Only the actual qualifying contribution should be presented as the investor’s capital.
Separate access to a service from asset ownership
Explain genuine deposits, payments and commitments and avoid double counting. A contract giving access to production does not automatically transfer the entire facility’s value into the applicant’s investment.
Count only assets, cash, deposits, inventory, and contractual commitments that the investor actually owns or funds under qualifying terms. A fee paid for manufacturing services may be relevant at its real amount, but access to another company’s equipment does not make the equipment’s purchase price part of the investment. Trace lawful source and path, confirm when money became irrevocably committed and at risk, and document any refund condition accurately. Then assess whether the total is substantial relative to the cost of establishing or buying this particular enterprise; No fixed statutory dollar floor applies to E-2. Confirm that the venture genuinely operates, is not marginal, has the required treaty ownership, and remains under the investor’s development and direction through at least 50 percent ownership or equivalent operational control. Avoid double counting one payment across machinery access and inventory. Also budget with the knowledge that E-2 provides no direct permanent-residence path.
Hypothetical example: An outdoor-furniture venture devised near Ferland-et-Boilleau pays a manufacturer for its first production run. The investor counts the nonrefundable deposit, purchased designs, owned inventory, and committed operating cash, but excludes the manufacturer’s cutting equipment and records precisely what the service payment secures.