Overview
The E-1 Treaty Trader and E-2 Treaty Investor visas provide entrepreneurs, business owners, and essential executives from recognized treaty nations the ability to live and work in the United States to manage commercial enterprises. Designed to foster international trade and investment, E visas provide significant operational flexibility for both small startup business founders and established international enterprises establishing a U.S. footprint.
Requirements
Treaty-country nationality
The principal applicant must hold citizenship in a country that maintains a qualifying treaty of commerce and navigation with the United States.
E-1 — substantial trade
For an E-1 Treaty Trader visa, the applicant’s firm must demonstrate substantial international trade, with more than 50 percent of total international trade volume occurring between the treaty nation and the U.S.
E-2 — capital at risk
For an E-2 Treaty Investor visa, the investor must commit a substantial amount of capital into an active, operating U.S. business enterprise. The capital must be irrevocably committed and subjected to commercial risk.
A non-marginal enterprise
The business must not be marginal — it must possess the realistic capacity to generate significantly more income than necessary to support the investor and their family, creating job opportunities for U.S. workers.
Key benefits
- No fixed statutory minimum investment amount required by law.
- Indefinitely renewable in multi-year increments as long as the underlying trade or business remains active.
- E-1 and E-2 spouses receive work authorization to seek employment with any U.S. employer.
- Key managerial and specialized foreign employees who share the investor’s treaty nationality can also obtain derivative E status.