What to know about US Visa Programs

Here is an overview for the most common investor visas for the usa.

E-2 Investor Visa

When an investor needs to be present in the United States to oversee and manage their financial investments, they might need to apply for an E-2 investor visa. It allows the investor to enter and work in the US regarding their investment, and it’s a visa that needs to be renewed every two years.

One of the most notable things about the E-2 Investor Visa is that it can be renewed an indefinite amount of times, but only as long as the original relevant business was concluded in the first place. These visas are only eligible for nations that the US has a commerce treaty with, and the investment itself needs to be sufficient to operate the business on. In order to determine if the investment will be enough for the business, applicants need to consult with Immigration Services.

Once the visa period is over, the person must either return to their home country, or change their visa status again. While the visa is active, the holder may leave the US only when that leave is connected to the investment they’re managing.

E-3 Investor Visa

Even though the E-3 is quite similar to E-2, E-3 is eligible only for citizens of Australia. It was first created by an act of Congress in 2005 due to important trade negotiations that took place between the United States and Australia. No other country in the world is eligible for the E-3 visa. Applicants must be from Australia.

Other types of work, business, and investment visas have a clear and definite restriction on the spouse of the visa holder. However, with an E-3 visa, the spouse may freely seek employment in the US. The E-3 visa can also be renewed after two years, and for an indefinite amount of times. The application process for this visa is streamlined, which makes it incredibly efficient for professionals of Australia to seek employment within the US.

EB-5 Investor Visa

The EB-5 investor visa was created during the recession of the early 90s. It’s a type of visa that’s meant for foreign investors to gain a green card for themselves as long as they invest in the economy of the United States, and create jobs during the investment phase.

Applicants of this visa are obliged to invest either $1,000,000 or $500,000 in a Targeted Employment Area. That’s an area where the unemployment rate is 150% higher than the national average, such as in rural areas of the country. The result of this type of investment is meant to either save or create 10 jobs for citizens of the United States, and the applicant and their family are not included in that number.

During this type of application, the applicant is granted a two-year permanent residence. However, there is a condition that the applicant needs to provide evidence that the cash infusion from their investment has either saved or created 10 jobs in the process. The evidence needs to be submitted within 90 days that the investment has been fully deployed.

These are the main types of investor visas in the USA. Reach out to our professionals at Neumann Associates to learn more.