r/e2visa

My family and I are visiting the U.S. for vacation, but we also have meetings with an immigration attorney and a business owner to explore a possible FUTURE E-2 business. We won’t be working or running a business on this trip.
If you’ve been in a similar situation, what did CBP ask you at the airport? Did you mention the business meetings? Any tips?
We have European passports but were born in Iran, so we’re also wondering if that led to any extra questions.

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I'm Elizabeth Mavec, an immigration attorney with Manifest Law. Over 13 years I've handled more than 1,000 immigration cases, across both the business and individual sides of the process. With E-2s, most cases don't fail on the headline investment number. They fail on whether the funds are properly sourced and whether the business clears the marginality bar.

I'll keep my answers concrete and grounded in what adjudicators actually look for.

I'll be answering questions today from 12 to 3 p.m. EDT.

Here's the kind of thing I can help you untangle:

• There's no legal minimum, so how much do I actually need to invest for my type of business?
• My money came partly from family and a home equity loan. How do I document a clean source of funds?
• My business supports me but doesn't employ anyone yet. Am I at risk of a marginality denial?
• My business looks pretty different from my original filing. Does that put my renewal in jeopardy?
• How does the new rule about applying in my home country affect my next renewal?
• Can I move from E-2 to a green card, and when should I start thinking about it?

Post whatever you're working through and I'll get to as many as I can, with straight answers on what the rules actually require.

(Please note: Any information shared here is for general educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Your situation may require fact-specific guidance. For personalized legal advice, please consult an immigration attorney directly.)

Hi r/e2visa,

I know many serious investors prefer to minimize early legal complexity and upfront costs. I’m a U.S. citizen actively seeking a genuine, high-value partnership with a motivated Treaty Investor. This is not a passive arrangement, I’m ready to serve as Executive COO and drive operations from day one.

My background:

• 6 years operating at a 10+ multi-billion dollar scale in high-level administration and operations
• Deep experience supporting teams, preparing for high-stakes tasks, and collaborating with professionals in demanding environments
• In the last 5 years, I have helped multiple entrepreneurs and investors scale their businesses. The most notable partner is a U.S. citizen (with a professional U.S. license and doctorate degree) who faced no E-2 visa limitations whom I helped build a high-ticket service business from zero with an initial investment of only $25k. It now runs lean with a team of 5 and delivers the owner $300K+ in annual net profit after all expenses (including my compensation).

What I can deliver:
I can help you launch and operate a real U.S. business even before you arrive. Together we can secure all necessary licenses, permits, insurance, staffing, and equipment so you can start generating revenue as soon as possible.

I’m ready to handle day-to-day operations, compliance, team building, and scaling as your Executive COO.

I’m open to negotiating a fair and mutually beneficial partnership structure (ownership / compensation) that supports a strong E-2 application. I’m also happy to participate fully in all immigration and business lawyer meetings.

Flexible on industry and location, as long as the business has solid potential.

If you’re a serious investor ready to build something meaningful in the U.S., DM me, let’s schedule a call and discuss how we can work together.

Serious inquiries only, Looking forward to connecting.

Let say I do change of status for a business which provides dog service, and later down the road, may be after 6 months I get opportunity to open a Gas station or Medical company or ECommerce store? Can I do that? Or I have to open those businesses on my spouses name.

Also, lets say my wife opens a dog caring business, and I am on dependent visa, after 6 months I start the business and it does well, and i go to consulate in home country to apply for E2 visa on the basis of my business instead of my spouses business? Can I do that?

I really want to be an E2 main applicant but I feel it will minimize my earning potential, but I read it’s taking 6 to 8 months in getting E2 dependent work permit?

Really confused tbh.

I applied for an E-2 change of status from within the US (I-129) and I've been stuck waiting for months now. According to the USCIS processing times, SCOPS is now showing 17.5 months, which is pretty discouraging.

My immigration lawyer has advised me not to pay for Premium Processing but I don't really understand why. From my perspective, it seems like it would be worth paying to get a decision sooner, especially since I've already been waiting so long.

Has anyone else here applied for an E-2 change of status while already in the US?

• Did you end up paying for Premium Processing?
• Is there a reason a lawyer would advise against it?
• Is there anything I can do besides just keep waiting?

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who's been through a similar situation.

Is this normal even with premium processing?

Hi everyone,

I’d love to hear from those who started a consulting business while still working full-time.
Was it realistic to manage both during the early stages while you tested and built the business, or did you find it necessary to leave your job first?

If you started while employed, were there any legal, contractual, or practical issues you wish you’d known about from the beginning? I’m based in the UK/Ireland, so I’d be especially interested in hearing from anyone with experience there.

My thinking is to keep my full-time job while validating the business, then decide whether to transition once it’s established and sustainable.
I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences and any lessons learned.

Hi! I'm Avalon Paul, a senior immigration attorney at Manifest Law. As an immigrant myself from Trinidad and Tobago, the E-2 visa holds a special place in my practice. I understand what it means to build something in a new country and I work with investors and entrepreneurs navigating this path every day.

I'm here today from 1 PM to 5 PM ET to answer your E-2 questions.

