People dream of settling down in the USA permanently. The fastest way to convert this dream into reality is to opt for the E2 visa. In fact, the e2 visa processing time is relatively less when compared with the other types of visa granted by the USA, provided all the documentation is in order and other statutory requirements are all met.

E2 visa-a definition

A simple definition of the same would state that this non-immigrant visa is only given to those individuals who:

1. • Originally belonging to a treaty country and
2. • Who has either invested or want to invest a good amount of money in any business existing in the USA?

There is no minimum amount of e2 visa substantial investment specified in the official requirements. But it has been seen that the investment needs to be a minimum of $100,000 for the application to have some chance of succeeding.

Some important points to note

There are certain mandatory things that every E2 visa applicant needs to know before he even thinks of taking advantage of this visa to apply for a stay in the USA. These mandatory things are:

• Country of origin: This is of utmost importance since the application for an E2 visa is only accepted if the person belongs to a country that has an E2 agreement with the USA. Some notable countries which have not undergone any such agreements with the USA are India, Russia, Brazil, Venezuela etc. There is a list of all eligible countries is given in the visa information website. There are 3 instances which can arise:

• The country of origin is not an E2 treaty country then other visa options need to be explored, 
•  The country of origin is a valid E2 treaty country and the visa application is accepted for perusal and
•  The applicant has a dual citizenship wherein one country of citizenship has an E2 agreement; the visa application can be submitted in such an instance.

• Investing in a US business: The basic ideology of providing the E2 visa is to ensure an e2 visa substantial investment which can make a positive impact on the job creation opportunities of the US economy. This “substantial investment” has no specific definition but people who make an investment which is less than $100,000 stand a chance of being rejected.

• Source of funds: The USCIS which is the ultimate deciding authority for E2 visa applications needs to be sure that the funds that are being brought into the US economy have a legitimate source of funding. Thus it is important for the applicant to be able to prove their source of funding or trace the origins of the money. This money can be either a gift, earned, inherited or taken as a loan.

In fact, this investment needs to be made and committed to a business in the US even before the visa application is made. People opting to settle in the US with an E2 visa need to mandatorily have this kind of money to invest and “irrevocably commit” in their business in the USA. The business invested in should also be in a position to create jobs in the US. Compliance with all these points ensures a lower e2 visa processing time and enables good people to come to the US.