Read the general investor planning overview
A North Saanich investor should explain what the business has really done instead of treating an original forecast as permanent evidence of its economic capacity. A current E-2 review compares the business’s present record with the applicant’s remaining commitments, not merely with the optimism of the original plan. It should identify what has been paid or bound by an irrevocable obligation, what remains available but uncommitted, and how the enterprise is actually producing revenue and employment. The reader must decide whether to apply on the existing evidence, complete a necessary commitment first, or revise the plan to describe the business that will really operate.
Review current operating results
Identify relevant income, costs, staffing and commitments. Explain material differences and distinguish recurring activity from a one-time receipt or an unsupported expectation. Start with statements, invoices, signed contracts, payroll records, tax filings if available, and a current profit-and-loss statement. Label a one-time sale or owner advance accurately rather than presenting it as recurring operating income. The result is a record that allows the reviewer to see which forecast assumptions worked, which did not, and what the business changed in response.
Apply the complete investor conditions
At least 50% relevant treaty-country national ownership, development and direction, substantial at-risk capital and lawful source/path remain required. The enterprise must be real; a favourable forecast alone cannot establish every condition. Funds in a personal account generally do not become E-2 capital merely because the investor intends to spend them. The investment must be irrevocably committed and at risk, with a documented lawful source and path, in a real operating enterprise. Hypothetical example: a commercial window-cleaning company has signed a US lease, bought safety equipment, and paid deposits for two service vehicles, but keeps the remaining payroll reserve in the owner’s account. The owner must decide whether the committed outlays and signed obligations already make a sufficient case or whether the reserve should remain honestly identified as working capital rather than claimed as committed investment. The lease, invoices, bank trail, ownership record, and service contracts settle that choice.
Address nonmarginality on the applicable timeline
Use the more-than-minimal-living or significant-economic-contribution framework and relevant timing rules. No universal E-2 minimum or ten-job quota applies. Updated projections should disclose their assumptions rather than imply an unlimited period to satisfy the standard. The enterprise cannot be marginal: it must have present or future capacity to generate more than a minimal living for the investor and family or make a significant economic contribution. A small start-up may use credible projections, but those projections should state assumptions, staffing timing, and the basis for expected revenue. The decision is not whether the investor can buy a larger receipt; it is whether the operating plan and evidence show a viable, nonmarginal business under the applicable timeframe.
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.