The E-2 is a powerful but nuanced visa. The investment has to be substantial, the business has to be real and operational, and the treaty country requirement catches a lot of people off guard. I help clients structure their investment, put together a compelling application, and plan for renewals and long-term status.

Ask me anything about:

• Treaty country eligibility and what to do if your home country is not on the list
• What counts as a "substantial" investment and how USCIS evaluates it
• Qualifying business types and the marginality requirement
• E-2 application requirements and what a strong file looks like
• Renewals, how long you can stay, and what affects approval
• Bringing family on E-2 dependent status and work authorization for spouses
• E-2 vs. other investor or business visa options

Drop your questions below. I'll be answering throughout the afternoon!

(Please note: Any information shared here is for general educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Your situation may require fact-specific guidance. For personalized legal advice, please consult an immigration attorney directly.)

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Assalamualaikum / Hi everyone,

I'm a 26-year-old married guy from Karachi, Pakistan applying for a B1/B2 visa. This is my first time applying for any US visa (only traveled to Saudi for Umrah before). I have no idea what to expect and I'm quite nervous about the interview, especially the 214(b) part. Would really appreciate advice from people who had a similar background.

My background & work history:

• Education: Only Matric (10th grade).
• From 2017 to around 2022: Worked in call centers / BPOs in Karachi doing sales and customer service for US telecom campaigns (Spectrum, AT&T, cable TV, internet, mobile services, etc.). All work was done from Pakistan.
• Last 3 years: Working in a software house / digital marketing company in Karachi. We build websites (especially for authors/publishers) and run PPC/Google ads targeting US customers for book writing, editing, publishing, and marketing services. Again, everything is operated from Pakistan.
• Recently registered a Wyoming Sole Member LLC through Bizee online. The plan is to use the LLC to accept payments more easily from US clients for the services we provide from Pakistan. I want to grow this properly.

Reason for US visit (what I wrote in DS-160):
Business purpose (B1) — to meet potential payment processors / merchant service providers in the US, negotiate contracts, and set up proper payment solutions for my LLC so I can run the business more efficiently from Pakistan.

I have not booked any flights or hotels yet (put generic info in DS-160). I plan a short trip (2-3 weeks max).

My concerns:

• I've been working with US clients and campaigns for almost 8-9 years now. Will the officer think that because I already deal with the US market so much, I might try to stay there?
• Having a Wyoming LLC — does this help or create suspicion that I want to move operations to the US?
• Low education level (only Matric) + young age + male applicant — I know these are common refusal factors in Pakistan.
• I am married, which is one strong tie, but I don't own property yet and my family is middle-class.

I want to be 100% honest in the interview but I'm worried how to frame my answers so it doesn't look like immigrant intent.

Questions for you:

1. Has anyone with a similar profile (US-facing remote work / freelancing / BPO + own US LLC) successfully got a B1/B2 from Pakistan (Karachi or Islamabad)?
2. What was the outcome in your interview? What questions did they ask about your work and the LLC?
3. How did you explain your US client work and the LLC without raising red flags?
4. What documents worked best for you (employment letter, bank statements, LLC papers, marriage certificate, etc.)?
5. Any specific tips or phrasing that helped you prove strong ties to Pakistan?
6. Should I mention the call center history or keep it short?

I know refusal rates are high, but I want to give it my best shot with proper preparation. Any real experiences, success stories, or refusal stories with similar cases would help a lot. Even advice from people who got refused first time and succeeded later would be great.

Thanks in advance! Really appreciate any help from this community.

Our main applicant for E 2 ( my wife ) got approved last year may 2025, our cases were submitted in December 2024 , still non news for our E 2 s ( spouse ) and E 2 d approval, no idea what’s happening . Any advice ??

I'm a investor and I'd really value your view on two real estate models, because I'm getting conflicting advice.

Context: My wife would be the principal applicant. My long-term goal is fix & flip / new construction, but I understand pure real estate is seen as passive. I have around $100-120K of my own capital, and I want to preserve as much as possible for the actual real estate projects later.

Two models I've been pitched:

1. Turnkey: I buy the land, a company handles permits, construction and the sale, everything through my own LLC and accounts. For the financing, I would put in about 30% of the construction value myself and get a loan for the rest. I would travel to visit and check on the construction progress, but I know I can't operate it actively because I only have a B1/B2 visa — at least not until I can obtain the E-2. Given that I'm not the one actively operating it (the company builds and sells), does this qualify for an E-2, or is it considered passive?
2. Property management as a "Stage 1" active business to get the E-2, then expand into construction later. One advisor told me I'd only need to commit $20-30K (plus office rent and 2 employees) and just "show" the rest of my capital in the account. But I've read that idle/uncommitted cash doesn't count as investment, and that low amounts are risky.

My real questions:

• Is the turnkey model (I provide capital + loan, they build and sell, I just visit but don't operate until I get the E-2) viable for an E-2, or too passive?
• Is property management a solid E-2 base, and roughly how much would you realistically want committed (not just shown) so it isn't denied for substantiality/marginality?
• Is the "show a lot, commit little" approach actually safe, or a red flag?
• As a foreigner without an SSN yet, how do I handle the real estate broker license that property management requires in most states (FL, NC)? Broker of record?

Thank you so much.