Practice Areas › Second Citizenship & the E-2 Visa
E-2Second Citizenship & the E-2 Visa
Chinese nationals are not eligible for the E-2 visa because China has no treaty of commerce with the United States. Some families first obtain citizenship of a treaty country, then apply for E-2 to run a business in the U.S.
What we handle
- U.S.-side assessment first: before you spend on a citizenship program, we confirm whether your industry, investment amount, business model and source of funds can meet E-2 requirements, and how the three-year domicile rule affects your family's plans.
- Comparing routes that can lead to E-2: citizenship-by-investment programs such as Grenada and Türkiye, and residence-then-naturalization routes such as Panama and Portugal. Of the five Caribbean citizenship-by-investment countries, only Grenada is an E-2 treaty country.
- The three-year domicile rule: under Section 5902 of the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act (the AMIGOS Act, signed December 2022), a person who acquired treaty-country nationality through a financial investment and has never held E status must have been domiciled in that country for a continuous period of at least three years before applying for E-2.
- The U.S. business and investment: forming or acquiring the U.S. company, the business plan and source-of-funds evidence, meeting the substantial-investment and non-marginality requirements. The citizenship investment and the E-2 investment are separate; one cannot count toward the other.
- The E-2 application: the filing, consular interview preparation, renewals, and status for a spouse and unmarried children under 21.
How we work
We provide U.S. immigration legal services only. We are not an authorized agent for any country's citizenship-by-investment program, we do not sell programs, and we take no program commissions. Foreign citizenship and residence procedures are handled by licensed local counsel or government-authorized agents; we coordinate with them, list early the documents the E-2 will need, and handle the U.S. side. We do not advise on foreign law.
China does not recognize dual nationality, so acquiring another citizenship may affect Chinese nationality and related rights. Please consult a qualified PRC lawyer beforehand.
Further reading
Detailed guides on our immigration information site, youvisa.com (updated October 2026):
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Initial consultations are paid and credited toward your fees if you retain us.