Nonimmigrant visa

Green card

Treaty Investors

Outstanding Professors and Researchers

Entrepreneurs, Business owners, Investors

Professors, Researchers, Academic scholars, Senior university faculty members

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

• You must direct or control the business through either 50%+ ownership or a high-level director or managerial role.

• The investment must be substantial and at risk, with the legal source of funds documented.

• Funds must be the investor's personal assets, and the investment must be in a commercial enterprise (i.e., a business that sells products or services).

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

• Demonstrate international acclaim in an academic field by meeting at least 2 of 6 required evidence criteria, such as receiving prestigious awards, authoring scholarly books or articles, or contributing original scientific or scholarly research to the field.

• You must possess at least 3 years of experience in teaching or research.

• You must secure a tenure-track or comparable research position in the U.S. with an employer that meets specific research capabilities.

• You must be sponsored by a U.S. university, institution of higher education, or a private employer that employs at least 3 full-time researchers and can document achievements in an academic field.

• The U.S. employer must demonstrate the ability to pay your salary.

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

• Highly flexible and can be used for almost any type of business.

• 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.

• Lower standard (outstanding recognition) compared to EB-1A (extraordinary ability).

• Requires a substantial upfront investment, with funds at risk (no set minimum, but typically over USD $100,000).

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

• Requires committing investment funds before receiving approval.

• Requires sponsorship and a permanent job offer, limiting flexibility.

• Only available to candidates with high-level job offers in research or academia.

• Rigid requirements apply to both the petitioner and the beneficiary.

Not required

Required

5 years¹

Permanent residency

Indefinitely, 5-year increments²

Every 10 years

2-4 months

10-18 months¹

15 business days³

15 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 for only the first stage of the process.