The E-1 Visa (Treaty Trader) is a US work visa designed for individuals from countries that have a treaty of commerce and navigation with the United States who will engage in substantial international trade between their home country and the USA while they are living in America. International trade may involve goods, services, technology, banking, insurance, transportation, etc. The E-1 Visa is initially granted for up to two years and requests can be made to renew the E-1 Visa for up to two-year periods with no maximum limit as long as the foreign national meets the criteria. The E-1 Visa holder’s spouse and unmarried children under 21 years of age can also apply for the relevant family visa to live in America. In 2018, 60,438 foreign nationals had been issued the E-1 (Treaty Trader) Visa or E-2 (Treaty Investor) Visa to the USA.
The E-2 Visa (Treaty Investor) was created for a foreign national of a country that has a treaty of commerce and navigation with the United States who invests a significant amount of capital in a bona fide business enterprise located in the US and meets other eligibility criteria. The business must be “a real, active and operating commercial or entrepreneurial undertaking which produces services or goods for profit.” The E-2 Visa is initially granted for up to two years and requests can be made to renew the E-2 Visa for up to two-year periods with no maximum limit as long as the foreign national meets the criteria. The E-2 Visa holder’s spouse and unmarried children under 21 years of age can also apply for the relevant family visa to live in the USA. In 2018, 60,438 foreign nationals had been issued the E-1 (Treaty Trader) Visa or E-2 (Treaty Investor) Visa to the USA.