Pursuant to the treaty investor agreement signed and executed between the United States and Israel, The US Department of State announced that from May 1, 2019, the E-2 Treaty Investor Visa became available for Israeli citizens wishing to make a substantial investment in or set up a business here in the United States.
To qualify for the E-2 visas, treaty investors and employees have to demonstrate that they are coming to the United States to develop and direct the operations of an enterprise in which the applicant has invested a substantial amount of capital (at least 50% ownership), or to work in the enterprise as an executive, supervisor, or essentially skilled employee. Qualified treaty investors and employees will be allowed a maximum initial stay of two years and extensions may be granted in increments of up to two years each. Spouses of E-2 applicants can also apply for dependent visas and seek for work authorizations.
Given the general difficulty in procuring employment and investment based visas into the United States, the flexibility of the E-2 visa is set to benefit the United States especially with Israel given their history of innovation in the technology sector. This new arrangement will foster, organize and advance newer avenues for US – Israel business and entrepreneurship ventures.