Documents and Requirements on E1

E1 visa is one of the most common visas that you can get when you’re trying to move to the US and start a business. In order to get such a visa you need to establish trading requirements set up by the proper migrations laws.

It’s not always an easy process to go through and it’s important to familiarize yourself with the rules behind it but also to have a lawyer by your side while the new enterprise is being set up in the US.

The documents you need

There’s a quite a long list of documents that you need in order to apply for this visa and it’s best to set up an actual list and go through it one by one. That way nothing will get overlooked and you’ll have sufficient time to find what you need.

These include:

-DOS Form DS-156, Nonimmigrant Visa Application
-DOS Form DS-156E, Nonimmigrant Treaty Trader / Investor Application
-DOS Form DS-157, Supplemental Nonimmigrant Visa Application, for all male applicants between the ages of 16 and 45
-A copy of your passport that experience at least six months before your time of stay in the US
-Two identical colored photographs showing full face against a light background. You’re allowed to wear a headdress if that’s a religious requirement for you.
-Proof that you’ve been trading in the US for a year or more
-Your CV
-Evidence that you’ll be employed in the US at an executive capacity or as a specialist in your field. This is mostly a contract.
-Evidence of remittance in the US (this includes: bank drafts, transfers exchange permits or receipts.)
-Evidence that you’ve established a company in the US (articles of incorporation, partnership agreement, organization and staffing charts, shares, titles, contracts, receipts, licenses or leases)
-Evidence of the nationality of the investors (this includes: passports, articles of incorporation of parent company or stock exchange listings).
-Evidence that a business is trading with the US (this includes: invoices, bills of lading, customs clearances, warehouse receipts, shipping receipts, sales receipts or contracts)
-Evidence that the business is actually real and operational (annual reports, catalogs, sales literature, news articles, and other evidence as appropriate)

Requirements

Before you can start providing these documents you need to make sure that your business and therefore yourself is actually eligible for this visa. There’s a set of requirements that a business needs to follow.  These are:

-The visa holder needs to prove that they will engage in sustainable trade
-At least 50 percent of the trade needs to be between the US and the home country of the visa holder
-The trade can be about the move of physical goods, providing services or finance
-The holder’s country needs to be a citizen of the country that has a treaty with the US
-The holder needs to provide a proof that they plan to return to their own country

Restrictions on employment

There are a few restrictions that come with these visa programs. First and foremost they are about the time you can spend in the US. When your visa is expired you’ll need to leave the country if you haven’t got an extension. The amount of time you get, depends on how old is the company you’re working for.

There’s also a restriction in terms of where you can work. This visa is based on a business providing proof that you’ll work for them on a prominent role and that you’ll have a steady employment as soon as you arrive in the US. Therefore you can’t work for any other business based on this visa.

Spouse and children

Based on this visa you can also bring your spouse and children with you to the US. They can accompany you right away or they can come later and this applies to a spouse and the kids that are younger than 21. They can be with you during the duration of your stay and if it’s extended so will their stay.

There’s an additional document that’s called employment authorization document and if you file for that as well, your spouse will be able to work in the US as well.

Conclusion

Getting the visa called E1 visa means you get to come to the US legally and work for a company on a managerial or expert position. You get to extend the time you have in the US a few times and the time you do have depends on how old the company is.

There are a few requirements that you need to be in accordance with when you’re applying and you need to make sure that you have the right documents. It’s best to be familiar with it even if the process is done by your lawyer.