Hello our friends from New Zealand and thank you for watching this video.
In this video I wanted to let you know and announce an amazing change in the law that
allows now people from New Zealand to come to the United States and start a business
no matter what area you have an interest to start a business.
Now you can do that.
This is a new law that had just passed about a couple of weeks ago in August, 2018.
It's called an E-2 visa and an E-1 visa that would allow you people from New Zealand to
come to the United States for a temporary period to start any business with an investment
as low as $50,000, U.S. dollars.
You can start any business you want.
Before I explain about what the E-2 and the E-1 Visas are, I just want to give you a little
background about us and our offer.
So my name is Jacob Saponick and I'm an immigration attorney based in San Diego, California.
In the past 15 years, we helped thousands of entrepreneurs and business owners come
to the United States and start companies and businesses all over the U.S.
We specialize in the E-1 an E-2 visa.
We have a full division in the office helping people with, forming their company's business
plan, strategy, consulting, everything, helping a foreign investor come to the United States
safely, and be able to transition to start their companies and be successful.
The E-2 Visa that there was never available before to people from New Zealand is now an
option.
We are now recording this video in September and now the U.S. embassy in Oakland has opened
to allow people from New Zealand to invest and come to the United States.
The E-2 visa will allow any investor from New Zealand, first of all to start any company
as long as they invest a substantial amount.
Again, we recommend at least 50,000 U.S. dollars, but ideally it will be 100,000 that can be
invested in any business.
You can purchase a business.
So as long as you purchase a business, it could be a franchise, it could be an existing
business or you can start your own business.
So you can start a consulting company, you can start a restaurant, a coffee shop, whatever
you desire, you can do that.
As long as you can prove that the money that you bring from New Zealand is legitimate.
So it has to be a legitimate source of funds.
It cannot be …It has to be, we have to prove where you've earned that income in New Zealand
before you move that funds into United States to form an entity in the U.S.
That entity will be holding the funds and that is going to be the company that will
allow you to start operations.
So typically the way it's going to work in practice is that you will enter the U.S. as
a visitor because we don't have the investor visa yet.
You'll be able to come here.
You can state at the port of entry that you were coming to, to be here an investor.
You have a few months to set up your company, to move the funds into your U.S. entity.
You'll be able to get an office space if it's going to be a consulting company.
If you're going to buy an existing business, you'll be able to put your money in escrow
and purchase that business, show that you are using the money that you brought from
New Zealand for the purpose of the business.
You have to… this is called a investment period.
And once you do all of that, we'll be able to document all this in a package.
That'll be sent to the U.S. embassy in Oakland whereby you have…you'll be called for an
interview.
At that interview they will ask you, why are you coming to the U.S.?
What is the purpose of your investment?
Why you want to go into that particular area.
They'll verify the source of your funds.
They'll see that you put the money address, if you actually invested and then the visa
will be issued.
Once the E-2 visa is issued, you'll be able to come to the United States and start your
business.
If you're married, you can bring your spouse and your spouse will be eligible for a work
permit as well.
If you have children, your kids will be able to go to school here.
Your spouse and yourself will be able to get a social security number to be able to start
your life in the U.S.
And all this is possible under the new E-2 visa, which is an investment visa.
There's another visa that it was passed as part of this new legislation, the Kiwi Act,
and that's an E-1 Visa.
Now the E-1 visa would allow somebody from New Zealand to start a trading business with
the U.S.
So for example, let's say you have something, an agricultural company or you're trading
goods online or you're trading goods.
You're sending your maybe hats or clothes or food from New Zealand to United States
or vice versa.
If you have a trading business, that business can and at least 50 percent of the trade is
done with the U.S. or that's your plan for your new business.
You may be eligible for an E-1.
Again, this is a visa that had never existed before, but now people from New Zealand are
able to apply for the E-1 or E-2 visa to start their trade business.
So if you're interested in doing a trade business, it's another option for you guys to do that
by applying for the E-1.
Those are amazing opportunities because both the E-2 and the E-1 are visas that never existed
before for people from New Zealand.
So before, if somebody from New Zealand had a company and they wanted to open a branch
office, they could do it with an L visa. if they found a job in the U.S. they could come.
But there was no other way for somebody from New Zealand who just come here and invest
in their own business and just relocate.
And it's an amazing opportunity that will help trade in business from both countries,
between the U.S. and New Zealand.
And it also applies to U.S. citizens that want to come to New Zealand and start companies.
It's a reciprocity kind of visa that allows people from the U.S. do the same thing in
New Zealand.
Then if you have questions you can post them in the comments below this video and I'll
be happy to answer.
But yeah, I'm doing this… we're doing this video is a, as an information service because
we work with clients all over the world and want to be able to help people that are interested
to come to the United States and start a company and we hope to see more of you coming to the
U.S. starting businesses and enjoying the life in the U.S.
And again, it's just a temporary visa.
It's not a green card.
You don't immigrate.
You can come for a couple…a few years.
Try your luck in the U.S. and share your, your experience and just the culture of New
Zealand with us, you know, people in America.
And we would love to see you here and we welcome you here to start your companies.
And again, if you have any questions post them in the comments below and I'll love to
see you here and help you with your new ventures in the U.S. Thanks for watching.
And we welcome you to United States with this new visa opportunity.