Frequently Asked Questions

The basic requirements are as follows: 1. Possess nationality of an E2 Treaty Country 2. Investment must be substantial, committed and at risk 3. The E2 Business must be more than a marginal enterprise

Yes, your spouse and children below the age of 21 years can accompany you on your E2 Visa.

Once the E2 visa has been approved, the spouse can apply for work authorisation and work in USA. However, the dependant children cannot work in USA.

The advantages are as follows: 1. Opportunity to start a business in USA on valid status 2. Work authorisation for spouse 3. Renewals without any limit on the number of times 4. Dependant children can attend school/educational institutions 5. E2 Visa has the possibility to lead to a Green card

No, you do not need to be present physically. Our company will assist you to start your process remotely without being physically present.

No, you do not need to present physically. Our company will assist you to start your process remotely without being physically present.

Usually the E2 applications are submitted at the US Consulate of the country of residence/nationality.

Yes, your spouse or children do not need to be the same nationality as you and they can belong to a non-treaty nationality as far as your nationality is that of a treaty country.

The E2 visa requires the investment funds to be “irrevocably committed” and at risk. Therefore, the investment funds must be invested prior to the issuance of E2 visa. Example of such committed investment would include invoices, purchase receipts, purchase agreement or escrow accounts subject to E2 approval.

The requirements are as follows: a. The applicant must have nationality of a treaty country. On the official U.S. State Department website, you can examine the list of treaty nations. b. The treaty nation and the United States must have substantial trade, which is defined as an ongoing flow of products or services. Transaction volume, frequency, and value all affect substantiality. c. Direct trade between the United States and the treaty country must account for more than half of all trade i.e 50% of overall trade.

The E1 visa is granted based on past and present trade. Therefore, evidence that you are currently importing or exporting goods or services to the United States will be required by the consulate. This covers invoices, bills of lading, receipts, and so forth.

The features are as follows: a. The foreign business and the United States must "exchange" goods or services. b. Goods and services have to move "internationally." c. The trade needs to be "substantial" and "existing."

The volume of work at the US embassy or consulate, the application's complexity, and the applicant's nationality are some of the elements that influence how long it takes to process an E1 visa. Applicants should anticipate a processing time of 60 days on average.

Indefinite stay extensions are available to holders of an E1 visa as long as they continue to fulfill the visa's eligibility requirements. Depending on the particular treaty and the discretion of the immigration authorities, extensions are usually given in intervals of two to five years.

Yes, your dependent spouse and children (till age 21 years) can accompany you.

Yes, your spouse will receive work authorisation upon approval of E1 visa.

Depending on where the investor chooses to locate their business, different EB-5 applicants have different investment requirements. The investment criterion is $900,000 when making an investment in a Targeted Employment Area. More than $ 1 million is required for an investment in Non- Targeted Employment Area.

Processing periods for EB-5 vary by case. The expected processing time frames for different EB-5 forms at various service centers are published on the USCIS website. Once the I-526 is accepted, an investor from a nation with no visa backlogs can either apply for an EB-5 visa by filing a DS-260 or proceed with an I-485 application to change their status while in the United States. After being approved, the investor can begin to take advantage of EB-5 benefits and live and work without any limitations.

A financial institution may lend money for an EB-5 investment using the investor's assets as security. However, the EB-5 assets that the EB-5 applicant invests in cannot be used as collateral. The legal source of the money utilized to buy or acquire the assets used as loan collateral must also be demonstrated by the investor to USCIS.

Yes, when the donor can produce unambiguous proof of origin of the gift amount, the funds may be validated for EB-5 purposes.

After receiving work authorizations or becoming a conditional permanent residence, an EB-5 investor is qualified to work for any U.S. employee. The regional center through which an investment is made does not require its investors to work there. Investors or dependents should be informed that their jobs might not be used to meet the job creation requirements if they choose to work for the exact EB-5 company they invest in.

After their investment and immigration cycles are over, EB-5 investors may receive all or a portion of their funds back. The terms and conditions of these exit procedures would be included in the investment agreement or other documents in many regional centers. Additionally, during the two years of conditional permanent residency, USCIS mandates that EB-5 investors keep their investment "at risk."

