A private contract does not guarantee the immigration timetable.
Coordinate the commercial plan with actual readiness
Review commitments and contingency assumptions while the application is prepared. Do not promise a start date based solely on the customer schedule or begin US work without the appropriate permission.
Work backward from the commercial deadline without representing it as an immigration promise. Identify when capital will become irrevocably committed and at risk, when the enterprise can operate, when supporting contracts and lawful-source records will be complete, and which activities must wait for E-2 authorization. Maintain a delivery contingency in case government review extends beyond the customer’s preferred date; neither urgency nor contractual penalties guarantee a decision. The file still needs treaty-country nationality, qualifying enterprise ownership, substantial investment relative to cost, a real nonmarginal business, and control sufficient to develop and direct, normally half ownership or its operational equivalent. Do not begin productive US work simply because equipment has shipped or the customer is ready. E-2 also lacks a direct green-card path, so future residence decisions need their own sequence. The common failure is promising performance before the immigration and operational dependencies align.
Hypothetical example: A specialty food-packaging entrepreneur in Sainte-Rose-du-Nord accepts a requested launch date for a proposed venture. She negotiates a delivery window, documents committed machinery purchases, and assigns no unauthorized US production to herself. The customer calendar guides planning but is never presented as control over the E-2 adjudication.