Those in the United States on the academic F1 visa sometimes wonder whether they can aim for the E2 Visa without leaving the country and starting from zero. This possibility can serve, for example, students finishing a degree who want to stay in the US by investing in a business — or families who came for a course and want, in parallel, to structure a company to stay through the investor visa.

The F1 allows this kind of activity relatively smoothly, similar to what the B1 business visa authorizes. The most important difference lies in one word: work.

What you can do on the F1

In parallel with the studies — although the student cannot work — they can handle the steps to build the company. In practice, that includes:

  • Signing contracts, like the location's lease and the franchise agreement;
  • Opening the company's bank account;
  • Hiring employees;
  • And even keeping the business in operation, as long as it's run by a manager and a team.

Once the E2 is obtained, the investor can then work directly in their own venture. Until then, their role is to structure and supervise, leaving daily operations with the team.

A safety margin

An interesting point of the F1: if the E2 is denied at first, that doesn't impact the student visa. The person keeps the F1 and can finish their studies — then fix the refusal's reason and apply again.

Who this path makes sense for

It's not a universal route. It serves specific cases, but can be quite advantageous for certain families: it buys time, structuring the business in parallel with the studies instead of waiting for everything to end before starting. Since each situation has its particulars, this strategy should be designed with an immigration attorney.

Where Unike comes in

Our specialty is the selection and analysis of the right franchise for your profile — including models that work well when the operation needs to run with a manager before the investor obtains the E2. We represent over 700 American franchises and accompany you from profile definition to the signing with the franchisor. The immigration side — including the viability of moving from the F1 to the E2 in your case — stays with the specialized attorney we refer.