Keep them in separate columns. Money placed in escrow toward the enterprise is a business cost tied to the purchase; fees for preparing an immigration application are a different category. Some professional costs relate to the business transaction itself, so the actual treatment must be reviewed against the invoices rather than assumed.
Build the figure from documents, not from a target
Substantiality is weighed against the total cost of the enterprise being acquired or created, so the denominator matters as much as the deposit. There is no universal minimum sum and no fixed job requirement. Confirm current government charges at the time each step is taken instead of relying on a figure quoted months earlier. Ask what the professional scope covers if consent is refused and the deal restarts.
The Department of State applies a proportionality test: how much of the total cost of purchasing or establishing the enterprise has the investor actually committed? E-2 capital must be placed beyond easy withdrawal and exposed to the venture’s loss, and the enterprise must be capable of more than marginal activity. Review debt security carefully because borrowing secured by enterprise assets is treated differently from qualifying personal borrowing.