E-2 Visa Investor Case Studies

This case covered all of the services that Vizamerica offers. 

Firstly, we stepped in and assessed what the Client had already done to determine the gaps between that and being a successful E-2 visa business owner. It turned out that the Client had a company already set up, but the setup wasn't complete and did not meet the immigration requirements. Furthermore, the Client didn't realize that the business must be registered in the state it is doing business in. We stepped in and quickly realigned the business formation to include registering the Delaware business in California, by registering it with the Secretary of State and creating the appropriate by-laws. 

Further, we helped to source the business location for a showroom in Beverly Hills and assisted with the transfer of the inventory from Europe to the U.S., including international transportation, customs clearances, and liaising between our Client and Customs brokers. We also identified the regulatory need for Customs clearance of wood products that contain glues. 

Like most of our Clients, the Clients in this case also required multiple contractual agreements which we drafted, including a sales agreement, lease agreement, and employment agreement. As part of the sales agreements and based on our financial modeling, we helped the Client understands what drives the US marketplace and completely re-engineered their sales price structure. Had they gone with their initial thoughts, their business might have not survived. As this happened amidst the height of the pandemic and the Client was not present in the U.S., we helped the Client find a contractor who assisted in the assembly of the showroom furniture, in addition to recruiting and training the office manager. All of this on top of preparing a successful Visa Package application and an NIE. We even drafted a letter that helped the E-2 owner's son get into a University in the US.

We were able to do all of this due to our experience in a business setup and real-life experiences as entrepreneurs ourselves. 

 The Client got his visa approved amidst the height of the pandemic and received a National Interest Exception (NIE) to travel to the U.S. The Client later told us that his business would have never stared had he not received our help.

In this case, there were multiple owners and multiple existing businesses in both the US and the UK. We had to assess all of the intertwined relationships and historical investments to determine which entity was best to secure the E-2 visa from. 

We further researched the financial affairs and the inner workings of the money transfers between the entities to establish adequate investment from historical spending without a need for our Client to invest more funds.

We created a business plan, incorporating all of the entities, literally flipping the existing business design upside down so that it would be clearly understood by the immigration officials.

In this case, our client was an extremely busy executive running multiple organizations and we were able to interface with his executive assistant for all of our documentation requirements. That meant that our Client was free to operate the business without being bothered by the details of the application. Just like with all our clients, we created a Whatsapp group for us, so he could have access to us at all times.

The Client got his visa approved during a 5 minute interview at the London Embassy.

Our Client reached out to us without any clear direction of the type of business and location to start their new life in the US. This is not uncommon. Utilizing our vast experience, knowledge, and networks, we were able to propose several franchise opportunities that are great business opportunities but also work for E-2 visas and match the Client's investment ability. 

We were able to do this because we've read their FDDs - Franchise Disclosure Documents- and spoken personally with many franchisors over the years. This allows us to be able to tailor our recommendations to the needs and interests of our Clients while considering their investment levels. In this case, we had multiple conversations with our Client about the pros and cons of starting your own business from scratch versus building on the success of a franchise. In this example, the Client felt more at ease with the security and a business in a box approach offered by the franchises we introduced her to.

Over the years, we have reviewed many of the different locations our Clients have settled in, even preparing in some cases, a comparison chart of the costs and standards of living in each of those areas. This saves our clients time, effort, and money and allows them to make the best decisions for themselves.

It's important to us that our Clients decide on a location that matches their business and personal needs. In this case, as in many cases, our Client's E-2 was successful and she's now a happy franchise owner in California.

The Client got her visa approved and received a National Interest Exception (NIE) to travel to the U.S.

Roughly around 40% of our Clients, as was the case here, do not buy franchises. They start from scratch, with a business idea that they bring to the table. Our role in such cases is to help the Client develop that idea into a real business. This includes everything from the appropriate business structure, pricing strategy, market analysis, branding and advertising, and preferred location setup.

This is a very collaborative effort between us and the Client which drives a successful business model. With our background and experience and the Client's interest, that collaboration allows them to have a successful start in the US.

The Client got her visa approved during a 5minute quick interview, with her husband and her kids by her side. Everybody was thrilled to come over to the US, and her husband had already secured a great job for himself.