2015-02-12
Immigrating in the US and investing in a franchise
Immigrating in the US and investing in a franchise is a way to get an E2 or an EB-5 visa.
You have the American dream, you want to move to the US and start a business ? Then you want to read this.
If you have the entrepreneur’s bug and you feel constricted in your own country, the US is still top of the list of the places to do business. There are a lot of great resources in the US to help start, run and sell a business, like for example Score or SBDC. Some states are more business friendly than others.
If you do not know what business to start, but you have the motivation and some capital, you might want to look at acquiring a franchise. Franchising was born in the US and it is a key pillar in the US economy. Franchises represent 18 million jobs or 14% of the private sector employment. The GDP growth in franchising has been consistently about the double than the nation GDP growth.
So what are the options for visas ?
The first one is a non immigrant type of visa, an E2. Non immigrant means that it does not open a path to citizenship. It is available for certain countries that have signed a trade and friendship treaty, with the US, at this time we have Italy, France, Greece, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Colombia, Mexico, Taiwan and many more, you can find the whole list here. Note that neither China nor Brazil are part of the E2 program.
The investment has to be substantial, placed at risk, and committed to a real operating business. USCIS does not set a single fixed dollar minimum for E-2 eligibility; the amount is evaluated in relation to the total cost and the investor's commitment to making the enterprise successful. A qualified immigration attorney should evaluate the facts of any specific case.
The second option is EB-5, an immigrant investor classification that can provide a path to lawful permanent residence when all requirements are met. For petitions filed after March 15, 2022, USCIS lists a $1,050,000 minimum investment, or $800,000 for qualifying targeted-employment-area and infrastructure investments. The investment must also meet the program's job-creation and other requirements.
If you want to know more about immigrating in the US and investing in a franchise, contact us for a free consultation.