John J. Hykel can help you obtain legal work status in the United States if you invest in an American enterprise.

There are temporary visas (E-2 and L-1) for investors and permanent resident visas for investors (EB-5). In both cases, you must make a substantial investment in an American business. The business may already be in existence or you may start a new business.  

• E-2 Investor Visas allow individuals to enter and work inside the United States based on an investment he or she will be controlling while inside the U.S. The E-2 visa must be renewed every two years, but there is no limit to how many times it can be renewed. The investment must be a substantial amount of capital in a bona fide enterprise in the United States and you must be a national of a country with which the United States maintains a treaty of commerce and navigation.  

• L-1 visas are available to employees of an international company with offices in both the United States and abroad. L-1 visas allow foreign workers to relocate to the corporation’s U.S. office after working abroad for the company for at least one continuous year within the previous three prior to admission in the United States. The U.S. and non-U.S. employer must be related in a number of specified ways. L-1 visas also allow a foreign company to send an employee to the United States to help establish an affiliated U.S. office with additional requirements.

• EB-5 visas provide a method to obtain a green card for foreign nationals who invest substantial money in the United States.

The temporary visas may be obtained in as little as two (2) weeks. The permanent visa may take several months. Once approved, you may live and work in the United States for several years as a temporary visa holder or permanently, if approved for the permanent resident visa.