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APPLICATION ANSWERS · E-2 FIELD GUIDE

Should a business purchase close before an E-2 review begins?

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THE DIRECT ANSWER

Have the proposed terms reviewed before making that sequencing decision. Some qualifying arrangements involve an investment-in-process or escrow structure, so it is not accurate to assume that every purchase must be fully closed first.

Coordinate the transaction with the applicable process

Identify who can adjust closing and release conditions, then confirm the applicable consular or status process for the specific applicant. Keep a proposed opening date separate from an expected government decision, and have any change to ownership, funding or operations reassessed. Do not make the transaction irreversible solely to match a generic timeline.

Plan in the order the transaction can actually occur: source records, entity and agreement, commitment of funds, business evidence, application, and admission planning. The first review should identify which event would make the case impossible to revise. Hypothetical example: a Canadian investor leasing space for a U.S.

custom-framing business signs a lease that begins immediately, but the equipment supplier has not issued a final invoice. The file cannot show the full use of funds until that cost is settled. Delay irreversible household steps until the transaction, evidence, and application route are aligned; a projected opening date does not guarantee admission.