E2 Visa.....How difficult to get?
Dec 6th 2002, 12:17 am
#1
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 4
E2 Visa.....How difficult to get?
We purchased a restaurant in Florida earlier this year and have since found it difficult to get time time apply for a B1 visa, when we did submit more than required documentaion to get B1 status....upon return of our application...we later found our passports were marked with 221(g) meaning not enough ties to our home country, UK, and were told that we could not enter the states under this written into our passports, so were advised to see the Embassy to get them cancelled. After getting an interview with the US Embassy in London, and our passports neutralised, we were later told that we should file for E2 visa's.
Can this be done in America when we travel next time only using the cards you fill in on the Aircraft......or do we have to apply for the E2's here in britain?
Why is this all so comlicated when we have invested nearly $400,000.00 in the business, employing 14 and up to 18 full time American Citizens, and we are treated worse than Mexicans trying to escape their country for the want of it, "a better life"....and all we seem to get is a kick in the teeth......The business desperately needs us to aquire Social Security Numbers (SSN) so we can apply for the beer & wine license to attract more customers .'. therefore improving sales, and to keep all the employees on their toes....as the saying goes....while the cat's away the mice will play....and that's what's happening... which is costing us alot of money in disgruntled customers.....and ourselves having to place money into the business account to help keep it alive while we are not there.....
(
Please help and give me all your experiences and knowledge to guide us through these hard times for us.....or is the only alternative, to put the business on the market?
please reply all that have taken the time to read through all this and many thanks folks....)
Can this be done in America when we travel next time only using the cards you fill in on the Aircraft......or do we have to apply for the E2's here in britain?
Why is this all so comlicated when we have invested nearly $400,000.00 in the business, employing 14 and up to 18 full time American Citizens, and we are treated worse than Mexicans trying to escape their country for the want of it, "a better life"....and all we seem to get is a kick in the teeth......The business desperately needs us to aquire Social Security Numbers (SSN) so we can apply for the beer & wine license to attract more customers .'. therefore improving sales, and to keep all the employees on their toes....as the saying goes....while the cat's away the mice will play....and that's what's happening... which is costing us alot of money in disgruntled customers.....and ourselves having to place money into the business account to help keep it alive while we are not there.....
(Please help and give me all your experiences and knowledge to guide us through these hard times for us.....or is the only alternative, to put the business on the market?
please reply all that have taken the time to read through all this and many thanks folks....
)
Dec 6th 2002, 4:59 am
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: E2 Visa.....How difficult to get?
On Fri, 06 Dec 2002 01:17:05 +0000, cjultra wrote:
> We purchased a restaurant in Florida earlier this year and have since
> found it difficult to get time time apply for a B1 visa, when we did
> submit more than required documentaion to get B1 status....upon return
> of our application...we later found our passports were marked with
> 221(g) meaning not enough ties to our home country, UK, and were told
> that we could not enter the states under this written into our
> passports, so were advised to see the Embassy to get them cancelled.
> After getting an interview with the US Embassy in London, and our
> passports neutralised, we were later told that we should file for E2
> visa's.
>
> Can this be done in America when we travel next time only using the
> cards you fill in on the Aircraft......or do we have to apply for the
> E2's here in britain?
When you use the visa waiver (what you called "only using the cards you
fill out in the Aircraft), you cannot change to any other status. You must
get an E-2 visa in Britain. What I would recommend, though, is to consult
with a competent immigration attorney in the US first. An E-2 visa
requires considerable paperwork.
> Why is this all so comlicated when we have invested nearly $400,000.00
> in the business, employing 14 and up to 18 full time American Citizens,
> and we are treated worse than Mexicans trying to escape their country
> for the want of it, "a better life"....and all we seem to get is a kick
> in the teeth......
Actually, you are treated MUCH better. Just as much as doing such an
investment brings the responsibility of filing tax returns and other
documents, it requires filing immigration paperwork.
Incidentally, if you can afford to invest another few hundred thousand $
(for a total of one million), you would actually qualify for an investor
Green Card, which really means you'd get the royal treatment once it's
approved.
