E2 Treaty Investor Visa
No lottery · Unlimited renewals · Spouse work authorization · 80+ treaty countries
Total E2 issued (FY2024):412,200
What is E2?
✓ Advantages
No lottery — available year-round
Unlimited renewals (no 6-year cap)
Spouse automatically authorized to work
Faster processing than H1B
Available from outside the US
⚠ Limitations
Only for treaty country nationals
Must work for a treaty-country employer
Does not directly lead to green card
Tied to the sponsoring company
India, China, Vietnam — not eligible
H1B vs E2 comparison
H1B
E2
Lottery
~25% chance
No lottery ✓
Nationality
Any
Treaty countries only
Duration
6 years max
Unlimited renewals
Spouse work
Conditional
Automatic ✓
Green card path
Direct (PERM)
Indirect only
Employer
Any US employer
Treaty-country only
Processing
2-4 months
2-4 months
Treaty countries — E2 visas issued (FY2024)
Top 30 shown1🇨🇦
Canada
99,790
2🇯🇵
Japan
94,390
3🇲🇽
Mexico
54,080
4🇰🇷
Korea
25,550
5🇩🇪
Germany
23,740
6🇬🇧
United Kingdom
20,000
7🇫🇷
France
19,430
8🇪🇸
Spain
11,880
9🇮🇹
Italy
11,590
10🇹🇼
Taiwan
10,280
11🇦🇷
Argentina
5,100
12🇨🇴
Colombia
2,410
13🇦🇹
Austria
2,340
14🇳🇱
Netherlands
2,340
15🇦🇺
Australia
2,290
16🇩🇰
Denmark
1,960
17🇹🇷
Turkey
1,880
18🇮🇱
Israel
1,830
19🇨🇭
Switzerland
1,820
20🇧🇪
Belgium
1,770
21🇮🇪
Ireland
1,700
22🇸🇪
Sweden
1,680
23🇨🇱
Chile
1,040
24🇳🇴
Norway
840
25🇹🇭
Thailand
500
26🇳🇿
New Zealand
440
27🇵🇭
Philippines
430
28🇵🇱
Poland
410
29🇸🇬
Singapore
230
30🇵🇹
Portugal
80
Not eligible for E2
🇮🇳 India🇨🇳 China🇻🇳 Vietnam🇮🇩 Indonesia🇧🇷 Brazil🇷🇺 Russia🇳🇬 Nigeria🇵🇰 Pakistan🇧🇩 Bangladesh🇳🇵 Nepal
Nationals of non-treaty countries can still pursue H1B or L1 visas. India and China nationals should consider Canada as a faster path to permanent residency (1.5-2 years vs 15-20 years in the US).
E2 visa data from U.S. Department of State FY2024. Issuance counts include both principal applicants and derivatives. E2 eligibility requires nationality of a treaty country — not just residency. Consult an immigration attorney for case-specific advice.