa holder can
continue to develop the company in which he has invested. E2 visa holders can
extend their visas when they are about to expire.
What is the E2 visa processing time?
If you represent a company applying
for an E2 visa, the processing time is 4 to 6 weeks, and if you are an
employee, it takes about two weeks.
However, processing times depend on
the US Embassy's workload, so if you do not receive a response within these
timeframes, it does not mean that your visa application has been denied.
Are there other trader and investor visas?
Yes, there are two more visas in this
category and they are:
- E3 visa for Australian professionals
Conclusion
With this E2 visa, investors and
traders who want to do business in the United States of America can now make
their dream come true.
