Trace the economic transaction so the same value is not counted twice.
Explain credits and adjustments between stages
Show whether an earlier payment reduces the later amount, buys a separate asset or has another genuine treatment. The total contract headline is not a substitute for identifying qualifying committed capital, and E-2 has no universal fixed investment threshold.
Create a sources-and-uses ledger that assigns each dollar once. For every transfer, identify the payer, recipient, asset or ownership interest acquired, any credit against the later closing, and whether the amount can still be withdrawn. Reconcile it to bank records and agreements. E-2 has no universal minimum, but the total qualifying capital must be substantial relative to the enterprise and irrevocably committed at risk. It must support a real, operating, non-marginal business, with lawful source and path documented. Qualifying treaty-country nationality, not permanent residence, and development and direction through 50 percent ownership or operational control remain separate. List government and advisory charges separately. A recurring mistake counts one equipment payment twice. E-2 has no direct green-card route.
Hypothetical example: A Saint-Ambroise commercial-cleaning entrepreneur pays for vehicles, then receives a draft share agreement crediting that exact payment against closing. Her ledger shows the vehicle amount once and reduces the remaining share payment accordingly. It separately lists legal review and application expenses. The reconciled schedule reveals what capital is actually exposed to business risk without inflating the investment by duplicating a negotiated credit.