# e2 visa and partner



## carpqueen (May 22, 2014)

hi there, i am new to your forum but have spent time reading through some very informative posts. I have a question. I am looking to move to florida and obtain an E2 visa ie purchase an existing business. Currently I have a business in the uk which my partner and I run. I am probably going to sell my business in the uk, sell my home, my car etc etc, leave my two teenage sons here (theyre starting out on their own lives now). My question is, can I take along my partner to run this new business in florida with me? He is integral to my business here in the uk. We are deliberating getting married, I'm not overly keen as both of us have been married before :/. My parents and my brother and his wife and two children (their third child currently lives with me, he is 18 and doing an apprenticeship) all live in Florida. They both run their own businesses there. So really my can he come too or would it be better that we marry here first in the uk? many thanks


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## Tff (Nov 29, 2010)

carpqueen said:


> hi there, i am new to your forum but have spent time reading through some very informative posts. I have a question. I am looking to move to florida and obtain an E2 visa ie purchase an existing business. Currently I have a business in the uk which my partner and I run. I am probably going to sell my business in the uk, sell my home, my car etc etc, leave my two teenage sons here (theyre starting out on their own lives now). My question is, can I take along my partner to run this new business in florida with me? He is integral to my business here in the uk. We are deliberating getting married, I'm not overly keen as both of us have been married before :/. My parents and my brother and his wife and two children (their third child currently lives with me, he is 18 and doing an apprenticeship) all live in Florida. They both run their own businesses there. So really my can he come too or would it be better that we marry here first in the uk? many thanks


A lot of posatives and one or 2 negatives.

1st the negative. Not being married on an E2. This means you would need to find a much higher owner benefit as the application will be a partnership and not a family application. Being married also means that one partner can apply for 100% ownership leaving the other partner free to apply for an EAD (work authorisation). 

Posatives. Having parents in the US if they are citizens is great news for you as they can sponsor you for greencards and the chances are you would only need to do one renewal. 
Have you looked at L1 visa ?


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## carpqueen (May 22, 2014)

hi Tff, and thanks for replying  None of my family in Florida are citizens. Getting married may be the only option too. I once went out on an L1 type visa when I was about 18 if I recall, that worked well but came back to the uk after only 6 months. Good experience. My dad's been visiting and working in his various businesses out there since the Freddie Laker days and sadly, although he has invested a great amount of time and money into the country, as it stands he still cannot remain there unless working, which he and my mother are. so from what you say, the ideal plan would be to get married in the uk?, me to own the business in florida 100%? which would allow my partner to work elsewhere should the need arise? many thanks thus far


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

carpqueen said:


> None of my family in Florida are citizens.


Do you have a parent who is a U.S. permanent resident? A U.S. permanent resident is eligible to sponsor his/her unmarried child (of any age) for immigration to the U.S.


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## carpqueen (May 22, 2014)

BBCWatcher said:


> Do you have a parent who is a U.S. permanent resident? A U.S. permanent resident is eligible to sponsor his/her unmarried child (of any age) for immigration to the U.S.


No, we would have to go over with the E2 visa. 

I have spoken to my brother to ask if he can marry us (he was a pastor but can reinstate the marrying bit if required), so i'm thinking we go over, get married, apply for the visa, rent somewhere to live, (i think i may have found the perfect business). If we got married over there, would we have to return to the uk for any reason or could we just carry on with the application? We've both been married before and because my parents spent a fair amount on the first wedding, I really do want to keep costs down. Altho don't I have to apply for the visa at the UK US Embassy? So many questions and so many things to cater for


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

You can get married in the U.S., but you (both) have to leave before your 90 day Visa Waiver Program/ESTA stay permission expires. You cannot work in the U.S. under VWP/ESTA. You'd then carry on with your visa application from the U.K. as a married couple, yes.

As long as your U.S. marriage is legal, that's fine. It can be as simple as a courthouse ceremony plus your US$93.50 (current cost, 2014) Florida marriage license. For the record, Florida (as I write this) is not offering same-sex marriage, but other U.S. states do.


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## carpqueen (May 22, 2014)

BBCWatcher said:


> You can get married in the U.S., but you (both) have to leave before your 90 day Visa Waiver Program/ESTA stay permission expires. You cannot work in the U.S. under VWP/ESTA. You'd then carry on with your visa application from the U.K. as a married couple, yes.
> 
> As long as your U.S. marriage is legal, that's fine. It can be as simple as a courthouse ceremony plus your US$93.50 (current cost, 2014) Florida marriage license. For the record, Florida (as I write this) is not offering same-sex marriage, but other U.S. states do.



thank you, that makes so much sense. i appreciate your reply. will factor that into the plans now


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Why do you not read up on E2 and what is involved in it?


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## carpqueen (May 22, 2014)

twostep said:


> Why do you not read up on E2 and what is involved in it?



I have  i can tick all the boxes, it's just that my partner and I will need to marry, getting everything timed just right and keeping costs to a minimum is the problem. If we marry and I am 100% owner of the new business, my partner could take up work in orlando doing what he does here, when he doesn't work with me. Getting married, selling my uk business, selling my home, finding the right business that I can run alongside my existing expertise in what I do  it all takes some planning. 

I can see the order going something like this, and if anyone can see a big blooper in this please let me know

1) Sell business and home and move into a flat locally in uk (my parents when they visit)
2) Near the end of the above two processes, apply to get marriage paperwork in order for marriage in us
3) fly over and stay with parents, meet inlaws from uk at us airport and get married.
4) in laws fly back and we stay to look over possible business (max 90 days)
5) fly back to uk to start the visa process

Am I missing anything?


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## Davis1 (Feb 20, 2009)

go have a consult with a aila lawyer in London ...
E2 Visa Attorney | Immigration E2 Visa Lawyer | E2 Investment Visa | Hodkinson Law | London

discuss a business plan with this UK bases company 
www.visa2thestates


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## carpqueen (May 22, 2014)

thanks for the visa2thestates link, very good reading, helping me to get things in order


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## DParker (Aug 11, 2015)

carpqueen,

Have you moved to Florida yet?


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