Read the general investor planning overview
A Saint-Ambroise investor buying equipment and ownership interests at different times needs a record that separates completed commitments from future rights. The first review should produce a payment ledger that identifies the source, transfer date, recipient, contract clause and commercial consequence of every dollar. Hypothetical example: A Canadian owner of a bicycle-dynamo workshop pays a supplier deposit before buying the shares of the US company. The decision is whether that deposit is truly tied to the enterprise acquisition or remains a recoverable personal arrangement.
Explain credits without counting the same value twice
Reconcile each payment with the asset, share or right actually acquired and any reduction in the later closing amount. E-2 has no fixed minimum investment: capital must be substantial, lawfully sourced and traced, and genuinely at risk. Review the actual treatment of working capital and escrow rather than automatically excluding them or assuming any reserved money qualifies. Read the purchase agreement, escrow instruction, loan terms, bank records and invoices together. The decisive record is often the condition that says when money is released, returned or forfeited. Funds that remain available for unrelated personal use do not carry the same weight as money committed to the business. The reader must decide which payments are already exposed to commercial loss and which need a different transaction structure.
Prove the operating enterprise at the relevant stage
Treaty nationality, at least 50% relevant national enterprise ownership and the applicant’s ability to develop and direct remain necessary. The enterprise must be real and nonmarginal, exceeding minimal family support or meeting the applicable significant economic-contribution standard; there is no ten-job quota. A later contemplated ownership transfer should not be described as effective before its actual conditions are satisfied. The investment must be substantial in relation to this enterprise, committed and at risk, while the business must be real and not marginal. Confirm treaty nationality, the required majority treaty-national ownership and the investor’s ability to direct and develop the operation. A projected opening date is not enough. The decision is whether the present record proves a viable enterprise now, rather than describing an investment that may happen later.
What else is on your mind?
Is there one minimum investment that guarantees E-2 eligibility?Is holding money or owning an asset enough for E-2?Editorial source review: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.