TN
That U.S. opportunity is worth a conversation. Explore professional work through the TN pathway.
Picture a small business owner in Anmore weighing whether to put personal capital into a U.S. enterprise. Before any visa category is chosen, the ownership structure, funding source and business plan need to be written down clearly, since an E-2 filing stands or falls on those specifics.
U.S. visa support for Canadians
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TN, L-1A, L-1B, E-2, EB-5 and Gold Card remain the six starting points we work with. For a hypothetical owner-investor, E-2 is usually the first to examine, but comparing it against the others helps confirm it is the right fit rather than the only one considered.
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Gather the paper trail an E-2 reviewer will expect to see.

A believable E-2 case is built from paperwork most owners already have: incorporation documents, bank records, a lease or purchase agreement, and a plan for what the business will actually do. Organizing that material before a legal review saves time later.
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Write down what the U.S. business will do, who will run it day to day, and what stage it is at now, whether that is a concept, a signed lease or an operating company.
List where the capital is coming from and gather the records that show it is yours and lawfully obtained, since source-of-funds documentation is central to a treaty investor case.
Note projected revenue, staffing and growth so a reviewer can assess whether the enterprise is more than a small, marginal source of income for your household.
Match your target start date against the time needed to finish the business plan, gather funding evidence and arrange a review with qualified counsel.
If you are unsure whether E-2 or another category fits your plan, use the journey tool or book a free initial consultation and describe the business as it exists today, not as you hope it will look later.
Find your pathwayPlanning from Anmore? Start with a free initial consultation remotely, from wherever you are working through the business plan. We are not a law firm and collaborate with licensed U.S. attorneys where needed.
Let’s connectArrange a remote consultation to discuss your next steps.
No. U.S. Department of State guidance does not set a fixed dollar floor for E-2 treaty investors; the amount is judged as substantial relative to the total cost of establishing or buying the specific enterprise. A small business can qualify if the investment matches what that type of business actually needs to operate.
Canada has been an E-2 treaty country since January 1, 1994, so Canadian nationality satisfies that element of the classification. The investment, source-of-funds and marginality requirements still have to be met on their own facts.
It refers to a business that would only generate a minimal living for the investor and family, with no real capacity to grow or employ others within a reasonable time. Projected staffing and revenue figures help address this question.
Possibly. EB-5 requires a much larger capital commitment tied to job creation, and the Gold Card program runs through a separate USCIS petition process. A side-by-side comparison against your actual capital and goals is worth doing before committing to one path.
Editorial source review: 2026-09-07.
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