Your ambition.Your enterprise.

Hypothetical example: a Guelph resident plans to start a U.S. service business with a partner. Both will contribute money, but their citizenships and authority differ. E-2 review begins with the relevant treaty nationality and the enterprise’s ownership, then considers the applicant’s investment, control, business operations and nonmarginality. A fifty-fifty commercial deal does not answer every immigration question. E-2 analysis connects treaty nationality, enterprise ownership, the applicant’s investment and the operating plan. Funds must be committed beyond the investor’s control and genuinely exposed to loss; a business that only supports the investor’s household is not enough. The investor must be positioned to develop and direct the venture. A well-drafted purchase agreement can still fail if the ownership, release conditions or expected business activity say something different. Run a downside scenario for refusal, delayed permits, weaker sales and a seller default. The written contract should allocate those consequences consistently with the claimed financial exposure. The investor must decide whether the venture remains commercially acceptable under those circumstances rather than relying on an immigration label to remove business risk. Before committing, reconcile the operating plan with the investor’s personal role. Note who will negotiate contracts, supervise staff, control finances and respond to setbacks. This final check helps the investor decide whether the deal supports real development and direction, rather than an arrangement in which money is present but authority and day-to-day business purpose are unclear.