EXPERIENCED E-2 INVESTOR VISA LAWYER IN HOLLYWOOD
Law Offices Of Alex T. Barak, P.A.
HANDLING CASES ALL OVER FLORIDA, THE U.S., AND WORLDWIDE
E-2 Visa attorney with 40+ years’ experience, serving you wherever you are
Why Choose Law Offices of Alex T. Barak, P.A. for an E-2 Visa?
Delivering Results For Immigrants Since 1981
My name is Alex Barak and I am a licensed and experienced business and investment-based visa lawyer for the E-2, L-1, TN visas, as well as other visas, and I have helped numerous foreign nationals qualify for smooth entry into the U.S. With 40 years of licensed experience as an immigration lawyer for investors and entrepreneurs, I can freely tell you of wide interest of increasing numbers of people from all over the world in the E-2 Visa investor visa, and other visas. Not all countries have the E-2 investor visa. Check here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/fees/treaty.html
I combine my knowledge and experience in both business and immigration law to guide you through the process of obtaining an E-2 investor visa, advise you on how to meet the treaty investor visa requirements, guide you as to the documents required, assist you with your visa application, and prepare you for your interview if processing overseas. I personally help you design and execute a successful U.S. immigration strategy.
More and more people are interested in investing within the United States. Business visas are gaining importance today because, in our global society, domestic business networks are no longer confined to a single country. One of the most popular business visas today is the E-2 visa. Many business owners who are new to the E-2 visa choose to hire a legal professional so that the application goes through successfully. Alex T. Barak, an E-2 Visa lawyer in Florida, has the necessary experience and legal skills, along with personalized service, to ensure that your E-2 visa application process goes smoothly.
• Experienced and successful E-2 Visa Immigration attorney – for 40+ years – at your service
• Personalized legal work from the attorney himself
• Attention is given to all details. Thorough presentations are made here in our office
• The attorney is a professional level writer and his writing skills give you the edge and make all the difference in the world
U.S.A. OPEN FOR BUSINESS. WILL PROVIDE YOU THE RIGHT TO LIVE, WORK AND STUDY IN THE LAND OF THE FREE
Invest in a new business or buy an existing one and have a great life in America, where unlimited extensions of the E-2 visa are possible.
What Is An E-2 Visa?
An E-2 business visa allows the visa holder to move to the United States for the purpose of owning and running a legit business. If you are a national of an E-2 Treaty Country, you can use the E-2 Treaty Investor Visa program to move to the U.S. with your spouse and dependent children to invest in business operations. This may be a new business you start, but it could also be an established business that you acquire or decide to franchise.
E-2 Investor Visa advantages:
✔ Relatively fast processing times
✔ Relatively low investment expectations
✔ Ability to travel freely to and from the United States
✔ Unlimited extensions as long as you maintain valid E2 status
✔ Ability for a spouse to work in the US
✔ Option to purchase a business or business franchise
✔ You may buy real estate in the United States
✔ Your kids under 21 years of age can study in the U.S
✔ Potential tax benefits over permanent residents
✔ Ability to transition to a Green Card at a later stage
How do I obtain an E-2 Visa?
America offers investors a certain type of immigration benefits. Firstly, many countries in the world have a special arrangement with America for the E-2 visa, which allows a person who opens up a business in the U.S. and places about $100,000.00 at risk to have the opportunity to have an investor visa, which can be valid and renewed indefinitely, as long as the business remains operational. The spouse and children under 21 also receive an E-2 visa. The spouse now has the right to work and to receive a Social Security number without a work permit.
This visa has no direct path to a green card, but proper structuring and maintaining a multinational corporate structure can lead to a green card under the multinational executive/manager category. Not every country is on the E-2 visa list, so please check with your immigration attorney by calling (954) 961-6200 for a free telephone consultation. If you are from Canada, go to the Canadian tab.
Do You Want To Apply For An E-2 or L-1 Visa?
EASY QUESTIONS TO HELP DETERMINE IF YOU ARE A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR THE E-2 VISA OR THE L-1 VISA
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Do you want to buy an existing American business or to open your own business that where you will be the salaried general manager and you will have at least two full-time American workers employees on your payroll before the end of the first year?
02
Are you interested in obtaining a five year work visa that will also allow your spouse to work permit and allow him/her to work wherever he/she wants?
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Are you interested in obtaining a five year work visa that can be issued for five years to start and can have unlimited extensions as long as you keep running the company successfully and have no fewer than two other full-time employees who receive a salary from your company?
04
Do you own a company right now which is operating with 10 or more full-time salaried employees? This information is necessary to see if you may qualify for other categories of immigration.
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Do you have $100,000.00 or more to place at risk by signing a multi-year lease for your business headquarters, buying office equipment and furniture, and ordering some merchandise?
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Besides this financial commitment, do you have another $50,000.00 minimum in a bank account to show U.S. Immigration authorities that you are not an average person trying to earn a personal income in the USA?
07
Did you know you can use personal inheritances and gifts from family members to disclose your personal wealth? You need to prove where your money came from, the true source of the funds.
