Guides on the E-2 treaty investor visa for Canadians and other treaty-country nationals: eligibility, the investment, timelines, change of status, spouses and children, and the routes from E-2 to a green card. Canada is an E-2 treaty country (treaty effective January 1, 1994), and Canadian citizens are directly eligible to apply.
The E-2 visa is a U.S. non-immigrant visa that allows nationals of countries with a qualifying treaty of commerce with the United States to enter and work in the U.S. based on a substantial investment in a bona fide U.S. business. It is renewable indefinitely as long as the business continues to operate and the investor maintains treaty country nationality. The E-2 visa also permits dependent spouses and unmarried children under 21 to accompany the principal investor, with E-2S work authorization available for spouses.
Yes — Canada is an E-2 treaty country (treaty effective January 1, 1994), and Canadian citizens are directly eligible to apply.
Canadian E-2 applicants receive among the most favorable terms available: 5-year multiple-entry visas with no reciprocity fee, processed through the U.S. Consulate General in Toronto. To qualify, you must be a Canadian citizen (permanent residents are not eligible — citizenship is required), invest a substantial amount of capital in a bona fide U.S. business, and be coming to the U.S. solely to develop and direct that enterprise.
If you also hold dual citizenship in another treaty country, you can apply on either passport. For Canadian residents who are not citizens, alternative pathways include the EB-5 investor green card, L-1 intra-company transfer, or O-1 extraordinary ability visa.
There is no statutory minimum investment for the E-2 visa. What matters is that the investment is “substantial” relative to the cost of establishing or purchasing the type of business in question, and that the business is more than marginal — meaning it has the capacity to generate more than enough income to support the investor and their family. In practice, most successful E-2 cases involve investments in the range of USD $100,000 to $500,000+, though smaller and larger investments are approved depending on the industry and business model.