There are many, many different types of visas out there, and these visas encapsulate the many different scenarios and circumstances that can arise when someone is trying to alter their legal status (or a company is trying to alter the legal status of one of its employees). In this regard, E visas are a very important aspect of the immigration system, especially for business professionals and their companies.
There are two E visas that relate to this situation. The first is the E-1 visa. The E-1 visa, also called the treaty trader visa, can be obtained by someone if at least 51 percent of their company’s trade occurs between the treaty company and the United States.
The E-2 visa, meanwhile, is related to financial investments. The E-2 visa, also called the treaty investor visa, require a substantial investment in a U.S. company, and the funds must be under the sole control of the treaty investor. We wish we could tell you the minimum amount required for your investment to be considered “substantial,” but it varies from case to case and business to business.
Two other things to note about E visas:
- With either visa, only people from one of 51 nations that participate in the E visa program are eligible to receive the visas.
- E visas can be assigned to executives, managers and other employees of the same nationality if they work in a U.S. branch or office.
As with anything relating to immigration and visas, make sure you have a lawyer on your side to ensure your visa is being completely in a timely and efficient way.