Establishing a business in the United States is regarded as a core requirement for persons that are applying for an E-2 visa. But risking a substantial amount of money in a business, before you know if your application is approved is not a sound business decision either.
The best course of action is to place the monies that will be used to purchase the business in an escrow account in the United States and have an attorney draft a contract that states that you will complete the purchase of the business after your E-2 Visa application is approved. In your visa application you will need to state that the purchase of the business is contingent on the approval of the E-2 Visa and will be finalized once the approval is obtained. Your immigration and franchise attorneys will guide you through the process of putting such an agreement in place and in preparing your E-2 visa application correctly, so your visa is approved quickly.
Find the Business First
Getting your visa approved is not a trivial task and should not be dealt with lightly. Researching a business and making sure it will be the correct fit for your goals and budget is critical. Many E-2 investor visa applicants find that purchasing a franchise business is a great business investment vehicle, not only because franchises have a proven record of success, but because many franchises will work with you and your franchise broker and your attorney’s and find a suitable solution to allowing you to finalize the purchase of the business after your visa application is approved.
Sellers of individual resale businesses, may not have the patience to wait until your visa application process is approved and may decide to sell their business to an individual who does not have such a time constraint or contingency in their business offering.
Get the Right Team on Your Side
Once you narrow down what kind of franchise business you want to purchase, we need to coordinate your immigration attorney and your franchise attorney with the appropriate franchise representatives. It will take a coordinated effort between all of us to put together a cohesive plan that will allow you to obtain your E-2 visa application and purchase your business in a logical sequence while minimizing your risks.
