u/Lanky_Pomelo8115

Canadian citizen here planning to apply for an E-2 visa by opening a restaurant.

The landlord previously operated the restaurant for 4 years, but there was a fire 6 months ago and he no longer wants to run it. He is currently remodeling the space and is willing to lease me the fully equipped restaurant once renovations are completed in about 2–3 months.

I would be:

• creating a new LLC
• rebranding the restaurant
• launching a new concept/menu

Would this still be considered a good E-2 case even though the previous restaurant closed after the fire?

Also, is it better to apply for the E-2 now during construction, or wait until renovations are almost complete?

Any advice from people who’ve done E-2 restaurant cases would help a lot.

I’m a Canadian citizen planning to apply for an E-2 investor visa by opening a restaurant and bar

I found an existing restaurant whose owner wants to exit the business and is not willing to continue operating it. The restaurant has been operating for about 5 years but apparently has not been profitable.

I’m trying to decide between:

1. Buying the existing company/entity, OR
2. Creating a new LLC and only purchasing the assets (equipment, lease, inventory, etc.)

For E-2 purposes, would it be safer/better to:

• avoid taking over a company with years of losses?
• create a new LLC and do an asset purchase instead?
• rebrand and relaunch under new ownership?

Also, what documents should I request from the seller before moving forward?