E-2 visa for a Russian entrepreneur and his family

Andrei and Irina, a married couple from Yekaterinburg. Andrei has his own chain of service stations, where Irina does the bookkeeping. The couple are raising a seven-year-old son.

Andrei's uncle, who lives in the USA, suggested to his nephew that he open a joint firm selling car parts in America. Andrei was well versed in this topic and had free capital, so the decision was affirmative. He also understood the inevitability of the move, because his uncle due to his age could not do business development alone.

Andrei approached us in December 2020 to apply for a visa to the USA. He considered the option of applying for an E-2 visa, but knew that it was impossible to do it directly.

Our lawyers offered Andrei a proven method - obtaining a visa through a second citizenship of a country that has a corresponding agreement with the USA. This country was Grenada for several reasons:

• the citizenship process takes 2-3 months;
• the minimum investment amount is €150 thousand.

In addition to the advantages of obtaining an E-2 visa, Grenada citizenship:

• Allows visa-free travel to 130+ countries around the world, including China, the entire Schengen zone, and the UK;
• does not require you to surrender your previous passport;
• does not require residency in the country. 

It was important for Andrei to obtain an American visa not only for himself, but also for his wife and son.

We made the client happy by saying that his wife and child could obtain a visa together with him, while remaining citizens of the Russian Federation. Only the main applicant for the E-2 needs a Grenada passport.

This significantly reduced costs, because the amount of investment under the Grenada passport program directly depends on the number of participants.

The process of obtaining Grenada citizenship

After signing the cooperation agreement and preliminary screening, the lawyers moved on to discuss the main strategy with Andrew.

The client was offered a choice of two program options: contribution to a government fund and purchase of a share in a hotel. He settled on the hotel room investment return option.

A licensed agent in Grenada, with whom we have a long-standing relationship, found a suitable property. It was the SIX SENSES Hotel. With a minimum investment amount of $220 thousand, the investor received a guarantee of capital return in 5 years and the possibility of passive income at the rate of 3% per annum.

The preliminary agreement to buy a stake in the hotel was signed by power of attorney at the end of December.

In the meantime, the lawyers gathered the documents necessary for Andrei to apply for a Grenada passport and pass a security check:

• passport;
• documents proving the origin of income (bank statements, tax returns, property titles, etc.);
• marriage certificate;
• certificate of absence of criminal record;
• Certificate of company registration;
• Diploma documents on education;
• extract from the Unified State Center for Registration of Legal Entities;

We also arranged for the client to undergo a medical examination at his place of residence and fingerprinting via Skype with a Grenadian notary.

All documents were apostilized, translated and notarized in Grenada. Andrew was at home with his family at the time, his personal presence was not required.

In January 2021, through local agent Margaret Wilkinson, with whom we have a long-standing relationship, we applied for Grenada citizenship.

The client paid the Due Diligence, all related fees and charges (application fee, process fee, legal fees) and transferred 10% of the value of the hotel share to the marketing agent's account (refundable portion in case of rejection).

The wait for the results of the government audit lasted a month and a half. At the beginning of March the answer came: according to the results of the check Andrew was allowed to participate in the Grenada citizenship program.

The applicant transferred the remaining 90% of the value of the hotel share to the developer.

In 2 weeks the agent received a letter of confirmation of Due Diligence and a certificate of naturalization from the Department of Citizenship of Grenada. Based on these documents, Andrew took the oath to Grenada online and a few days later received his passport via DHL.

The process of obtaining an E-2 visa

With the Grenada passport in hand, we began preparing documents for the E-2 visa process for Andrew, his wife and son.

In May, we arranged for the client to have a personal consultation with an American lawyer. As Andrei was going to invest money in a joint business with his uncle, he did not have to think about the investment option.

Within 2 weeks, the client remotely opened a bank account and received an EIN.

 In the meantime, Andrei's uncle rented commercial real estate and registered a company in the USA. In August, the client transferred $100,000 to the account of the company.

After that Andrei accompanied by a lawyer submitted to the U.S. Embassy in Grenada all the documents necessary to obtain a visa, including: a 5-year business plan, company charter, certificates of origin of capital, and a completed application form.

We received a positive decision in a month. 

After the interview and biometrics, which took place in October, Andrei with his wife and son received American visas. Upon arrival at the U.S. airport, the client received from the immigration officer a certificate of admission - a document confirming the investor's right to stay in the United States.

Results of the case

It took just under 10 months to realize Andrei's request for an E-2 U.S. visa. To do so, the lawyers obtained the client's second citizenship in Grenada, which made him eligible for the U.S. investor visa program. Together with the principal applicant, his wife and son also obtained non-immigrant visas, having only a Russian passport.