A rural area or a place with a high unemployment rate is referred to as a targeted employment area (TEA). The lower investment threshold is available to EB-5 investors who invest in TEAs. Not all rural areas or areas with high unemployment rates, however, are eligible to be targeted employment areas under the EB-5 program. An investor's I-526 petition includes an adjudication regarding the designation of a TEA. In their petition, an investor must show that the project's location satisfies TEA requirements.

A foreign national who has been employed continuously abroad for at least one of the three years prior to applying for an intracompany transfer L1 visa may work as an executive, manager, or specialized knowledge employee for an overseas company's new or existing branch or subsidiary that has been established in the United States.

There are four primary prerequisites for obtaining an L1 visa: a. The US company and the foreign company must have a qualifying relationship. b. Before submitting the L1 petition, the worker must have worked full-time for the foreign company for at least a year in the three years prior to arriving in the US. c. One must have held a managerial, executive, or specialized knowledge position while working for the foreign company. d. The worker must hold a managerial, executive, or specialized knowledge position with the US company.

Under normal circumstances, the processing time for an L-1 visa can range from two to five months. This visa category is also eligible for premium processing which can take around 2 weeks and has a separate fee requirement.

The reason an L1 Visa is also known as a "dual intent visa" is that it allows you to apply for lawful permanent resident status for the duration of your stay. In comparison, obtaining a green card would be a violation of your status for other work visas. The requirements for the EB1C Visa category for multinational managers or executives are extremely similar to those for the L1-A visa.

This is categorized into two types: an L1A visa if the worker will be employed by the US company as a manager or executive while an L1B visa is granted if the worker will be employed by the US company as a specialized knowledge worker.

The maximum duration of an L1-A visa is three years, and it can be extended for a maximum of seven years, plus "Recapture Time," or time spent outside the United States. L-1 B visas can only be extended for a maximum of five (5) years plus Recapture Time, with an initial period of no more than three years.

No, there is no set wage criterion for L1 visa, unlike a few other work visas. The US company would however have to follow the state and federal laws related to minimum wage.

Yes, your spouse is authorised to work once your L1 visa is approved.

Yes! You can get Citizenship in Portugal, an EU country, through the D2 Visa program. After obtaining Residency with this investment program, you can apply for either Permanent Residency or Citizenship after 5 years.

No. If you are applying for the Portugal D2 Visa, you will not need to pass a Portuguese fluency test, as you can enroll in a Portuguese language course of about 150 hours, and, at the end, receive an A2-level fluency certificate.

Investment Visa boasts full-service Portugal D2 Visa packages, each designed to meet the general needs of investors. One of our best sellers is a €280,000 investment opportunity in Mátria Co-Space, an upcoming development project in the Lisbon city center.

Standing at the crossroads between Europe, the Transatlantic, and Africa, Portugal has a prime location, offering a point of entry to all these markets. As a member of the European Union, Portugal boasts a strong, stable economy based on the EURO, basking in the benefits of the single market, while its Citizens have among the best levels of international mobility. Portugal has strong international relations with other countries, such as China, India, Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom, among many others. This exceptional standing reaches its level of safety. In 2023, Portugal achieved #7 in the Global Peace Index, revealing its peaceful nature, and how it is perfect for those seeking a low-risk environment. The country is taking a decidedly green approach, having one of the cleanest airs in Europe, together with a sustainable environment and a growing investment in the renewable energies sector. As a result of the country’s focus on Education, Portugal also consistently produces highly skilled workers, and its schools and universities are often found on the ranks of the best in Europe. This is also visible in the population’s high English-speaking capabilities, which contrasts against the rest of Southern Europe. When one considers all this, plus Portugal’s lower cost of living, the country truly emerges as one of the best in the world to not only pursue a business, but also to establish Residency and Citizenship.

