The COVID-19 pandemic has led many of us to question our life goals, our values and, by extension, our place of residence. As you have seen over the past two years, many foreign entrepreneurs have chosen to settle in Florida in order to take advantage of the climate, the many tax advantages, as well as more flexible government policies. However, immigration to the United States can be very complex for the uninitiated who does not know the specific criteria for each visa.
Before embarking on this adventure, it is important to distinguish between the E2 work permit and the EB-5 program. Indeed, the first is a temporary visa that does not lead to immigrant status while the EB-5 allows you to obtain an immigrant visa and therefore access to the famous “Green Card”. The E2 work permit is generally much shorter to obtain, around 3-4 months versus 21 months for the EB-5. However, the latter requires that the person be a citizen of a country that has a trade treaty with the United States, which is not the case for the EB-5.
Both visas require certain monetary investments. For the E2 visa, it is mentioned that a “substantial” investment must be made in an American company. Many agree that the amount of this investment is of the order of at least $100,000 USD. The EB-5 visa, on the other hand, requires the entrepreneur to invest a minimum of $1.05 million in a U.S. business, unless that investment is in a rural setting or a location with low unemployment. particularly high.
If so, the investment amount is $800,000 USD. Regardless of the amount, it is required for this visa that the entrepreneur can generate at least 10 jobs. Finally, it should be noted that for the E2 visa, the entrepreneur must demonstrate that he owns at least 50% of the company or occupies a senior executive position with a significant contribution to the operations of the company.
In addition to the many advantages for the entrepreneur, these programs also allow the spouse and his children (under 21) to benefit from these same advantages. In addition, it is not required that the entrepreneur and his family have knowledge of the language or a specific diploma.