Separate the commercial investment from government application charges, professional preparation, translations, travel and family application expenses. A larger total budget does not turn every payment into qualifying E-2 investment.
Keep business and immigration budgets distinct
Business acquisition, startup equipment, premises and operating cash have different evidence and treatment. Current government charges depend on the procedure and may vary by nationality or service requested. Verify them before payment.
Also allow for ordinary business obligations while the application is pending and household expenses after moving, without presenting those personal reserves as money already committed to the enterprise. Spending on a move falls into categories that the analysis keeps apart. Hypothetical example: A founder acquiring a small insurance brokerage totals the purchase price, professional charges, a year of family living costs and the application expenses, then presents the sum as the investment.
The category does not work that way: household spending and immigration charges are not capital placed in the enterprise, and counting them inflates a figure the reviewer will test against the actual cost of acquiring or establishing the business. Maintain three ledgers — qualifying investment, business operating costs, and personal or application expenses — and be able to say which is which on demand. A budget that cannot be separated invites questions about every entry in it.