Choose the filing date after reconciling the current site, binding commitments and revised operating plan. An unresolved old contract is not an automatic bar, but its remaining liability and effect on available capital need explanation. A new premises agreement may be one part of readiness; the evidence depends on the business. Neither the date of the first transfer nor the intended opening guarantees processing speed.
Track authorized stay, not just the visa
Set milestones — contracts closed out, new lease signed, funds transferred, projections revised — instead of a single promised filing date. Remember that a visa's validity period and the authorized period of stay recorded on admission are different things, and that E-2 is a nonimmigrant category requiring an intention to depart when status ends. Keep travel, hiring and relocation commitments aligned with what is actually approved.
A changed forecast is not an automatic refusal, but keeping unsupported revenue or hiring assumptions hides the question to be reviewed. Put the option deadline, notice period, financing conditions, closing steps, document preparation, and intended visa application on one calendar. Do not give the franchisor an opening date that assumes a particular visa issuance day.
Ask who can perform the initial work lawfully and whether deliverables can be rescheduled by agreement.