U.S. investor visa: E-2 or EB-5?

Both begin with capital placed in a U.S. business. They differ in what the investor receives, in who may apply and in what the law asks of the investment.

What is the difference between an E-2 and an EB-5 visa?

E-2 is a temporary status for nationals of countries that have a qualifying treaty with the United States: the investor directs a business, the stay is granted for up to two years at a time, and no dollar minimum is fixed. EB-5 is an immigrant category: an investment of $1,050,000, or $800,000 in a targeted employment area or infrastructure project, that supports ten full-time jobs can lead to permanent residence for the investor, spouse and unmarried children under 21.

How much money do you need for a U.S. investor visa?

It depends on the route. For E-2 the rules set no dollar figure: the investment must be substantial in relation to the cost of buying or creating the business, so the lower that cost, the higher the share that must be invested. For EB-5 the minimum is $1,050,000, or $800,000 for a project in a targeted employment area or an infrastructure project. Government filing fees and legal fees are paid separately from the investment. USCIS provides for an adjustment to the EB-5 amounts on 1 January 2027.

E-2 exists only for nationals of countries that have a qualifying treaty with the United States. The Department of State publishes the list. A country that is absent has no such treaty; that is not a ban on its citizens, and it does not affect EB-5.

The countries below are a selection from that list. Check the full list before you rely on it: treaties enter into force and end.

Can citizens of India, China, Brazil or Russia get an E-2 visa?

Not on that nationality alone. India, Brazil and Russia do not appear among the E-2 treaty countries on the Department of State list; mainland China does not either, while Taiwan does. A person who also holds the nationality of a listed country applies on that nationality. EB-5 does not depend on a treaty; whether an immigrant visa is available depends on the category and the country of chargeability, usually the country of birth.

Does a second citizenship make you eligible for E-2?

It can. E-2 depends on nationality, so a national of a listed country may apply on that nationality. A separate rule covers nationality acquired through a financial investment: a person who has not been granted E status before must have been domiciled in the country of that nationality for a continuous period of at least three years at some point before applying for the visa. That rule does not speak of nationality held by birth or descent.

E-2 is built for an investor who comes to develop and direct a business in the United States. It is a nonimmigrant classification: the law grants a period of stay, not permanent residence.

An E-2 investor who decides to stay for good starts a new case. EB-5 is assessed by its own rules: the investment amount, the ten jobs and the documented lawful source of the capital.

Does an E-2 visa lead to a green card?

E-2 status itself is not permanent residence. It is a nonimmigrant classification, and the investor must maintain an intention to depart the United States when the status expires or is terminated. Permanent residence requires a separate immigrant petition in a category the person qualifies for; EB-5 is the category based on investment. A DHS regulation says that admission, change of status or extension of stay in E classification may not be denied solely because an immigrant petition has been filed or approved; a consular officer must still be satisfied that the applicant intends to depart.

How long can you stay in the United States on an E-2 visa?

USCIS allows a maximum initial stay of two years. Extensions may be granted in increments of up to two years each, and there is no limit to the number of extensions.

What are the disadvantages of an E-2 visa?

They follow from the rules themselves. E-2 is open only to nationals of treaty countries. It is temporary: the stay is granted for up to two years at a time, and the investor must keep an intention to depart. Children qualify only while unmarried and under 21, and they are not authorized to work. As with EB-5, the capital must be at risk.

Can you convert an E-2 visa to EB-5?

The sources cited here describe no procedure that converts E-2 status into EB-5. EB-5 is a separate immigrant petition with its own investment and job requirements. An investor who is in the United States may apply for adjustment of status, and may file Form I-485 together with the EB-5 petition when an immigrant visa is immediately available; USCIS asks for proof that lawful status has been continuously maintained. An applicant outside the United States generally completes consular processing.

Start from what you want the move to achieve. The amount follows from that, not the other way round.

You want to run your own business in the U.S.

E-2 is designed for that, if your country is on the treaty list: you direct the business, no minimum amount is fixed, and the stay may be extended two years at a time.

You want your family to settle permanently

EB-5 is the investor route to permanent residence: the investor, spouse and unmarried children under 21 may apply together, and a Green Card allows its holder to live and work permanently in the United States.

Your country is not on the E-2 list

Then E-2 is not available on your nationality, and EB-5 is the investor category that does not depend on a treaty.

You already hold E-2 status

EB-5 would be a new petition, assessed on its own requirements. Plan it with an immigration attorney before you change anything in your current status.

Is the Gold Card an investor visa?

Not in the sense of E-2 or EB-5. Executive Order 14351 of 19 September 2025 describes an unrestricted gift to the U.S. Department of Commerce — $1 million for an individual — as the basis for an immigrant visa in the first or second employment-based preference; USCIS takes the petition on Form I-140G. The order calls the payment a gift, not an investment, and the preferences it names do not include EB-5, the fifth.

EB-5 requirements in detailThe EB-5 process, step by stepInvestment risks and immigration conditions

If permanent residence is the goal, the next question is where the capital goes. This site presents one EB-5 project in South Florida and the documents to ask for before you decide.

The development

The South Florida development is presented as an EB-5 investment opportunity. Participation connects an investment in this residential project with an individual application for U.S. permanent residence, subject to the program’s requirements.

Where it is

The project is in North Miami Beach, on the Biscayne Boulevard corridor in South Florida.

The capital required

The project materials state an investment capital requirement of $1,050,000. Project charges, legal fees and government fees are additional. Request current participation terms and a complete budget before deciding.