Read the general investor planning overview
Marginality is the requirement that sinks otherwise sound E-2 applications. An enterprise must have the present or near-future capacity to produce more than a living for the investor and family, and the document that answers it is payroll rather than a description of ambition. In an existing business, the wage records already exist. In a new one, the staffing plan must be arithmetic the projected revenue can carry.
Buy the payroll along with the business
Hypothetical example: Sylvain buys a small-engine and snow-grooming equipment dealership across the border from Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford, with four employees who have been on the books for years. That payroll is the strongest evidence in his file and it costs him nothing to produce, because it already exists in the seller's records. Ask for wage filings, quarterly returns and employment agreements during the negotiation rather than after closing, when the seller has less reason to help. A business acquired with staff answers marginality on the day of purchase; a business acquired as assets and reopened with the owner alone has to answer it with a forecast instead, which is always the harder argument.
Substantial is a ratio, not a threshold
There is no published minimum for an E-2 investment, and asking what number is enough misunderstands the test. Substantiality is proportional: the amount is weighed against the cost of buying an established enterprise or the cost of establishing a viable new one of that kind. A dealership bought for a modest sum can be substantially invested in, while the same sum put toward a business needing far more capital is not. The proportion improves as more of the total is actually committed, which is why funds already spent on inventory, equipment, leasehold work and licences carry more weight than a bank balance held in readiness.
Direct it yourself, and plan past the status
The investor must develop and direct the enterprise, which ordinarily means holding at least half of it or otherwise controlling operations. Passive ownership does not qualify, and an arrangement where a manager runs everything while the investor visits quarterly invites the question of who is actually directing. Keep evidence of the decisions taken: hiring, pricing, supplier terms, capital spending. Then plan beyond the category. E-2 is renewable but temporary and offers no direct path to permanent residence, so a household intending to settle should be examining immigrant options alongside the business rather than discovering the ceiling at the third renewal.
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.