No fixed dollar threshold applies to every case. Substantiality is assessed relative to the cost of the specific enterprise, and nationality, active involvement, lawful source of funds, and the enterprise's own qualifications must all be independently established.
Ask what the actual figure needs to demonstrate
Identify the total cost of establishing or acquiring the specific business, and distinguish committed funds from amounts still under discussion. Match the investment to the business being proposed rather than adopting a number used in an unrelated case; a larger figure does not resolve a nationality or business-activity problem.
The enterprise must have the nationality of the treaty country, and that is determined by ownership: at least fifty percent must be held by nationals of that country who are either not resident in the United States or are themselves maintaining treaty status. The enterprise needs treaty nationality through at least 50% ownership by nationals of that treaty country, and the investor must develop and direct it, ordinarily shown through at least 50% ownership or operational control through a managerial position or other corporate device. The useful output is a source-and-use schedule that links each dollar to an executed purchase, lease, escrow condition, inventory order, or operating obligation.