Read the general investor planning overview
A Central Saanich investor should describe the reserve’s actual purpose, ownership and commitment. Neither a blanket exclusion nor automatic acceptance based on its label is a sound account of the facts. The decision is not whether a reserve is called working capital; it is whether the money is owned and controlled by the investor, committed through enforceable business obligations, and exposed to the enterprise’s success or failure. An E-2 file should show lawful source and path, treaty nationality, qualifying ownership, development and direction, substantiality, and a real enterprise that is not marginal. The first review should end with a clear choice: commit the funds on terms that create genuine business exposure, change the transaction structure, or wait until the record is ready. A large uncommitted balance may be financially prudent, but it is not automatically qualifying capital.
Trace the reserve
Establish lawful source and path and explain how funds are committed to the enterprise and exposed to risk. Separate actual operating resources from money merely available for a possible future decision. Create a dated source-and-use ledger. For every amount, record its origin, transfer, recipient, legal commitment, and supporting document. Mark funds still freely accessible as such rather than treating them as invested merely because they are intended for later payroll or expansion. For a loan, preserve the note, security documents, lender source records where relevant, and proof of personal liability. For a gift, preserve the donor’s lawful source and transfer record. These paths are not interchangeable simply because both result in money arriving in the applicant’s account.
Connect the funds to the investor
At least 50% relevant treaty-country national enterprise ownership and the applicant’s development and direction remain required. A balance alone does not establish either condition. Read the corporate documents and commercial agreements together. Share ownership may establish nationality, but operating agreements, signing authority, and job descriptions show who will develop and direct the company. The reader must decide whether control is real before relying on a percentage alone. A business can hire advisers and still be directed by the investor, but the documents should show the distinction. Identify who signs binding contracts, controls accounts, chooses staff, and makes operating decisions. Formal shares with no practical authority warrant closer analysis.
Preserve the business rationale
A real nonmarginal enterprise must meet the applicable more-than-minimal-living or significant-economic-contribution standard. There is no universal E-2 minimum or ten-job quota. Spending solely to generate receipts cannot replace a credible explanation of the actual investment and operations. Hypothetical example: a museum-exhibit fabricator pays a deposit for a US workshop, orders specialized display cases, and retains a reserve for future hires. The decision is whether to proceed with the application after the deposit and orders are contractually binding or wait until a larger purchase is completed. The lease, vendor contracts, wire records, ownership documents, and realistic hiring plan settle the point. The reserve can be described honestly as available operating money, but should not be counted automatically as committed capital merely because the business expects to spend it later. Update the plan when a material fact changes. If a vendor withdraws, a lease falls through, or the staffing model is reduced, revise both the figures and the explanation of how the enterprise will operate. Consistency between the records is more useful than an optimistic original forecast.
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.