Read the general investor planning overview
A business opportunity arranged informally between people who know each other in a smaller community still needs to be documented with the same rigor as any E-2 proposal: a written purchase or investment agreement, a traceable and lawful source of funds, and clear evidence of the operating enterprise.
Put verbal understandings into signed documents
Hypothetical example: two acquaintances agree over several conversations on the outline of a Selkirk applicant’s investment in a small U.S. business, without yet drafting a formal agreement. Request the actual written terms and obtain appropriate legal review before making a binding commitment. Distinguish unsigned proposals from executed agreements and identify the real payment, cancellation and escrow conditions.
Document the funds independently of the relationship
Trace the investor's funds from their lawful source using bank and transaction records, regardless of how well the parties know each other. A personal relationship between the parties does not reduce the documentation needed to show the funds' origin and path.
Confirm the enterprise's operations with real records
Request the business's actual financial and operating records rather than relying on a general understanding of how it runs, since a personal or community relationship with the business does not verify its financial condition or substantiate the non-marginality requirement.
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.