UGLOBAL IMMIGRATION MAGAZINE
88
“ With Grenadian citizenship,
you are eligible to apply
for an E-2 visa, assuming
you make a substantial
investment in a business in
the U.S. of which you own
at least 50 percent. ”
Alternatively, the investor can buy property at an approved CBI
project in Grenada for a minimum of $350,000 (or $220,000 for
specially designated properties) and make a $50,000 donation
to the Grenada National Transformation Fund. The property
must be held for five years, after which time it can be sold. The
end result is a passport that allows visa-free travel to over 125
countries around the world, including the U.K., the Schengen
countries in Europe, the UAE and Russia.
With Grenadian citizenship, you are eligible to apply
for an E-2 visa, assuming you make a substantial
investment in a business in the U.S. of which you own
at least 50 percent. Although either the donation option
or the property purchase option qualifies for E-2 visa
issuance as a citizen of Grenada, some consulates prefer
the investor having a property address in Grenada to
establish a “nexus” with that country.
E-2 VISA REQUIREMENTS
Since the E-2 visa is an investment visa, it is not surprising
that the amount of investment is critical for E-2 approvability.
What is surprising is that there is no exact amount of
investment required. Rather, the investment must be
“substantial.” A substantial investment is defined not just
by the total amount of the investment but by whether the
investment is sufficient to create a viable, profitable and
growing business. The required amount is very different
depending on the type of business. For example, a $200,000
investment in a restaurant franchise may be “substantial,”
whereas the same investment in a manufacturing company
would not. Also, the amount of the investment should be a
substantial proportion of the total amount of the investment
required. The higher the investment amount, the lower the
percentage of the total investment required.
There is also no exact job-creation requirement. However,
the investment should do more than just earn a living for the
investor. An investment that results in employment for other
workers is helpful in this regard. To support the substantiality
of the investment and the job creation, a business plan
is usually critical. Unlike with other non-immigrant visas,
there is no requirement that an E-2 visa applicant prove a
residence overseas to which he intends to return. However,
the E-2 applicant must satisfy the consular officer that he