14 Sep E-2 Treaty Investor Top Tip: Buying an American Business to Minimize Your Risk
How Do I Minimize My Risk When Buying a US Business When Applying for an E-2 Treaty Investor Visa?
The E-2 Treaty Investor visa is a great vehicle to live and work in the US while developing a business in America. There are risks with any investment but more so for those who have to apply for an E-2 Treaty Investor visa because if they don’t get the visa they can’t run the business!
A person applying for an E-2 visa must show they’ve made the investment in the US business before they apply for the visa. That is very scary! What are your options to show you’ve put your money at risk into the US business but at the same protecting yourself in case you’re denied the visa?
A way for an investor to minimize the risk involved with applying for an E-2 visa is to purchase an existing business. In the United States when purchasing a business the seller and buyer contract to purchase the business. The buyer will then transfer the deposit and purchase price into an escrow account to be held there until the purchase is completed. The purchase contract may have a condition that if the buyer’s E-2 visa is application is not approved, the sale will not complete. The E Visa Officer will be happy that you have put your money at risk into the US business because the only condition stopping the money going to the seller is you being denied the E-2 visa.
The beauty of buying a business is that it can work for E-2 Treaty Investor visa purposes for any type of legal business from individually owned businesses and franchises. Often the seller may continue to work with the business for a period of time to ease the transition for the buyer which can help someone coming from a different business culture to learn the ropes in the US.
How Can the Law Office of Janice Flynn help?
Give me a call if you’re thinking of buying a US business. I can give you an idea of what the basic requirements are (see also the page on E-2 Visa Requirements). Each business is different so we can meet for a consultation to talk about all the E-2 Treaty Investor Visa application requirements can be quite complex and if we meet to discuss all of your questions I can set you in the right direction.
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If you are looking to develop or purchase a US business you will need strategic advice from a lawyer experienced in US corporate and property matters. Jonathan Strassberg is an American lawyer based in the UK and highly experienced in such matters. His details may be found at: http://www.truecourse.co.uk/