Can I live in the U.S. if I buy or start a small business?
Yes, if you can qualify as an E-2 Treaty Investor. That is a non-immigrant visa category that permits a non-citizen investor to start up a new business or to purchase an existing business. The benefits of E-2 status are that the visa category has no maximum periods of stay, the status is renewable indefinitely, and the alien is permitted to work in the U.S.
To qualify you must be a national of one the countries with which the U.S. has a Treaty of Commerce & Navigation. You also must have invested or be actively in the process of investing a "substantial amount of money". While there are no fixed dollar amounts for the investment, as a minimum the investment generally must be in the $50,000 to $300,000 range. The investment must be an active commercial enterprise and you must take an active role in managing and directing the business.
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