INVESTOR VISAS

If you run a business and wish to conduct significant trade with the U.S., you'll need to obtain an E1 visa. Some of your employees may also be eligible to receive E1 visas. In this context, trade refers the international exchange of goods, services, technology, and other items. The more you have to trade with the U.S., the better chance you have of being granted an E1 visa. To receive an E1 visa, you must be a national of a treaty country. You must also ensure that at least 50% of your business's imports or exports will be to or from the U.S.

If you make a significant investment in the U.S., you may qualify for an E2 visa. You can also qualify if you are in the process of investing. The E2 visa encourages foreign investors to live and work in the U.S. in exchange for stimulating the U.S. economy. E2 investors must invest in operating for-profit businesses. Again, you must be a national of a treaty nation to obtain an E2 visa. You must also own 50% of the investment enterprise or have operational control.

Wealthy foreign nationals who wish to come to the U.S. can do so by obtaining an EB5 investor visa and making a significant investment in a U.S.-based business. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services approves visas based on proposals for investment and economic stimulation. The EB5 program was first approved by Congress in 1990, and was designed to encourage wealthy foreign nationals to invest in new commercial enterprises.

The program has been reauthorized every year since its initial approval. To qualify for the EB5 program, investors must be willing to invest anywhere from $500,000 to $1 million, depending on which region they're investing in. Investors must also create at least 10 new full-time jobs or preserve jobs for a troubled enterprise. Only 10,000 people may apply for an EB5 visa every year. Though this number may seem low, there's still a good chance you could be approved; the limit has not been maxed out in several years.