Documentation is one of the parts of the E2 Visa that raises the most questions — with reason: it's voluminous and detailed. But everything can be organized into three big groups. More than gathering the papers, the secret is presenting them clearly, and that's where an immigration attorney makes a real difference.

Before the list, the usual reminder: Unike does not conduct the immigration process. We strongly recommend hiring an E2-specialized attorney — whom we refer — to assemble and format the documentation. Our part is making sure the chosen franchise arrives strong at this stage.

Group 1: the forms

These are the official US government forms. On the consular path, the main one is the DS-160 (the online non-immigrant visa application), filled by the investor and each dependent. Depending on the case and the consulate, the DS-156E — the specific treaty trader/investor application — is added. When filing through a change of status inside the US, the path goes through Form I-129. If an attorney represents you, that's also registered on the proper forms. The professional knows exactly which ones apply to your case.

Group 2: personal documents

Here go the documents of the applicant and dependents: the passport of the treaty country, marriage certificate, birth certificates, and other personal records. It's the most straightforward group to organize.

Group 3: the business and the investment (the most complex)

This is the group that demands the most care. It gathers everything that proves the venture's solidity and the capital's regularity:

  • The company's legal entity documents (formation, operating agreement, registrations);
  • Proof of the lawful source of funds, with the trail of where the money came from;
  • Evidence that the funds are already committed and at risk in the business;
  • A consistent business plan, with projections and profit and job potential;
  • A cover letter highlighting the investor's qualifications to direct the company.
The key point

Delivering a business plan isn't enough: it needs to be formatted in a way that makes the officer's reading easy. The same information, well organized, communicates much more. That's why an attorney used to E2 cases tends to make the difference at review time.

The US Department of State maintains an official list of documents for the investor visa; your attorney will work from it, adapting to your case. The idea here isn't to exhaust the checklist, but to give a clear view of how the material is organized.

How the franchise makes group 3 easier

A practical point in favor of franchises: the franchisor usually provides ready, professional materials — operations manuals, training programs, marketing material — that go into the documentation and reinforce the application's credibility. Someone building a business from scratch would need to produce all of that alone, with more time, cost, and risk of lower quality.

It's one more reason why choosing the right franchise impacts the whole process. We represent over 700 American franchises and help you select the one that best fits your profile — so that when it's time to document, much of the material comes already structured.