After having the good fortune to invest in the US with an E-2 Visa, you want to make your stay permanent by converting your E-2 Visa to a Green Card. There are a lot of added advantages you are sure to get by converting to a Green Card. For one, you don’t have to constantly renew your E-2 Visa every 5 years.
Here are five ways to you can convert your E-2 Visa to a Green Card.
Get an EB-5 Green Card by investing more Money
If you have extra funds, you can increase your investments in the US and get an EB-5 Green Card. The minimum amount you should invest in order to qualify is $1 million. Your investment also has to create at least 10 US jobs. If the source of the funds is abroad, it has to be traceable, well documented and clean.
If the funds you want to use are generated in the US, you need to have first paid tax on them before reinvesting it into the US.
Get an EB-5 Green Card when you invest in a Regional Center Project
A cheaper option is to invest $500,000 in a regional center project. These are usually in rural areas or areas with high unemployment. However, unlike the direct $1 million investment into your business, your funds will be tied up in the regional center project for 5 years. The source of your funds also have to be traceable, well documented, and clean.
Convert an E2 Visa to a Green Card when you are sponsored by an Employer
Another way to convert your E-2 Visa to a Green Card is to have an employer sponsor you. However, this process has some requirements. The employer has to establish that he has tried looking for native US workers and didn’t get any. The employer has to advertise the position in a major newspaper, post ads on online job sites, and so on.
If you are a person of exceptional ability with an advanced degree or its equivalent, and you can prove that your services will benefit the US, you can file a National Interest Waiver. The effect of this is that your employer won’t have to go through the normal tedious process.
Be Sponsored by a Family Member
You can convert an E-2 Visa to a green card by getting a family member in the US to sponsor your application. If you don’t have a relative with a green card, one of your relations can go to school to get an advanced degree and end up getting sponsored by his/employer for a green card. After getting a green card, this relation can then sponsor your application.
Alternatively, your relation can get married to a U.S citizen and get sponsored for a green card. After getting his/her green card, he/she can then sponsor you for a green card.
Create a new business outside the United States
You could create a large business outside the US and work as its manager for more than one year. After this, you can return to the United States as permanent inter-corporate transferee via an L-1 visa.
The process of converting an E-2 Visa to a Green Card has its own fair share of complexities. To make sure you don’t make any costly mistakes along the way, you need the guidance of skilled immigration lawyers. We will be glad to help you navigate the process and help you take part in the American Dream.
If you need legal help, please give Attorney Romy B. Jurado, Esq. a call today at (305) 921-0976 or send an email to [email protected] to schedule an initial consultation.
