Read the general investor planning overview
A Châteauguay buyer may see one headline price covering equipment, inventory, goodwill and separate services. Understand the transaction before assuming the entire advertised figure is qualifying E-2 investment. The first review should trace each dollar from its lawful source through the account, agreement and payment that place it into the U.S. enterprise. It should also identify what remains refundable, personally available or outside the business. The immediate decision is whether to commit additional funds now, revise the transaction documents, or wait because the evidence does not yet show a qualifying investment.
Describe the property and business acquired
Identify what transfers to the enterprise, what remains with the seller and which amounts purchase separate services. Preserve the real agreements and payment path. A rounded marketing figure does not explain the assets, obligations or committed capital. Create an asset schedule that identifies the seller, the receiving enterprise, the amount paid and the commercial reason for each item. A signed purchase agreement, invoice, bank record and transfer document answer different questions and should agree on dates and amounts. If part of the price pays a seller personally for a future service, identify it separately rather than calling every payment business capital.
Apply the investment conditions to the evidence
E-2 requires treaty nationality, qualifying ownership, substantial lawful funds genuinely placed at risk and an active nonmarginal enterprise that the principal will develop and direct. There is no universal fixed minimum. A purchase price alone does not establish substantiality or nonmarginality. The investor must decide whether the amounts are sufficiently committed to commercial risk, substantial for this enterprise and capable of supporting more than a minimal living for the investor’s household. A realistic operating forecast, payroll assumptions and market plan help assess that point. Cash kept in reserve can be prudent for the business, but it is not automatically part of the investment merely because it may later be used.
Check commitments before treating a proposal as completed
An unsigned quotation and a completed acquisition are different. Where an appropriate visa-contingent escrow is proposed, have its terms assessed instead of assuming all refundable or contingent arrangements qualify. Keep retained cash and actual committed investment distinguishable. Hypothetical example: A buyer plans a heat-pump commissioning business and has paid for tools, a vehicle deposit and a seller’s training package. She must decide whether the training is an executed business expense, a separately cancellable service, or both, then preserve the agreement and payment evidence that match the answer. The label on the wire transfer does not settle that classification.
What else is on your mind?
Is there one minimum investment that guarantees E-2 eligibility?Is holding money or owning an asset enough for E-2?Editorial source review: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.