A funding balance, a loan approval and a signed purchase agreement can each describe a different stage of the same transaction. Map the actual proposed commitment and its conditions before concluding what the record establishes, and assess the investment and the operating enterprise together, keeping nationality and control clearly visible. The key decision is whether the money is genuinely committed to a business the investor will direct, with a realistic scale beyond household support. Hypothetical example: a Canadian investor plans to acquire a U.S. specialty-mushroom farm and leaves the purchase funds in a personal account until a visa is issued. The account balance shows capacity, not commitment. A signed, properly structured transaction and evidence of commercial exposure are needed before the proposal becomes an E-2 case.
Ask what happens if a condition is not met
Hypothetical example: a Québec City buyer's purchase depends on both an immigration outcome and a separate financing condition. Read each trigger for payment, release or cancellation individually. A qualifying escrow arrangement can be relevant, but its label does not answer whether the actual terms meet the requirement, so coordinate transaction and immigration review before any funds become irreversible. Read every contingency and refund clause against the investment requirement. The useful question is what the investor stands to lose if the business transaction fails, not whether the agreement uses reassuring terminology.
Trace the source and identify what actually secures any loan
Show where the funds originated and how they would reach the enterprise. For any borrowing, identify the borrower and the collateral rather than treating every loan the same way; personal unsecured borrowing and borrowing secured by enterprise assets are treated differently. Keep a proposed drawdown separate from a completed transfer, and mark missing records rather than smoothing over the funding history. Trace borrowed money to its security and repayment obligation, then distinguish it from funds secured only by the business assets being acquired. The document that matters is the actual loan and security agreement, not the label used by a broker.
Explain the enterprise itself, beyond the purchase price
Describe what customers will actually buy, who will provide it, and how the applicant will develop and direct the operation. Substantiality is assessed relative to this specific business, and non-marginality remains a separate requirement. A supported forecast can help explain a proposal, but it does not guarantee commercial success, and another applicant's investment amount is not a substitute for reviewing this enterprise on its own facts. Test the plan against observable operations: customers, premises, staffing, costs, and the investor’s role. An attractive forecast needs records showing that the enterprise can actually begin and that it is not structured only to support the family.
What else is on your mind?
Is there one minimum investment that guarantees E-2 eligibility?Is holding money or owning an asset enough for E-2?Editorial source review: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.