Read the general investor planning overview
A Saint-Mathieu investor may collect quotations while budgeting a U.S. venture. Identify whether each document is a price indication, an actual obligation or evidence of a completed payment before including it in the investment account. A first review should produce a funding schedule that separates quotations, signed obligations, cleared payments and visa-contingent arrangements. It should also trace the lawful source and path of the money. E-2 requires treaty nationality, qualifying ownership or control, capital that is substantial and exposed to loss, and a real enterprise that is not marginal. Hypothetical example: an operator of an industrial aroma-dispensing equipment business receives a quote for installation but has not accepted it. The decision is whether to commit under terms that accurately show the commercial risk before relying on the amount.
Describe the real stage of each purchase
Record the supplier, item, terms and any actual acceptance or payment. Hypothetical example: a quote expires before the investor places the order. Do not describe the quoted amount as already spent or assume an old price still describes the actual transaction. For each line item, preserve the quote date, acceptance, invoice, proof of payment and refund condition. That sequence tells the reviewer whether the number is a budget assumption or an actual business commitment, and it highlights stale quotations that need updating.
Assess capital on the real commitments
E-2 requires substantial lawful capital committed at risk, with source and path established. An unaccepted quote does not alone establish that commitment. Properly structured visa-contingent escrow and financing require assessment of the actual terms; debt secured by the enterprise is not qualifying capital. Read escrow, financing and security language before categorizing an amount as the investor’s capital. The decision is whether the investor bears the required commercial exposure or whether the arrangement leaves the money recoverable or secured by the very enterprise being acquired.
Connect the purchases to the operating proposal
The applicant needs treaty nationality and qualifying ownership and control to develop and direct a real nonmarginal enterprise. Explain which resources are actually secured and which remain planned. A complete quote folder can help budget the venture without establishing that the business and investment already satisfy every condition. Link each committed item to a revenue-producing step, a permit, premises or staffing need in the business plan. The practical decision is whether the enterprise can commence and grow on evidence already obtained, rather than on purchases the investor merely hopes to make later.
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.