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SAINTE-ANNE-DE-BELLEVUE · E-2 FIELD GUIDE

Is dependence on one customer incompatible with E-2 eligibility?

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THE DIRECT ANSWER

There is no universal E-2 rule requiring a set number of customers. Concentration still matters because it may affect the credibility of operations and non-marginal capacity. Assess the actual agreement, revenue history and business plan rather than assuming either automatic refusal or guaranteed success from a signed contract.

Evaluate the strength of the revenue evidence

A cancellable contract and an unconditional long-term commitment support different assumptions. Ask what the customer has agreed to buy, whether the agreement survives the transaction and what reliable evidence supports renewal. Explain the limits in the forecast. The enterprise’s other eligibility elements, including active direction and qualifying invested capital, need their own assessment.

Treaty nationality of the investor and of at least half the enterprise's ownership; funds irrevocably committed and at risk; an investment substantial in proportion to the cost of the business; a real, operating, non-marginal enterprise; and that the investor will develop and direct it personally. Present the business as a single operating whole with two addresses rather than two ventures. The fifty percent figure is about the nationality of the business and asks who owns it. For an asset purchase of a contracting business, the escrow should also cover the working capital the plan says the business needs on day one.