> The business desperately needs us to aquire Social Security Numbers
> (SSN) so we can apply for the beer & wine license to attract more
> customers
As long as you are visiting the US as a B-1 visitor (or visa waiver
visitor), this would be illegal in the first place. As a B-1 visitor, you
are not allowed to manage the business - this would be illegal working
with serious consequences. Period. You absolutely must hire a US manager
to run it, and he would then use his SSN to apply for the liquor license.
> .'. therefore improving sales, and to keep all the employees on their
> toes....as the saying goes....while the cat's away the mice will
> play....and that's what's happening... which is costing us alot of money
> in disgruntled customers.....and ourselves having to place money into
> the business account to help keep it alive while we are not there.....
>(
As I said, hire an immigration attorney first. Expect the paperwork to
take about six months or so, and plan on hiring a competent manager during
that time. You ARE allowed to meet with the manager and supervise him on
the visa waiver, as long as this can be considered related to an
essentially passive investment you made. You just can't run the business
nor make business decisions.
In other words, the role of this manager would be comparable to the CEO of
a corporation, and your role would be comparable to that of a major
stockholder.
> Please help and give me all your experiences and knowledge to guide us
> through these hard times for us.....or is the only alternative, to put
> the business on the market?
>
> please reply all that have taken the time to read through all this and
> many thanks folks....)
> We purchased a restaurant in Florida earlier this year and have since
> found it difficult to get time time apply for a B1 visa, when we did
> submit more than required documentaion to get B1 status....upon return
> of our application...we later found our passports were marked with
> 221(g) meaning not enough ties to our home country, UK, and were told
> that we could not enter the states under this written into our
> passports, so were advised to see the Embassy to get them cancelled.
> After getting an interview with the US Embassy in London, and our
> passports neutralised, we were later told that we should file for E2
> visa's.
>
> Can this be done in America when we travel next time only using the
> cards you fill in on the Aircraft......or do we have to apply for the
> E2's here in britain?
When you use the visa waiver (what you called "only using the cards you
fill out in the Aircraft), you cannot change to any other status. You must
get an E-2 visa in Britain. What I would recommend, though, is to consult
with a competent immigration attorney in the US first. An E-2 visa
requires considerable paperwork.
> Why is this all so comlicated when we have invested nearly $400,000.00
> in the business, employing 14 and up to 18 full time American Citizens,
> and we are treated worse than Mexicans trying to escape their country
> for the want of it, "a better life"....and all we seem to get is a kick
> in the teeth......
Actually, you are treated MUCH better. Just as much as doing such an
investment brings the responsibility of filing tax returns and other
documents, it requires filing immigration paperwork.
Incidentally, if you can afford to invest another few hundred thousand $
(for a total of one million), you would actually qualify for an investor
Green Card, which really means you'd get the royal treatment once it's
approved.
> The business desperately needs us to aquire Social Security Numbers
> (SSN) so we can apply for the beer & wine license to attract more
> customers
As long as you are visiting the US as a B-1 visitor (or visa waiver
visitor), this would be illegal in the first place. As a B-1 visitor, you
are not allowed to manage the business - this would be illegal working
with serious consequences. Period. You absolutely must hire a US manager
to run it, and he would then use his SSN to apply for the liquor license.
> .'. therefore improving sales, and to keep all the employees on their
> toes....as the saying goes....while the cat's away the mice will
> play....and that's what's happening... which is costing us alot of money
> in disgruntled customers.....and ourselves having to place money into
> the business account to help keep it alive while we are not there.....
>
(As I said, hire an immigration attorney first. Expect the paperwork to
take about six months or so, and plan on hiring a competent manager during
that time. You ARE allowed to meet with the manager and supervise him on
the visa waiver, as long as this can be considered related to an
essentially passive investment you made. You just can't run the business
nor make business decisions.
In other words, the role of this manager would be comparable to the CEO of
a corporation, and your role would be comparable to that of a major
stockholder.
> Please help and give me all your experiences and knowledge to guide us
> through these hard times for us.....or is the only alternative, to put
> the business on the market?
>
> please reply all that have taken the time to read through all this and
> many thanks folks....
)