Nonimmigrant visa

Green card

Treaty Investors

Multinational Executives and Managers

Executives, Managers, Essential employees

Corporate executives, High-level managers, Business owners

• You and at least 50% of the business owners must be nationals of the same treaty country.

• The business must be profitable and ideally create at least one U.S. job within the first five years.

• Your role must be executive, managerial, or otherwise essential for the business’ successful operation, and not easily filled by recruitment within the U.S.

• The U.S. job must be in an executive or managerial capacity.

• You must have been employed by a foreign branch, parent, subsidiary, or affiliate of the U.S. sponsor.

• You must have worked for the foreign company for at least one year within the three years preceding the visa application.

• The sponsoring company must have been operating in the U.S. for at least one year.

• Renewable indefinitely, enabling long-term business opportunities in the U.S.

• Typically has a lower eligibility bar for executives, managers, and essential employees compared to L-1 visa applications for similar positions.

• Unlike the L-1 visa, it does not require the existence of an affiliate entity in the country of origin.

• Can be used for new hires, as it does not require 1+ year of prior employment within the same corporate group.

• Provides complete flexibility to work, live, and study in the U.S.

• No labor certification is required, simplifying the application process.

• Offers the fastest pathway to a green card among EB categories.

• The application process closely mirrors the L-1A visa process and uses similar documentation.

• Direct path to citizenship after 5 years.

• Requires a substantial upfront investment, with funds at risk (there’s no hard minimum, but typically more than USD $100,000).

• Some consulates have long wait times for E-2 application interviews.

• Requires committing investment funds before receiving approval.

• Renewal for essential employees may be challenging.

• Requires sponsorship and a specific job offer from a U.S. company with a qualifying relationship to the foreign company.

• Limited to multinational executives and managers, significantly restricting eligibility.

Required

Required

5 years¹

Permanent residency

Indefinitely, in 5-year increments²

Every 10 years

2-4 months

10-18 months¹

15 business days³

45 business days²

Yes

Yes

^{1, 2}Shorter for some nationalities.

³Available only for change of status, not for consular processing

¹Applicants from India, China, or Mexico may experience longer wait times.

²Available only for the first stage of the process, while the second stage typically takes an additional 9-18 months.