E-2 VISA TIMELINE 

The E-2 visa process varies from case to case. Your personal and business situation significantly influence how long and complex your E-2 visa process may be. From extensive experience across all varieties of client cases, Wealthlet provides this general timeline that illustrates the average E-2 visa process, which usually should take between three to four months from beginning to your visa decision.

Day 0: Consultation and Strategy

During the first few days, Wealthlet will consult with you in detail and create the strategic plan for your E-2 visa application. Together, we will go over (1) the financial requirements and restraints of your E-2 investment, (2) the criteria you want for your E-2 Enterprise, (3) the flow and source of your investment funds, (4) the organizational structure for your E-2 Enterprise, (5) material factors to your application such as pending immigration petition or previous visa denials, and more.

Day 3: Gathering and Processing Your Personal Documents

Afterwards, we will proceed to gathering your personal documents that will be included in your E-2 visa application. Whereas immigration attorneys frequently play no role while you gather your personal documents (they collect what you give them), Wealthlet is actively involved on this step so to reduce as much workload and stress as possible for you.

Day 10: Business Development and Business Documents

Here we will develop your business to the point where we can obtain the necessary business documents for your E-2 visa application. This step is always the most complicated and longest for any E-2 investor – and significantly more complicated and longer for building a new business instead of purchasing an existing one. Immigration attorneys rarely handle the business-side of the E-2 visa process, but Wealthlet specializes on the business-side. Wealthlet is committed to ensuring that you are not alone while undertaking this critical step of developing your E-2 Enterprise, which carries the greatest weight in your E-2 visa application and determines the future of your business and livelihood in America.

Business development begins with organizing the legal business entity for your E-2 Enterprise, opening your business banking account, obtaining the Federal EIN for your business, and creating the escrow account (if applicable). Then, we will search and identify the suitable business to be your E-2 Enterprise within your personal and financial parameters. With the business opportunity identified, we will then – depending on the business opportunity – negotiate with the franchiser on the franchise agreement, with the seller on the purchase-sale agreement, with the landlord on the lease agreement, with the vendors on the asset purchase agreements, and other relevant counter-parties to obtain your business documents.

These negotiations and transactions during business development are when your funds will be committed. Wealthlet’s involvement here as your business consultant, as your financial adviser, and as your fiduciary agent is vital to ensuring that you successfully navigate through your business development, maximizing the amount of funds insured against E-2 visa denial and minimizing the frictional costs associated with any business transaction. What is more, Wealthlet has developed and pioneered an E-2 visa compliant strategy with 100% approval rate that congregates various business transaction contracts into one so we can reduce frictional costs, counter-party risks, and documentation burden in your application.

Day 80: Reviewing and Finalizing Your E-2 Visa Application

Once we complete all the steps to obtain your personal and business documents, we will finalize the remaining matters such as your business plan, the DS-160/DS-156/I-129 Forms, etc. Now with all the documents we need, we will put together your application along with a detailed cover letter and – congratulations – your application is complete. Wealthlet will, along with Wealthlet’s partnering immigration attorney, perform a final review on your completed application before filing with the US consulate (if applying from abroad) or with USCIS (if applying while in the US).

Most immigration attorneys are limited to only this single step (the review and filing) of the entire E-2 visa process. When E-2 investors retain only an immigration attorney for their application, they usually must perform all the previous steps alone. Wealthlet comes with the full team of professionals, so you are cared for through every single step of the E-2 visa process. 

Day 90: Government Processing of Your E-2 Visa Application

If your application is filed with USCIS, then you should receive your decision within 4 months (or 15 days under premium).

If your application is filed with the US consulate, then we will schedule the appointment for your interview. Wealthlet will provide you a full guide for your consulate interview with detailed answers to likely questions they will ask you. Processing time varies from consulate to consulate, but usually takes around 1 month from appointment to interview to visa decision.

Day 120: Application Decision (Issued, Denied, or Request for Evidence)