E Investment Visas – The Rolls Royce of Visas
One of my clients told me that when they came through customs with their E Visa, they felt like the United States rolled the red carpet out for them. When he asked me why that happened, I replied that it was because the E Visa truly is the Rolls Royce of visas.
The E Visa is a non-immigrant visa that is used for investors coming into the United States to start a new business, purchase a business, or open a US subsidiary of their foreign business. In order to qualify for an E Visa, you only need as much capital as necessary for the type of business you are investing in. There are ABSOLUTELY NO minimum investment requirements. However, your investment needs to make sense relative to the business you are proposing to use to obtain the E Visa. Some of the other requirements that you must meet in order to obtain an E Visa are:
1. The business must be “active”, not passive;
2. It must be a business that will generate enough income for not only you (the investor) and your family, but for other employees and their families;
3. The business must grow over time;
4. The investment in the E Visa enterprise cannot consist of your whole life savings with nothing left to spare;
5. The business plan needs to make sense; and
6. The majority of ownership needs to be held by the treaty investor (individual or company)
The E Visa is issued at the US consulate in the applicant’s country of residence, and can be granted for periods up to 5 years. The visa may be renewed indefinitely as long as the business exists and continues to grow and be profitable. The spouse and children of the applicant will also be granted dependent E Visas. One of the many benefits of the E Visa is that a spouse is authorized to work anywhere in the United States. Even though this visa does not grant permanent residence, it is one of the closest and most flexible options available.
Understandably, this article only scratches the surface of the benefits, requirements, and uses of an E Visa. Please call or email me if you want more information, or think this is a good option for you or somebody you know. Future newsletters will illustrate more unique uses for the E Visa in different scenarios.
Bottom line – Why settle for just any car when you could get a Rolls Royce?