E1 and E2 Business and Investor Visas

This visa allows business people to come to the United States to engage actively in the substantial trade of goods and/or services between the United States and the foreigner’s country of nationality.

E1 visas are available to the citizens of countries that have Treaties of Trade and Commerce with the United States. Substantial trade means 50 percent of your business must be between the United States’ company and your country.

Trade is defined as the import and export of goods, but can also be of services, including technical services. You do not have to maintain a foreign residence in order to be eligible for an E visa, but you must undertake to return to your country at the expiration of E visa status.

E2 Treaty Investor Visas

This visa allows foreigners who have made substantial investments in the United States in order to develop and direct the business operation established by their investments.

You are eligible for this visa if you are the investor, or if you are an executive, manager or essential employee of a foreign company that made the investment, and you and the major shareholders of the company are the nationals of a country that has a Treaty Investor agreement with the United States.

In the case of executives and corporate personnel, only nationals from the same country as the corporation are eligible. You will have to show that an investment in the United States has already been made, or that your company is close to closing a deal.

Both the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the State Department will apply inverse sliding scales to determine what constitutes a substantial investment.