In every aspect of life, we always sought for something that we are expecting. This is an excellent thing because you can always be prepared for the things that are expected. This is also applicable when applying for an E2 visa, which is a great habit to practice to get a good result.
If you are applying for an E2 visa, do you already know what’s in it for you? Or do you use it for the sake of having one? In this article, we will give you all the expectations that you need to think of whenever you are applying for an E2 visa.
So, browse further as we unravel the things that we might add to your E2 visa vocabulary.
Expectations about the E2 Visa
Before we move forward to the expectations in an E2 visa, let us first discuss it briefly. E2 access is a kind of visa issued to applicants with substantial investments in the US. He or she can be the owner or a co-owner of that significant business. On top of that, he must also have a dominating role in the industry to qualify. Moreover, if not, he can be a skilled worker relevantly needed in the day-to-day operation of the said business.
With an E2 visa, the holder will be able to bring over his spouse or children. He also has unlimited travels in and out of the US. Furthermore, he is responsible and must make sure that the business grows and progresses in the US.
Expectations about the requirements
Of course, you should not go empty when applying for this visa. You should at least expect some of the requirements or documents needed to avoid any derailment in your application. One of our standard requirements will be the passport and the passport-size photo. But there are more than just these two.
So here are the requirements that will be asked when you apply for this visa:
- The USA and your country of nationality should have a Treaty of Friendship or a Bilateral Investment Treaty.
- The applicant should be willing to put his investments at risk. This is like investing in the stock market. It would be best if you worked on it for it to have again, not like investing in some passive income systems. It would be best to show that you are expecting and willing to work on the business or investments for it to grow.
- The invested funds must be the investor’s unsecured funds or funds lent and secured by individual assets. The assets securing a loan can be the investor’s private residence. The endowed funds cannot come from or be guaranteed by a business entity. In this case, the applicant must show his source of funds for this substantial business.
- The funds should come from a legal and legitimate source such as savings, inheritance, or gifts. This is to ensure that the funds won’t be coming from the black market.
- You should irrevocably commit the invested funds. One example would be a lease agreement from the shop or office pace or a purchasing of the equipment to be used in the day-to-day operation of the business.
- The business should be substantial enough to qualify. In this case, it should be able to fund its operation without depending too much on loans. In addition, it should pay for the expenses needed to achieve a good profit in the soonest time possible.
- The business purpose should not be solely to earn a living for your family. The USCIS will grant you approval for an E2 visa if they see potential employment possibilities for US citizens the moment you start it. In that scenario, the business should provide job security to some unemployed US citizens.
- The applicant should be the sole owner of at least the dominating person in the business. If he co-owns the company, he should at least be the owner fifty-one percent of the company to qualify for an E2 visa. This is to ensure that if all else fails, you will still be the deciding body of what will happen to the company.
- The applicant should have an essential skill to make the business operational. For example, if it is a bakery, the applicant should be a certified baker or has certifications in inventory management and accounting.
Expectations for the spouse and dependents
If you’re going out of town for quite a long time, you might as well bring your family with you. There are some expectations that you need to set if you will fly over with your spouse and children; here are some:
- Your spouse can work in any industry that he/she may want. This cannot be in line with the nature of your business. In this sense, both of you can enjoy working in the United States of America but under different conditions.
- Minors under 21 years of age may enroll in any academy, school, or university of their liking. The child can continue all his studies in a regular manner bearing the E2 visa. In this sense, your whole family may get to enjoy what a typical family is getting used to—both parents at work and the kids enjoying their school.
- Your children, however, are not allowed to do any part-time jobs. He may be allowed but under a particular condition. This is when the authority at school allows it and if the part-time job is related to his studies.
Expectations about the Business employees
Since you will conduct business in a foreign country, everything will not be so familiar to you. Well, then you have to expect the following so you won’t have to be surprised:
1. If you wonder whether it is best to start the business from scratch or buy an existing one instead, here is what to expect. Since you are under the ruling of a visa, a start-up business might be too risky for you. Remember that you will have to leave the United States of America if the company fails, even if the E2 visa has not yet expired.
So it is better and much safer to buy an existing business that is already doing good in the US market. In this sense, you will make sure that the profit will not be a problem as long as you manage it correctly.
2. If you are also wondering if you need to hire personnel or not, well, it depends on the nature of your business. If it is a restaurant, you need to hire some people as it requires some people to operate. But if it is more of a consulting business, you might need a few people to run the business.
Our suggestion is to assess and conduct thorough research on the business that you will execute to make sure that you will come up with a decision if you will hire or not. But hiring is not a wrong choice as this is why the USCIS approved you with a visa to help the US economy.
Conclusion
Now that you grasp what to expect when applying for an E2 visa, we know that you won’t get flustered if you got approved. In this sense, we wish you all the best in your application. Always remember to set your expectations right to avoid any disappointment and confusion.