Although you are not required by law to work with an Immigration Lawyer when applying for an E-2 Visa, applying for this visa without a lawyer can be a bad move for you, as making mistakes when gathering the documentation you must include in your application is incredibly easy, and even a tiny mistake can have disastrous consequences.
Applying for an E-2 Visa is not easy, and doing so alone can be nearly impossible. Before submitting your application, you need to identify a viable investment, create a business plan with 5-year projections, and make the substantial investment necessary to qualify for this visa. Then, you will have to meet every single one of the strict E-2 Visa requirements. This is difficult because even if you meet the requirements, you have to prove that you do by providing strong evidence. This is why it is vital to work with an Immigration Lawyer. Before you submit your E-2 Visa application, you and your lawyer must take the necessary steps to ensure the application is in its best possible shape.
To obtain an E-2 Visa, you must:
- Be a national or citizen of a country that maintains a navigation and commerce treaty with the United States;
- Have invested a substantial amount of funds into a business the United States or be in the process of doing so; and
- Intend to come to the United States to develop and direct the E-2 business upon obtaining the E-2 Visa.
In addition, the enterprise you invest in must be real, operating, and be able to make a positive impact on the economy of the United States by creating jobs for U.S. workers.
If you work with an Immigration Lawyer, it can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months to gather the necessary documents and prepare the financial and legal paperwork you need for the E-2 investment before formally submitting your application.
Applicants who are legally present in the U.S. under a different visa can file E-2 visa applications directly with the USCIS, and it usually takes around five months for the USCIS to process this type of application. Fortunately, applicants who are in the United States can request premium processing, which costs $1,225. If you pay this fee, the USCIS will process your application in fifteen days.
However, this type of application does not result in an E-2 Visa but merely in E-2 status, which will remain valid for only two years. If you wish to leave the United States for any reason, at any point, you will have to apply for an E-2 Visa through an U.S. Consulate in your home country in order to reenter the U.S. If, on the other hand, you do not have the need to leave the U.S., you will be able to renew your E-2 status every two years as long as you are still eligible.
Most E-2 Visa applicants, however, submit their applications through the applicable U.S. Consulate in their home countries. The time it takes consulates to process E-2 Visa applications varies from country to country, and it can be anywhere from a few weeks to four months. Once a U.S. Consulate reviews an application, an interview with the applicant is scheduled.
Work with an Immigration Lawyer
As you can see, the process of applying for an E-2 Visa can be complex and time-consuming. The last thing you want is to get a denial after waiting for months. So, you should strongly consider working with an experienced Immigration Lawyer who can help ensure your application is in it best possible shape before you submit it.
Expert Florida Immigration Attorney Romy B. Jurado can help you apply for the E-2 Visa or any other U.S. Visa. All you need to do is call (305) 921-0976 or email [email protected] to schedule an initial consultation.