The process can be done entirely online. When choosing this route, the D2 Visa is issued with a set duration of 4 months. During this time, the investor, or their chosen representative with power of attorney, must schedule an appointment to convert into a Residency Permit. It has a validity of 1 year and must be consecutively renewed up until the 5th year mark. Then, the applicants are eligible to become Permanent Residents or Citizens.

Yes! Portugal has a series of tax breaks and benefits specifically geared toward investors, especially in the areas of Lisbon and the Algarve, including favorable tax regimes with several exemptions. Contact Investment Visa today to learn more!

The core business industries to invest in Portugal are tourism, startups, textiles, cork, auto-parts manufacturing, winemaking, oil production, and renewable energies, among many others. Choose Investment Visa’s D2 Visa packages and we can advise you on this!

Yes, the path to Citizenship is open after five years. You will need to conduct a simple test and have basic knowledge of the Portuguese language.

The Portugal D2 Visa is a Residency by Investment program and a profitable alternative solution to the discontinuation of the most profitable option of the Portugal Golden Visa. Also known as the Business or Entrepreneurship Visa, this program is designed to attract wealthy individuals to invest in the economy by opening a new business or branching out an existing one in Portugal. In exchange, investors can enjoy all the benefits of Residency in Portugal. Investment Visa has exclusive packages to help you go through all requirements and gain your Portuguese Residency. Contact one of our advisers to learn more.

No. The Portugal Golden Visa is not over. The option of acquiring Real Estate property has been discontinued, though other options remain. As the most famous option, it was heavily publicized that the Golden Visa ended, though this is not the case. However, the remaining Golden Visa options are not profitable for the investors seeking residency, the D2 Visa arises as an alternative more beneficial option

The Portugal Golden Visa is a Residency-by-Investment program available in Portugal. Launched in 2012, it was designed to attract foreign investment into the country’s economy in exchange for Residency. The program is open to most non-EU/EEA nationals. In 2023 the Real Estate option was discontinued, leaving behind options such as donations, and funds application.

Portugal does impose some restrictions, and not all third-country nationals will be able to apply for the Portugal Residency Visas, such as the Golden Visa ant the D2 Visa. Please verify with our advisors what is applicable in your case.

The Residency Permit is issued with a set duration of two years. If you maintain the investment, you will need to renew it by the fifth year, and by then, you can apply for Permanent Residency or Citizenship. Otherwise, you will need to continue renewing the permit every two years.

Residency by Investment programs enables you to become a resident of the country, and the Portugal Golden Visa is an example of this. Endeavoring through this does not grant full, legal rights like Citizenship does. However, becoming a Portuguese citizen is possible for Portuguese residents after five years.

No. You cannot get Citizenship in Portugal by Investment. However, Residency by Investment programs such as the Portugal Golden Visa and the D2 Visa do unlock the path to Citizenship after five years.

Yes. The Portugal Golden Visa and the D2 Visa leads to Permanent Residency if you so wish after five years.

The minimum investment amount to qualify for the Portugal Golden Visa is €250,000.

Unfortunately, not anymore. In 2023, the Portugal Golden Visa was revised and the option to buy a house and obtain Residency was discontinued.

The Portugal Residency-by-Investment program allows family inclusion, extending the benefits of Residency in Portugal to the main applicant’s spouse, dependent children, and senior parents, among others, if they meet the eligibility criteria. If you have any queries regarding who might qualify or not, do not hesitate to contact Investment Visa.

The process itself can be done entirely remotely. However, you will have to visit Portugal, as the D2 Visa program requires attending an appointment for biometric registration. Our specialists in Investment Visa can help you throughout the entire process.

No. There are other options to obtain the Portugal Golden Visa, some of which include the creation of job positions, contributions to scientific research programs, donations to Portuguese cultural and artistic programs, subscription to investment funds, and the creation of businesses hosting permanent jobs.

Yes and no. The definition varies by country. In Portugal, the Golden Visa is an umbrella term for multiple investment options, including the ones mentioned in the previous question. However, other residency-by-investment programs unlock the path to Residency in Portugal, such as the D2, the best and most profitable option for investors seeking a Portuguese Residency. Contact Investment Visa advisors and understand our D2 Visa Packages.