North America · United States · Updated 2026-07-20

US investor immigration: EB-5 green cards and the E-2 treaty visa

The two main US investor routes explained — the EB-5 green card (with its US$800k/US$1.05m tiers) and the renewable E-2 treaty investor visa — and who each suits.

The United States offers two very different investor routes: one leads to a green card, the other is a renewable temporary visa. Choosing correctly depends on your nationality and your goals.

EB-5: the investor green card

The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program grants a green card (permanent residence) to an investor, their spouse, and unmarried children under 21. Under the 2022 reform law:

• The minimum investment is US$1,050,000, reduced to US$800,000 if the money goes into a Targeted Employment Area (a rural or high-unemployment area) or an infrastructure project.
• The investment must create at least 10 full-time US jobs.
• A share of visas is set aside for rural, high-unemployment, and infrastructure projects, which can mean shorter waits for applicants from heavily backlogged countries.

EB-5 is open to any nationality, which is why it is the main US route for investors from countries such as India and China. The trade-off is cost, complexity, and — for some nationalities — long queues.

E-2: the treaty investor visa

The E-2 visa is a non-immigrant (temporary) visa for nationals of countries that have a commerce treaty with the US. It is not a green card, but it is renewable more or less indefinitely while your business qualifies.

• There is no fixed minimum, but the investment must be “substantial” relative to the business and enough to run it.
• You must own at least 50% or control the business, and it must be a real, active enterprise — not passive.
• Spouses can work; children can study.

A catch: some large countries (including India and China) are not E-2 treaty countries. Some investors obtain a qualifying second citizenship (for example through Türkiye or Grenada) specifically to access the E-2 route.

What this means for applicants

Choose EB-5 if permanent residence is the goal and you can commit the capital; choose E-2 if you want to actively run a US business on a renewable basis and hold (or can obtain) a treaty-country nationality. Both benefit from specialist US immigration counsel.

US thresholds and treaty lists change. Verify current figures with USCIS and the State Department before proceeding.