US Visa Singapore

The requirements for an E1 investor visa are as follows:

 

• Must be involved in an international trading business;

• Trade must be in existence between the US and the treaty country prior to applying for the E1 investor visa;

• Purchase an existing business or set up a new company by placing money and assets into the name of the company;

• Investment should be approximately US $75,000 or more, but there is no specific minimum amount of money required to be invested under US immigration law;

• Amount of money to be invested will depend on the nature of the business and the US Embassy will review such on a case-by-case basis;

• Funds must be irrevocably committed and at risk of loss meaning that a transfer of funds to a US bank alone will not suffice;

• Affirmative steps must be taken such as securing a lease or purchase of the the business premises, purchase of necessary equipment and / or purchase of inventory;

• Treaty country national must control the company through at least 50% ownership or a managerial position;

• Business must generate enough income to support you and your family in the US;

• Business must employ or create jobs for US nationals;

• If you are not the person directly investing in the company, you must be the executive of the company or possess specialized work skills that are essential to the operations; and

• E1 investor must maintain the business operations in order to renew their E1 investor visa in the future.

 

The E1 investor may be accompanied or followed by his or her spouse and unmarried children who are under 21 years of age.  Such family members may seek admission as E1 visa applicants and will be granted the same period of stay as the employee.  Spouses of E1 investors may apply for work authorization and there is no specific restriction as to where the E1 spouse may work.

The US State Department's current list of countries from which their citizens can apply for E1 investor visas can be found on their website. 

E1 investor visa applications normally take 1 - 3 months to process depending on the completeness of the supporting documents and the caseload of the US Embassy in the country of residence.