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Confessions of an E-2 Visa Addict

My name is Oliver Branch. I am a US immigration lawyer. I am obsessed with the E-2 visa program. Why the E-2 visa program? I’m so glad you asked. The E-2 visa program (officially the “E-2 Treaty Investor Nonimmigrant Visa” category) is a win-win for the US and for the E-2 investor that wants to live in the US full-time or part-time.

How is the E-2 visa program a win for the US?

Eligibility for the E-2 visa program requires that an individual or corporate investor from an E-2 treaty country (which includes Canada) make a substantial investment in a new or existing US enterprise, which creates or maintains employment for US workers and generates taxable revenue in the US. US jobs and US tax revenue – an undeniable win for my US homeland!

How is the E-2 visa program a win for the E-2 investor?

Whether the E-2 investor is an individual or a company from an E-2 treaty country, the E-2 visa program permits the investor and other individuals from the E-2 treaty country to obtain E-2 visas in indefinitely renewable five (5) year increments permitting intermittent or full-time employment with the E-2 enterprise in the US. Spouses of E-2 visa holders are eligible for E-2D spouse visas, which provide open employment authorization in the US. Children of E-2 visa holders are also eligible for E-2D visas which give them the ability to go to school in the US through the age of twenty-one (21).

So, who utilizes the E-2 visa program?

That is the best part; the E-2 visa program is incredibly flexible and is utilized by everyone from snowbirds to Fortune 500 companies to accomplish objectives equally as wide-ranging. Where some US nonimmigrant visa programs are limited in overall duration, prohibit self-petitioning, or require that each Applicant have prior employment for a related entity outside the US, the E-2 visa program doesn’t have these same restraints.

Here are just a few examples of how Moodys Private Client has utilized the E-2 visa program to help our clients:

  • Snowbirds Looking to Stay Warm – our firm works daily with snowbirds who are looking to spend more time in the US. Many of our snowbird clients have acquired already active small-businesses in the US and utilized this investment to obtain E-2 visas.
  • Oil & Gas Services Companies Looking for New Markets – with some of the extreme challenges many oil & gas services companies have faced in Canada in recent years, we frequently help these companies utilize the E-2 visa program to expand into the US market and ensure that their key Canadian personnel are able to work in the US, both to manage operations and to transfer essential and specialized knowledge to US workers.
  • Entrepreneurs Looking to Make Their Mark in a Big Market – whether for a first-time entrepreneur or for those who live and breath entrepreneurial endeavors, the E-2 visa program is often a great fit. With proper corporate structuring, the E-2 visa program can set-up the E-2 investor for the next big opportunity and the ones that follow.

 

Want to know how the E-2 visa program could work for you? Want to know how you can acquire or structure a business in the US to take advantage of the E-2 program? If so, please join us virtually on July 21, 2022 at 2:00 P.M. EDT to learn more.

Click on the link below to register for our webinar:

Webinar | Have you heard about the US E-2 Investor Visa?

Click Here To Register

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