Unlike many work visas, the E-2 and EB-5 investor visas require foreign entrepreneurs to put capital into U.S. businesses and create jobs for American workers. Here is how each pathway works.
Why Investor Visas Differ from Work Visas
U.S. work visas, especially the badly abused H-1B—70% of which go to Indians—do not adequately protect American workers and face intense scrutiny from X influencers and the Trump administration.
But here is a bit of good immigration news for a change.
E-2 and EB-5 investor visas do the exact opposite.
They require foreign entrepreneurs to invest their own capital in U.S. businesses and, yes, hire Americans.
The E-2 Nonimmigrant Investor Visa
More specifically, the E-2 nonimmigrant investor visa is available to citizens of Canada, the UK, Germany, Australia, and about 75 other treaty countries—not including India, China, and Russia.
To be eligible, a foreign entrepreneur must make a “substantial investment”—typically at least $100,000—into a U.S. startup, franchise, or acquisition that he or she owns and actively direct and develop it by, among other things, hiring Americans.
The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa
Then there’s the EB-5 immigrant investor visa. It requires a capital commitment of $800,000 to $1 million (under current rules) in a U.S. enterprise or EB-5 regional center that creates at least 10 full-time jobs for U.S. workers.
And this investment, unlike an E-2 visa one, can be passive.
Job Creation and Making the Move
Thousands of foreign entrepreneurs and investors are making their move to the U.S. with an E-2 nonimmigrant investor visa or EB-5 immigrant investor visa that stimulates the U.S. economy and creates jobs for U.S. workers.
And I’m delighted to help them do it.
About Me
I’m Joseph Bovino, U.S. immigration and business attorney based in the free state of Florida and serving clients worldwide who can help make America even greater than it already is.
Want to talk through your situation? Book a consultation with me.
