Your Trusted Florida E-2 Visa Attorneys

The Florida E-2 Immigration Attorneys at Jurado & Farshchian are proud to meet the wide variety of legal needs of every single one of our clients. One of the immigration goals we can help with is obtaining the E-2 Treaty Investor Visa to live and work in the United States temporarily. The E-2 Visa, which is obtained through a substantial investment made into a U.S. business, is only available for individuals from certain countries. Individuals who apply and successfully obtain the E-2 Visa are generally permitted to live and work in the United States for a period of two years. However, E-2 Visas can be renewed indefinitely as long as holders maintain their eligibility.

Our E-2 Attorneys in Miami work with foreign citizens from a variety of nationalities on a regular basis to obtain the E-2 Visa.

E-2 Visa Requirements

There are a high number of specific requirements that applicants must satisfy before obtaining an E-2 Visa. To begin with, the individual must be a citizen of a country with which the United States maintains treaties of navigation and trade. You can find a list of these “Treaty Countries” here.

If the individual has the nationality of a qualifying country, he or she must then make an investment that is “substantial” and “at risk” in a business in the United States. While the term “substantial” does not come with a specific dollar amount attached to it, the amount of money invested must be enough to ensure that the business can operate successfully and must not be marginal. The “at risk” requirement means that the investment must be irrevocably committed to the business. Loans secured by the assets of the investment business do not qualify for the E-2 Visa.

Additionally, the Investor must be coming to the United States to develop and direct the operations of the American enterprise. If the applicant is not the main investor, he or she must be an employee with highly specialized skills or knowledge that will be working in a supervisory or executive position that is essential for the success of the business. Ordinary workers will not qualify.

What is a Substantial Investment?

One of the most important E-2 Visa requirements is the “substantial” investment that must be made into an American business. As mentioned above, there is no defined amount that will qualify as substantial. Generally, the substantial investment requiremens can be satisfied by making sure of the following:

• The investment is proportional to the value of the company in question; or
• The invested amount is sufficient to establish the company and commence operations successfully.

However, there is usually a lot more to establishing an investment as “substantial.” For that reason, your Jurado & Farshchian E-2 Immigration Attorney will help you satisfy the “substantial” requirement for your application.

What Types of Investments Qualify for an E-2 Visa?

E-2 Visa regulations require that the invested funds be “at risk” and “irrevocably committed” to qualify. As such, loans, mortgages, or funds in a personal bank account will definitely not qualify. However, investments that may be considered as a future qualifying E-2 investment include:

• Cash reserves in a business account as long as the applicant submits evidence of the source of the funds and the money is irrevocably committed to the business.
• The value of the purchase of inventory or equipment.
• Loans secured by assets owned by the investor.

What are the Steps to Obtaining an E-2 Visa?

Since the funds must be at risk, the treaty investor must have already committed the funds to the business or have placed them in an escrow account. Although a reasonable amount of money may qualify when placed in an operating business account, the rest of the investment should be made by the time the E-2 Visa application is submitted. The funds may be invested into either an existing or new business in the United States as long as the beneficiary maintains control of the enterprise. The business must be active, have a physical space, and engage regularly in commercial activities. Certain employees, including managers, executives, and individuals with highly specialized skills or knowledge may also qualify for an E Visa.

Why Choose the Florida E-2 Immigration Attorneys at Jurado & Farshchian, P.L.?

At Jurado & Farshchian, our Immigration Lawyers are proud to provide business-related immigration services for business in Miami, Florida. The lawyers in our team approach immigration law from a highly strategic perspective and understand how important it is for our clients to reach their goals. Therefore, we always work diligently and to the best of our ability to make sure that our clients can navigate the application process as smoothly as possible by being ahead of potential obstacles in the way towards getting the E-2 Visa approved.

To schedule an initial consultation with one of our skilled E-2 Immigration Lawyers in Miami, give us a call today at (305) 921-0440 or send us an email to [email protected]. Let us add you to our long list of satisfied clients.