A funding balance, a loan approval and a signed purchase agreement can describe different stages of a transaction. Map the actual proposed commitment and its conditions before concluding what the E-2 record establishes. The investment and operating enterprise must be assessed together, with nationality and control kept visible.
Ask what happens if a condition fails
Hypothetical example: a Calgary buyer’s purchase depends on an immigration outcome and a separate financing condition. Read each trigger for payment, release or cancellation. A qualifying escrow can be relevant, but its label does not answer whether the actual terms meet the requirements. Coordinate transaction and immigration review before making funds irreversible.
Trace the source and identify the security
Show where the funds originate and how they would reach the enterprise. For borrowing, identify the borrower and collateral rather than treating every loan alike. Loans on the investor’s personal signature and loans secured by the investor’s own non-enterprise assets may count. Loans secured by enterprise assets do not count, even if personal property also secures them. Keep a proposed drawdown separate from a completed transfer, and mark missing records instead of smoothing over the funding history.
Explain the enterprise beyond the price
Describe what customers will buy, who will provide it and how the applicant will develop and direct the operation. Substantiality is relative to the business, and non-marginality remains a separate requirement. Supported forecasts help explain a proposal but do not guarantee commercial success. Do not use another applicant’s investment amount as a substitute for reviewing this enterprise. The investment must be substantial relative to the business, committed and at risk. At least 50% treaty-national ownership must establish enterprise nationality, with at least 50% ownership or other qualifying operational control supporting the investor’s development and direction. Nonmarginality means capacity beyond a minimal family living or a significant economic contribution, with future capacity generally realizable within five years. The investor must intend to depart when E status ends; Canadian citizens generally require an E visa.
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.