E2 Visa Cost Breakdown:
Investment and Financial Essentials

Introduction

Whether you're an investor, an established entrepreneur, or an aspiring one, you're probably thinking of expanding in the U.S. to build wealth. In 2022, the country recorded nearly 5.1 million new businesses with a survival rate of 78.4% for startups. This means, that if you're planning to start a business in the U.S., you are less likely to fail with the right strategies at your disposal. And if you're planning to play a key role in expanding your business in the U.S., you will need an E-2 Treaty Investor Visa to lawfully stay in the country. Please note that you have to be a citizen or national of an E-2 Treaty Country. If not, you may have the option to obtain a passport from a treaty country to qualify for an E-2 visa or status.

Two ways to apply

1. You can apply for an E-2 visa directly at the Embassy or Consulate. You can apply for the visa with your spouse and your children below 21 years old.

Processing Time

If you're a visa applicant physically present or living in another country, the processing time can vary from the U.S. consulate but generally, it takes 2 weeks to 4 months.

Fees and Costs Involved

1. Travel Charges - You need to consider the cost of travel to the U.S. embassy or consulate for your interview. These may include hotel accommodations and transportation costs.
2. MRV Fee - After completing the DS-160 online application, you need to pay the MRV fee of $205 USD. You will need to submit an application package according to Embassy/Consulate instructions/guidelines.
3. Visa Issuance Fee -Once your E2 visa is approved, you have to pay a visa issuance fee based on a reciprocity schedule. This fee varies depending on your home country and typically ranges between $100 USD to $250 USD.

Visa Validity and Period of Authorized Stay in the U.S.

The validity of the E-2 visa depends on your country’s reciprocity schedule. For most countries, the reciprocity schedule is 5 years, but for some countries, it is 3 months. When you enter on a valid E-2 visa, you will be given a period of authorized stay of 2 years. If you depart the U.S. and re-enter on a valid E-2 visa, you will again have a period of two years of authorized stay.

If you have entered the U.S. on a valid E-2 visa and received two years of authorized stay, you can also opt to request to extend your E-2 status without leaving the U.S. by filing an application with USCIS. If your application to extend status is approved, you will get another two years of authorized stay.

2. If you are in the U.S. on a valid nonimmigrant status, you can apply to change status to E-2 Treaty Investor status. You can apply to change to E-2 status with your spouse and children below 21 years old.

Processing Time

The application to change status is filed with USCIS and may take between 3 to 6 months to be adjudicated. You have the option to pay an additional fee on top of the filing application fee to request premium processing. With premium processing, USCIS is required to respond within 15 days.

Fees and Costs Involved

You can pay these fees from your business bank account.

1. Form I-129 - The filing fee is $460 USD.
2. Form I-907 - You have the option to request for premium processing service to have your petition expedited within 15 days for an additional premium processing fee of $2,5000 USD.
3. Form I-539 - If you have dependents (spouse and children below 21), they also need to file a change of status application with USCIS and the filing fee is $370 USD.

How To Pay E2 Visa Fees?

You can pay for the E-2 visa fees in the form of either a cashier's check, personal check, or money order. The checks must indicate the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as the recipient. An experienced immigration attorney would generally advise making each payment separately rather than combining it into a single payment. This helps in avoiding confusion and errors that would lead to unnecessary delays in your visa processing. Give us a call today to discuss with an experienced immigration lawyer and ensure your filing fees and other additional fees are correctly calculated.

Period of Authorized Stay and Extension of Status

Upon approval of your change of status application to E-2, you will receive a new I-94 for an extended period of two years of authorized stay in the U.S. This means that you can stay in the U.S. for a full period of two years without having to leave. If you leave before the two-year period expires, you will only be able to re-enter the U.S. by applying for a visa at the Embassy/Consulate. Prior to the expiration of the two-year period, you can file for the extension of status for an additional period of two years.
The same fees as detailed above apply.
To know more about the difference between the two ways to apply for a visa, you can also check our article here.

Business Investment or E-2 Visa

If you're planning to form a new business with your E2 visa, then you'd need a lawyer for your startup who can review your situation and determine the best plan of action. After consultations, to obtain an E2 visa, you'd need a "substantial" investment in your startup. Generally, an investment of $100,000 USD is recommended, but the nature and requirements of the business must be taken into consideration.

Business Plan in E2 Visa

Aside from investing and spending on business expenses related to your startup, business plans are also necessary for your visa eligibility. You need toinclude an E2-compliant business plan with your application. These business plans are created by companies that specialise in immigration business plans with fees varying depending on the company you work with.

Administrative Charges

Apart from application fees, there are other fees that you also need to take note of like legal fees and administrative costs tied to your application process including translation fees, certification fees, business entity formation costs, postage, and courier fees among others.

Immigration Lawyer Costs

The help of an experienced immigration attorney makes the application process easier, that's why a lot of applicants choose to work with one. If you're looking forward to working with one, the attorney fees will depend on your case's difficulty, the specific services they will provide, and their particular billing practices.

Translation Costs

Translation costs are another administrative charge that you might need to pay if your application documents are not in English. The fee may vary depending on the volume of documents and languages involved.

Certifications

There are documents that may need the certification of a government agency or organization upon its submission. The certification fees may vary depending on the requirements and the agency or organization signing.

Minimizing Your E2 Visa Expenses

Applying for an E2 visa can get costly, after all, it's related to bringing in a major investment to the U.S., but there are several strategies that you may use to minimize expenses.

• Create plans ahead and avoid unnecessary fees - Starting ahead of time in processing your E2 visa application can help you minimize costs in expediting the process. Moreover, this helps you avoid unnecessary expenses such as unnecessary document certifications or translations as you already have a concrete plan for your application.
• Compare providers - Since the process also includes other expenses such as your immigration lawyer fee and administrative fees, comparing fees from different providers can help you weigh in your options based on your budget.
• Work with an experienced immigration lawyer - When you work with an experienced and great immigration lawyer or E2 visa attorney, not only does it make your application process easier but also helps you avoid mistakes that would otherwise cost a fortune. Here at Davies & Associates, we can help you manage your application to avoid unnecessary delays and costly fees.

If you still have questions left unanswered, you can also visit here for more FAQs about E-2 Visa.

E2 Visa Costs for Each Treaty Countries