Decide it deliberately. Repaying a documented loan is normal, but draining the enterprise's working capital shortly before an interview weakens the picture of a funded, operating business. If the original transfer was a gift, assess and document any proposed later payment and its real reason; do not silently recast the original transaction as a loan. Keep business expenditures separate from immigration-preparation fees and ask counsel how each is actually treated.
Match the cash movements to the stated arrangement
Small transfers back to a relative, made informally, can contradict a declaration that the money was a gift. Before payment, review the actual arrangement and explain any change truthfully rather than changing the history to preserve a convenient label. Government fees change and should be confirmed when the step arrives; no fee figure should be assumed here. There is no fixed minimum investment, and no amount purchases an approval or guarantees a return on the venture.
Each renewal costs the consular application fee per person, plus the cost of assembling the business record; the investment does not have to increase, but it must remain substantial and at risk, and the business must stay non-marginal. A larger budget does not automatically satisfy substantiality, and money kept available for possible future spending is not the same as capital already committed.