VisaProAdviserVisas, migration and life abroad
Investor visas compared: E-2 treaty investor rules and escrow, golden visa routes in Panama, Paraguay and Uruguay, plus US tax basics for investors.
9 articles tagged Investments
Paraguay's new $50,000 investor passport, Panama's threshold up to $300,000, Uruguay's cheap tax-holiday route closed. Five countries compared for November 2026.
Compare residency by investment: Greece from €250,000 in property, Panama from $300,000, Portugal from €500,000 in funds. Tax rules for US citizens abroad.
The only valid release condition for E2 escrow funds is visa issuance. How FAM treats escrow deals, when they work, and when they don't.
You can qualify for an E-2 employee visa without personally investing capital, as long as the treaty investor stays outside the US. Includes an IP-asset case and an escrow scam warning.
Can One Asset Qualify for an E-2 Visa? Vehicle and Yacht Investment Cases
There's no fixed minimum investment — the amount depends on the business plan, ownership must be at least 50%, and a US bank loan won't work in the first months.
The E-2 Treaty Investor visa is a US nonimmigrant visa for nationals of countries that have a qualifying treaty with the United States, and Ukraine is on the E-2 treaty list. The investment must be substantial, already at risk and placed in a real operating business, not a marginal enterprise that only supports the investor's family. The investor needs at least 50% ownership or operational control, and employees of the same nationality can also qualify for E-2 status.
Applicants abroad file Form DS-160 and the DS-156E supplement and attend an interview at a US consulate, while people already in the US can request a change of status from USCIS on Form I-129. Because funds must be irrevocably committed before approval, many investors use an escrow account that releases the money only once the visa is issued.
E-2 status is temporary and does not lead directly to a green card, unlike the EB-5 immigrant investor program. Golden visas in Latin America and elsewhere grant a residence permit in exchange for buying property, bonds or business stakes, and they are distinct from citizenship by investment, which confers a passport.