Read the general investor planning overview
A Varennes investor may have paid several suppliers before an E-2 assessment. The payment list should identify what each payment purchases and whether the investor can recover it freely. A first review should produce a source-to-use ledger showing the investor, payment date, recipient, cancellation right, and proof that the enterprise received the money or benefit. The investor must decide which refundable amounts need different treatment before relying on a stated investment total. A bank debit alone does not resolve commitment, risk, or control. The schedule should also distinguish money the investor controls personally from funds belonging to the enterprise, because that distinction affects both the source analysis and the claimed exposure to loss.
Read the refund term beside the receipt
For each deposit, record the recipient, goods or services, cancellation terms and remaining obligation. Do not classify an amount as committed merely because it left the bank account. Conversely, do not presume that every conditional arrangement fails: properly structured visa-contingent escrow can be assessed under the applicable guidance. Obtain the complete purchase order and escrow instructions, including the consequence if the visa is refused. Hypothetical example: a reusable surgical-gown laundering business pays a machine supplier under terms allowing cancellation without loss. The review traces the refund right and the equipment need. The decision is whether to revise the contract or leave the amount outside the claimed committed capital.
Prepare a defensible capital schedule
E-2 requires lawful funds substantially committed at risk to a real, operating, nonmarginal enterprise. Identify amounts supported by the actual contracts and keep disputed or refundable credits visible for assessment. Debt secured by enterprise assets does not supply qualifying capital; personal-asset-secured or unsecured borrowing requires review of its actual terms.
Test the business beyond the payment total
The applicant must have the relevant treaty nationality and develop and direct the enterprise, whose relevant treaty ownership must also qualify. Explain how the actual operation can provide more than minimal family living or make a significant economic contribution. A total assembled from receipts does not decide nationality, control or marginality.
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.