The E-2 Treaty Investor Visa for United States

If you invest in the US — for example, in a condominium or business concern and you are from a country that has a Treaty Investor Agreement with the US , you can live and work here on an indefinitely renewable E-2 Treaty Investor Visa. To qualify, you must have already made a "substantial portion" of the total investment, the investment has to provide a living for you and your family and create jobs for Americans, and it must be sufficiently capitalized to stay viable.

You may be able to finance your investment for 50% or more, with your newly acquired investment property and your substantial foreign assets as collateral. The investment loan must come from non-US sources, but the overhead expenses may be loaned by either a US or non-US entity.

Your family members will receive E-2 visas, and can live and attend school here, but can not work, unless they qualify for a work visa by some other means.

The E-2 is not a path to Green Card rights— at least, not directly. You and your family may not work in the US except at your own business. If your business fails or you retire, you will lose your E-2 visa status.

This visa can be a way of gaining international management experience, necessary for an L-1 Visa, which can bring you Green Card rights. If you do not have a foreign business, but can make an investment that will generate enough income to support yourself and your family, the E-2 Visa can give you access to the US, so that you can establish connections and work out a Green Card strategy.

Note: E-2 visas are available to nationals of Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, China (Taiwan), Colombia, Congo (Brazzaville and Kinshasa), Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France (including Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Reunion), Georgia, Germany, Grenada, Honduras, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liberia, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands (including Aruba and Antilles), Norway (not including Svalbard), Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Senegal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. The US has not recognized Serbia-Montenegro, but considers it to be a successor to its treaty with Yugoslavia also.