Investor Visas E-1 and E-2

(In My View – Better Than A Green Card)

The Businessman’s Visa

I strongly believe that the E-1 and E-2 visa are superior, in many ways, to the green card. They allow the visa holder to live and work in the U.S. for as long as the business is an “Ongoing Concern.” They are quicker and easier to obtain than the green card – often times within a matter of a couple of months from the time the application is submitted. There is less scrutiny of the foreign businessman’s foreign financial activities than there is in applying for a green card. For this reason, I have put a great deal of focus in making the E-1 and E-2 visas a central service of my practice. It is truly the Businessman’s Visa.

According to a March 2012 article, data compiled by Bloomberg, the United States ranked third after Hong Kong and the Netherlands as one of the best places to do business. The United States is the world’s largest economy and home to nine of the top ten global companies. The US offers enormous potential to individuals and businesses from foreign countries wishing to establish commercial entities or expand their existing enterprises. As a result, my immigration firm has done many, many E-1 and E-2 visas.

The E-1 “Treaty Trader” and the E-2 “ Treaty Investor” visas are non-immigrant visa, which are not subject to annual caps and are usually obtained through consular processing at a US embassy or consulate abroad. However, they may also be applied for directly within the United States. And Canadian businessmen can firm up their business exploratory activities in the U.S. while their application is pending, as long as, they do not do any actual work in the U.S. before the visa is granted.

Importantly, in preparing your visa application I make an effort to give the immigration adjudicator a sense of the personality of the company as well as the financial bona fides of the business. I recognize that there is usually an urgency to filing the application so I maintain regular client contact and respond to your phone calls and e-mails promptly.

Further, starting a business in the United States as a foreign national is not that much different than starting one as an American citizen. A foreigner needs to register in a specific state and establish a registered agent with an address in that state. Otherwise, the paperwork is the same. I serve and have served as a registered agent for a number of companies that I helped with their E-1 and E-2 visas. Also, I have assisted some of these businesses with their respective incorporation papers and business plans.

If you are interested in discussing these visas, please set up an initial consultation with me.