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If a grandparent left you USD$500,000 cash or land worth that much which you sold, that is a good way of proving the source of funds. Same as to you selling your own real estate, gaining large profits from private investments.
09
Are you completely clean in your history, with no criminal cases?
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Have you ever overstayed a tourist visa in the USA?
11
Have you ever been denied any USA visa?
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Can you show a net worth of at least $300,000.00 (USD) which can include real estate equity, investments, cash in a bank, ownership of a business, retirement fund, annuities, stocks in publicly traded companies?
E-2 Visa Requirements:
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The investor is a national of a country with whom the U.S. has the requisite treaty or agreement
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The alien (or in the case of an employee of a treaty investor who seeks classification as an E-2, the owner of the treaty enterprise) will direct or develop the enterprise. The alien must demonstrate that he controls the enterprise by showing ownership of at least 50% of the enterprise, by possessing operational control through a managerial position or other corporate device or by other means;
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The investor has invested in or is actively in the process of investing in the enterprise;
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The investment is substantial, i.e. sufficient to ensure the investor’s financial commitment to the successful operation of the enterprise and big enough to support the likelihood that the investor will successfully direct and develop the enterprise;
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The investment enterprise is not a marginal enterprise;
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If the applicant is not the principal investor, he or she must be employed in an executive or supervisory capacity, or possess skills that are highly specialized and essential to the operations of the commercial enterprise. Ordinary skilled or unskilled workers do not qualify.
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That the applicant intends to depart the U.S. upon the expiration of E-2 status
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The investor, either a real or corporate person, must be a national of a treaty country;
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The applicant has invested or is in the process of investing
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The investor must have control of the funds, and the investment must be at risk in the commercial sense. Loans secured with assets of the investment enterprise are not allowed; and
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The investment must be a real operating enterprise. Speculative or idle investment does not qualify. Uncommitted funds in a bank account or similar security are not considered an investment;
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The investment must be substantial. It must be sufficient to ensure the successful operation of the enterprise. The percentage of investment for a low-cost business enterprise must be higher than the percentage of investment in a high-cost enterprise;
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The investment may not be marginal. It must generate significantly more income than just to provide a living to the investor and family, or it must have a significant economic impact in the United States;
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The applicant is in a position to “develop and direct” the enterprise.
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The client must have a comprehensive business plan. Alex Barak has access to an independent and excellent business plan writer who has very reasonable prices to assist the client by writing excellent five-year business plans. Alex Barak has been practicing as an E-2 Visa Attorney in Hollywood for the last 40 years, serving clients from all over the world.
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In addition to the above, the applicant must provide a document-linked history of the funds to provide clear and unquestionable proof of the money’s legal sources. Tax returns, income statements, bank account statements, brokerage account statements can be used for this purpose. Inheritances and gifts from family members are acceptable sources of funds. Make sure you discuss all this with your E-2 Visa lawyer, Alex Barak.
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Most Europeans enter the U.S. on the Visa waiver program which allows each person up to 90 days on each visit. However, this status is not convertible to any work visa. Because of this, anyone from France and most Europeans seeking an E-2 visa will be applying at the U.S. Embassy in the home country for an appointment specifically for an E-2 visa interview. For persons who may hold second passports or who operate a business in another country, that country’s U.S. Embassy can also be used. Alex Barak will direct you with every step in your E-2 visa status. He has been practicing as an E-2 Visa Attorney for 40+ years.
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Client and family members will have to complete the online Department of State forms and to pay online Non-Immigrant Visa (NIV) fees. Make sure you discuss the entire process with us for complete guidance at every step.
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The client will cooperate with the attorney and gather and assemble all documents needed for this category. The attorney will prepare and send in advance a comprehensive presentation which will be thoroughly reviewed and inspected by a Non-Immigrant Visa/E-2 specialist. The attorney will communicate with the U.S. Embassy/Consulate, as necessary, to discuss and conclude the client’s intended successful process.
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The client at the interview is usually told that the E-2 visa is approved and the passports are then delivered within a few days.
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The E-2 visa can be issued initially for five years to citizens of most countries, including Canada, although some are for only two years, and can be renewed indefinitely as long as the business continues to be actively operated in full compliance with American laws.
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The E-2 regulations require the applicant to have an “intention” to return to his home country. This intent must be placed into writing. The applicant can never state he/she intends to live in the USA permanently.
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When comparing an E-2 visa to an L-1, the E-2 provides up to five years to start. A new business opened in the U.S. as a subsidiary will provide only a one-year L-1A visa to start, with the ability to obtain up to three two-year extensions. Each extension requires a high quantity of documents and the U.S. is seeking to ensure the subsidiary has at least five persons on the full-time payroll of the company by the end of the first year.
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With an E-2, one has up to five years before seeking an extension and there is no requirement of absolutely having at least five persons on the full-time payroll. The owner and two full-time W-2 employees are required. Contact us for more information.
E-2 Visa Frequently Asked Questions
Contact an experienced E-2 investor visa lawyer, Alex T. Barak can help you today.
A substantial part of our practice focuses on assisting business owners and investors with E-1, E-2, L-1, and EB-5 visas. Please feel free to contact our E-visa team with any additional questions you may have.