E Visa Lawyers for Treaty Traders and Investors
E visas allow people from countries that participate in trade agreements with the U.S. to come to America temporarily to engage in trade (E 1 visas) or investment (E 2 visas.) For example, because the U.S. and Canada are parties to the North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA, Canadians can come to the U.S. for the purpose of trade and investment and vise versa.
NPZ Law Group: Global Mobility Attorneys
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At NPZ Law Group, our immigration attorneys help businesses of all sizes obtain E visas. To discuss your firm’s visa needs, please contact us today.
To qualify for an E visa, you must be a national of a country that participates in a trade agreement with the U.S. In America these are officially called Treaties of Commerce and Navigation for Trade and Investment. We stay up to date on the most recent international trade agreements and can tell you whether you qualify for an E visa.
E 1 Visas for Treaty Traders
For the purposes of an E 1 visa, trade means a substantial international exchange of goods, services, or technology. Of this exchange, at least 50 percent must be between the U.S. and the country of the applicant’s nationality. The applicant must be a national of the treaty country and the firm he or she represents must have the nationality of the treaty country. E 1 visas are reserved for executives, supervisors, or highly skilled workers of the trading firm.
E 2 Visas for Treaty Investors
Individuals and organizations that make a substantial investment in a business in the U.S. may obtain an E 2 visa to come America in order to develop and direct the operations of the enterprise. The applicant must be the principal investor or directly employed by the principal investor in a supervisory, executive, or highly specialized skill role.
How Much is Enough?
Clients frequently ask us how much they need to invest in order to qualify for an E 2 investor visa. The most important factor is not the dollar amount of the investment but the proportion of the investment to the enterprise itself. If the investment is large enough to make a significant difference to the business, it meets the proportionality test.
E visas are not immigration visas. The holders of E visas may remain in the U.S. as long as they maintain their status with the specified trading enterprise, but they will not receive a green card, which would allow them to work elsewhere.
For a more complete discussion of E visas, please visit our E Visas — Treaty Traders, Investors in Depth page or the E visa page of the U.S. Department of State Web site.