Read the general investor planning overview
A Pincourt investor may have a detailed forecast before the U.S. business has established its operating record. Separate the assumptions, commitments and actual transactions so the plan can be assessed on its real foundation. A useful first review marks every number as either historical, contracted, conditional or merely forecast. It then matches the investment amount to its lawful source and path, the transaction documents and the investor’s intended control. This sequence reveals whether the decision is to commit funds, renegotiate a term, or wait for evidence that has not yet materialized.
Identify which statements are forecasts
Show the basis for projected sales, costs and resources, and distinguish them from completed customer transactions. Hypothetical example: a forecast assumes an agreement that is still under discussion. Record that dependency rather than presenting the expected customer as a signed contract or received revenue. Put each forecast assumption beside the document that supports it: a signed customer order, a supplier quote, a market report, or an internal estimate. A reader can then see which assumption would fail if the underlying deal changes and can decide whether that risk is acceptable.
Assess the business’s actual economic purpose
E-2 requires substantial investment in a real operating nonmarginal enterprise with capacity beyond minimal living for the investor and family or for significant economic contribution. There is no universal fixed investment minimum or employee quota. A polished spreadsheet does not itself establish that the enterprise or capital meets the test. Hypothetical example: an investor plans a business that repairs historical planetarium projectors and forecasts revenue from three museums. The review separates signed service commitments from informal discussions, then measures the proposed spending against the actual cost of opening. The decision is whether the forecast supports a non-marginality analysis or needs a different operating plan.
Retain source, risk and investor authority
Establish lawful source and path and funds genuinely committed at risk. Enterprise-secured debt is not qualifying investment capital; personal-asset-secured or unsecured loans and properly structured visa-contingent escrow need assessment on their actual terms. Relevant treaty nationality, generally at least 50% relevant treaty-national enterprise ownership and development and direction through qualifying control remain necessary. Confirm whether a payment is truly committed, who bears loss if the deal fails, and whether the investor can develop and direct the enterprise through qualifying ownership or control. A clean forecast does not cure contingent money, and a completed transfer does not by itself establish the required operational role.
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.