littly_kittly

My parents and I live in the UK are looking to move to America.
Getting a green card will be tough. Although my mum has a sister in the US, that won't qualify.

However, I was reading about the E2 visa which you get for investing in the country. You need to invest around 100K

Would buying property (without mortgage) and renting it out count as an investment? My parents could probably purchase several properties in cash.
If not, what are the best types of business to invest in?

Also, an E2 visa lasts for 5 years. How likely are they to renew it?

Thanks for any help!

Pulaski

An E-2 visa is for a "treaty trader", so buying real estate does not meet the requirement for an E-2 visa. If it was that easy everyone would be doing it.

If you're going to rely on an E-2 visa you need a business you can run, so the "best sort of business" is one you can run successfully and profitably . For some it might be a restaurant, or a petrol station, for others it might be a book shop or a hotel. What sort of business do you and your parents have experience of running?

Noorah101

If your parents can afford to buy several homes in the 100K range, cash, then perhaps they qualify for the visa which essentially buys them a green card (500K investment). However I don't know if you personally can be part of that plan. If you can't, your parents could perhaps petition for you to immigrate later.

Rene

ian-mstm

If your mum's sister is a US citizen, it will.

Ian

Pulaski

FIFY

littly_kittly

Thanks for all the help!

My parents are self-employed accountants, but they are in their 60s, so I doubt they'd get employment. I am self-employed web designer. I've got a 1st Class BA and MA, so I could probably get a job, but I've read that in order to qualify for a green card, the employer has to make an argument for employing an immigrant over a native, so I'm not sure if that would apply to me as my skills aren't unique.

Is it $500K. I thought you had to invest 1 million USD and employee 10 people.

Really. I thought it had to be parent or child?

Thanks for all the help. I really do appreciate it.

Pulaski

Your parents should think very carefully about healthcare costs because they aren't going to have access to the subsidized health insurance for retirees for at least five years, and maybe ever. The current recommendation is that a retiree needs at least $250,000 to meet medical expenses even IF they have access to the Medicare subsidized insurance. I suspect that figure would be $1million without access to Medicare, and one major heart problem and you could blow though most of that in a few weeks. So unless your parents are bona fide dollar millionaires several times over I sincerely doubt that immigrating to the US at their age is financially viable. They would be better off becoming snowbirds and buying a house in Florida then staying there from November to April. The $1million is anywhere in the US, $500k is for areas that are deemed to need additional economic activity. You do not have to live near your investment, but you are at the mercy of the investment manager and typically investors do not get any of their investment back, or at least should consider themselves very lucky if they do. The wait for family green cards for siblings can be a long time- somewhere around 10-12 years IIRC.

sir_eccles

How old are you?

I see you have a degree, so I'm guessing you have aged out of tagging along on their E2 should you go that route.

Noorah101

Being in their 60s, your parents should think about US health care, especially if they aren't going to be covered by an employer.

Rene

littly_kittly

Thanks for all the help and advice.

I didn't realise siblings could sponsor, but if its 10 - 15 years, it probably won't be an option! The investment route could be promising, but it looks like medical care costs will be a bigger barrier (especially as my parents aren't millionaires).

Thanks again for the help. Even though it wasn't what I wanted to hear, at least I'm now in a position to make realistic decisions.