The United States E-2 Visa Process

							The following article will attempt to shed light upon the E-2 visa and the process of
obtaining this American travel document for a foreign national.

For those who are unfamiliar with the travel document formally referred to as an E-2
visa, this visa is generally utilized by non-United States Citizens who wish to travel to
the USA for the purpose of conducting business and investing in an enterprise within
the American economy.

There are some who are confused by the difference between the E-2 visa and the EB-5
Immigrant Investor visa. The EB-5 visa was designed for those foreign nationals who
are willing to invest in certain programs which have been approved by the United
States Citizenship and Immigration Service. Unlike the E-2 visa, the EB-5 visa holder
enters the country in lawful permanent resident status upon lawful admission by the
United States Customs and Border Protection Service (USCBP) at an American Port
of Entry. E-2 visa holders are not accorded lawful permanent residence in the United
States and therefore remain non-immigrants unless an adjustment of status is
approved. The EB-5 visa also requires a significant investment. Generally, the
minimum investment for those wishing to obtain an EB-5 visa is five hundred
thousand dollars ($500,000). Certain "un-targeted" programs may require a minimum
investment of one million dollars ($1,000,000) in order for the foreign national to be
eligible to seek EB-5 visa benefits.

The E-2 visa category does not have minimum investment requirements, but most
immigration experts agree that the investment underlying an E-2 visa application
should still be substantial. E-2 visa holders may be able to obtain derivative visa
benefits for family members wishing to travel to the USA. In many ways, the E-2 visa
is an ideal travel document for those with an investment or business in the USA, but,
as stated above, the E-2 visa is not an immediate path to United States Permanent
Residence. One aspect of the E-2 visa process which is different from, say, the L-1
visa process is the fact that the E-2 visa seeker outside of the USA does not need to
process an initial petition through the United States Citizenship and Immigration
Service (USCIS). Those wishing to change status to that of E-2 in the USA will be
required to process such a request through the USCIS.

Those thinking about applying for a United States visa are well advised to conduct
thorough research into immigration matters generally with a specific emphasis upon
the visa category which most closely comports with ones intentions. It should be
noted that some individuals and businesses opt to retain the services of a professional
to assist with matters pertaining to US Immigration. Anyone claiming expertise in
American immigration should be asked to produce credentials as only a licensed
American attorney is permitted to practice United States immigration law.