Canadian Getting A Business Visa For The USA

My wife and I are Canadian citizens and are looking at purchasing campground in the USA.We will be making a substantial down payment,better than 25%,and are wondering if we need a E-2 visa or should we apply for US citizenship,etc.If all goes as plans this will be a permanent move. Any info on this would be appreciated.

Yes, E-2 sounds like the correct category from the sounds of it. Going from E-2 to permanent resident status can be tricky, there are lots of forms to fill out for E-2 and a time limit on when you can apply for permanent residency. If you're not a "form" sort of person this is one of the situations where you may find that some sort of professional help may be a good idea.

FYI, currently there is a pilot program in the US where you can invest $500,000 in a "foreign investment center" and get permanent residence status that way. The program expires in a few months time (unless Congress extends it, which they may) so if simply getting permanent residence status is what you're after, you may want to look into that. The snag with it is that obviously you need $500,000 (which you will get back, with 4% interest after six years) and there is a quota of 10,000 applications pa for the whole immigrant investor program including the foreign investment centers.

Thanks Steve. As of now we are still in the early stages so part of the deal would be subject to approval of our visa's.
By the way this is a great site with tons of information and we'll be sure to let others know.

Hi, i am a Canadian Citizen, who would like to open up a resturant in USA. I was wondering what i have to do in order for me to be able to get a worker visa in USA or permison for the resurtant. And also what other kinds of permits i would need in order to open up a resturant. Could i open up a resturant alone or would i have to open it up with someone else? and if so would they also need a work visa for USA. And if we both apply for the work visa would it be easir to get it?. it would be my mother and I. and since im 21years old would they except me/take me seriously. thanks

Once again, sounds like E-2, i.e. treaty investor. Requires a "substantial investment" which means something like $50,000+ valid for two years, can be renewed indefinitely, but as I said above, getting LPR status from E is pretty difficult, basically you have to get married to a US citizen or possibly do EB-5 later on which requires a minimum investment of $1 million usually.

For you both to get it, you both have to invest. $100,000 sounds like a lot for a restaurant.

For E there is no actual specific amount, it depends on what your business plan says. The best advice for a situation like this is to find an immigration consultant who is familiar with applying for them as they will have experience as to what the consulate will accept.

More info at: http://toronto.usconsulate.gov/content/ ... ment=evisa

E is by far the most complex non-immigrant visa, even if you find someone who already has one the advice they can give you will be minimal because their business will be different, which is why it's a good idea to find a consultant unless you're really clued up on doing financial statements and US business law.

Note that the spouse of an E-2 visa holder can get work authorization by filing I-765 - however children cannot, so if you want kids, make sure they're born in the US otherwise they will have no status when they grow up.