Opening a restaurant in America??

[nimmie 0]

Not sure where to post this question. Hope it's OK here.

A friend of mine living in Thailand would like to come here to open a Thai restaurant. She would like to know...

1. How much would a Thai person not a U.S. citizen have to invest to open the restaurant in America in order to get a work permit and live here legally?

2. How long does it take to get the work permit to work in the restaurant?

3. After getting the work permit, how long does it take to get a green card?

4. What is the timeline and process of getting the work permit and green card?

5. Any other suggestion is welcome.

Thanks for your help!

Edited July 15, 2008 by nimmie

[john_and_marlene 162]

http://immigration.lawyers.com/E2-Investor-Visa.html

E2 Investor Visa

Andrew Wilson

The E-2 visa was established to give effect to those treaties between the United States and certain foreign countries that provide reciprocal benefits to nationals of each country who invest in the other country.

The E-2 "investor visa" is available to an applicant who invests a substantial amount of his own money into a U.S. business which he can control and direct. The investment can be to purchase an existing business or to start up a new one.

The investor visa is based upon an existing treaty or agreement between the United States and the applicant's homeland to advance trade and/or commerce. Some countries have limited their treaties with the U.S. to only provide for "trade" between the two countries. Other countries have both trade and investment provisions.

Requirements for an E-2

For a successful E-2 visa, the applicant must show:

The existence of a treaty or agreement between the U.S. and the foreign country that includes reciprocal investment provisions

Majority ownership or control of the U.S. business is held by nationals of the home country of the applicant

The business must be real and active - not passive

The investment cannot be solely for purposes of earning a living for the applicant, but must also provide job opportunities or generate income or some economic benefit for others

There must be a "substantial investment." The issue of whether an investment is "substantial" is complex and proportional. It's generally defined as the amount invested, weighed against the total value of the enterprise for established businesses, or the amount normally considered necessary to establish a viable enterprise for a new business.

An application form OF156 with photographs

Application Fees

E-2 visas are also available to employees who have the same nationality as the company. These employees must be managers, executives or highly-trained, specialized and essential employees.

The duration of the visa varies from country to country but it is renewable upon submission of continuing qualification.

Procedures and Processing Time for E-2s

It's possible and usual to make the application for an E-2 visa through a U.S. Consulate abroad. The investor/applicant files an application at a Consular Post in his or her homeland, together with supporting documentation to satisfy the requirements relating to nationality, ownership of the investment enterprise, substantiality, investment, control and marginality or economic benefit to others than the investor. It usually takes four to six weeks for the Consular Officer to review the application and make a decision. The Consular Officer may approve or deny the application, or ask for additional evidence on qualification. If approved, the visa is issued at that Consulate.

[john_and_marlene 162]

http://www.visasforus.com/visas/E2.html

COUNTRIES ELIGIBLE FOR TREATY VISAS

Treaties marked with one asterisk (*) contain only treaty trader provisions and allow only E1 issuance, not E2. Treaties marked with two asterisks (**) contain only treaty investor provisions and allow only E2 issuance, not E1.

ARGENTINA

AUSTRALIA

AUSTRIA

BANGLADESH**

BELGIUM

BOLIVIA*

BRUNEI*

BULGARIA**

CAMEROON**

CANADA

CHINA (Taiwan)

COLOMBIA

CONGO**

COSTA RICA

CZECH REPUBLIC**

DENMARK*

EGYPT**

ESTONIA*

ETHIOPIA

FINLAND

FRANCE

GERMANY (FRG)

GREECE*

GRENADA**

HONDURAS

IRAN

IRELAND

ISRAEL*

ITALY

JAPAN

KAZAKHSTAN** KOREA

KYRGYZSTAN**

LATVIA*

LIBERIA

LUXEMBOURG

MEXICO

MOROCCO**

NETHERLANDS

NORWAY

OMAN

PAKISTAN

PANAMA**

PARAGUAY

PHILIPPINES

POLAND**

ROMANIA**

SENEGAL**

SLOVAK REPUBLIC**

SPAIN

SRI LANKA**

SURINAME

SWITZERLAND

SWEDEN

THAILAND

TOGO

TUNISIA**

TURKEY

UNITED KINGDOM

YUGOSLAVIA

ZAIRE**

[john_and_marlene 162]

The E2 visa is a nonimmigrant visa. To get an immigrant visa, the business investment must be a minimum of $1,000,000 ($500,000 for rural areas or areas with 150% of the national average for unemployment) and create employment for 10 or more US workers.

[nimmie 0]

The E2 visa is a nonimmigrant visa. To get an immigrant visa, the business investment must be a minimum of $1,000,000 ($500,000 for rural areas or areas with 150% of the national average for unemployment) and create employment for 10 or more US workers.

Thanks for your help! Great info!!