E2 Visa: A Stepping Stone to an EB5 Visa and Citizenship

Investing in a business is one of the most straight-forward ways to immigrate to the United States. Depending on the amount of your investment, you may qualify for an E2 visa, which will grant you temporary residence in the United States for a period of up to five years, with renewals as many times every 5 years as the business is in existence.

One of the great things about an E2 visa is that it can be a stepping stone to an EB5 visa, which grants the investor and beneficiaries permanent residence in the United States. An EB5 visa requires an investment of $1 million, except for certain circumstances. However, if you do not have the means to invest the $1 million immediately, you may be able to apply for an E2 visa and build up your $1 million investment over time.

One of the most important aspects you must consider when deciding whether or not you want to apply for an investor’s visa is the commitment you are making to not only invest the initial capital, but you must also be willing to continue to invest capital in the business, especially if your goal is to use the E2 visa as a stepping stone to an EB5 visa, which could eventually be a path to US Citizenship.