Read the general investor planning overview
A hypothetical Leduc buyer paying for a business over time should explain the actual investment commitment and authority. The agreement’s stages may affect different facts, and no single deposit receipt necessarily answers them all.
Create a transaction chronology from the executed terms
Identify the amount, recipient, release conditions and operating rights associated with each stage. Keep promised future terms distinct from rights already effective. Do not assume that all staged structures fail or that a first payment means the full purchase price is committed as qualifying capital.
Read control and treaty nationality separately
E-2 requires the relevant treaty nationality and qualifying enterprise nationality, generally at least 50% treaty-country ownership. Development and direction can be shown through at least 50% ownership or operational control through a managerial position or another corporate device. Examine what the seller retains and what the applicant can actually decide; the buyer label alone does not establish control.
Apply the investment and enterprise requirements
The capital must be lawful, substantial relative to the enterprise and committed at risk. There is no universal minimum amount. The business must be real and nonmarginal under the applicable more-than-minimal-living or significant-economic-contribution standard. Funds secured by enterprise assets do not qualify as investor capital on that basis. Intent to depart when E status ends and the appropriate work permission remain necessary despite a commercial handover date. Projected capacity should generally be realized within five years of beginning normal business activity. Borrowing secured only by personal assets, or unsecured personal borrowing, may qualify under the other investment conditions; debt secured by enterprise assets is excluded even when personal assets also secure it.
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.