E-1 Visa
- Details
- Published: Thursday, 24 January 2013 10:54
The "Treaty Trader" category is available to individuals from nations which have signed a treaty of trade and commerce with the United States. The Treaty Trader visa is available for an unlimited number of years and allows the spouse and minor dependents of the recipient to live and attend school in the United States. While many large corporations involved in import/export utilize the category, it is most frequently used by small to mid-size companies seeking a permanent trading presence in the United States.
E-1 TREATY TRADER CHECKLIST AND REQUIREMENTS
DESCRIPTION: Treaty Trader visa allows nationals from countries which have trade treaties in effect with the United States to enter the United States for the purpose of conducting trade between the United States and the country of majority ownership of the trading company. The majority ownership of the trading company must be by a treaty country. The trading company must be involved in substantial trade which is principally between the United States and the treaty country. The employee must be of the same treaty country, and the employee must be serving the company in either a managerial capacity or possessing an "essential skill". There is no numerical cap on years and it is possible to remain in Treaty Trader status for many years. The treaty trader must always be prepared to establish to the consular officer that he intends to return abroad upon completion of his venture and will have his status cancelled if he is unable to do so.
DOCUMENTARY REQUIREMENTS:
- business plan outlining future investment scheme
- substantial trade principally between the United States and the treaty country
- documentation regarding majority ownership of company; type of trade involved; volume of trade; and percentage of trade between United States operation and treaty country
- duties and qualifications of individual
- approval by U.S. consul
The following is the list of countries for which the E-1 is availble:
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia, Brunei, Canada, Republic of China (Taiwan), Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Liberia, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Philippines, Slovenia, Spain, Surinam, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, or the United Kingdom.
Please note that while we endeavor to keep the E-1 list current, State Department changes may add or delete countries from the list without our knowledge. While we make every effort to update usvisanews.com to reflect changes in the country list, we are very concerned with the possibility of an E-1 or E-2 slipping by a potentially qualified person! Check with a qualified immigration attorney to make sure you qualify before embarking on this route.