18/05/2024
400,000 Brazilians With Portuguese Citizenship Eligible to Move to US Via E-2 Investor Visa
More than 400,000 Brazilian nationals who also hold Portuguese citizenship, are now able to apply for E-2 investor visas in the US, with the government allowing them to migrate to the North American country, thanks to the recent changes that include Portugal in the list of countries considered for the investor visa program.
All Brazilian nationals with Portuguese citizenship can live and work in the United States, as long as they can invest a certain amount in economically active businesses, VisaGuide.World reports.
The specific amount has yet to be determined, but it will depend on the type of business that is being invested in and what should be considered substantial, as the government pointed out, for that type of activity or business.
Beneficiaries Allowed to Work & Become US Residents
One of the requirements for E-2 investor visas is that the holders have to carry out activities in the business that was invested in, while their dependants, which includes family members such as spouses and children under 21 years old, will be allowed to work and study in the US without any restrictions.
Although the E-2 is not an immediate shortcut to the Green Card, the title allows the immigrant who holds it to live and work in the USA. The condition for such residence is that the business is active and remains viable from an economic point of view.
Gustavo Kanashiro, Immigration Director at Fragomen in Brazil
Some of the requirements that the US government has for E-2 Visa holders include being a national of a country that has a treaty of commerce and navigation with the US. There are more than 80 treaty countries.
The other requirement is related to the investment; the candidate must have been an investor or be actively involved in the process of investing in the US as well as seek to enter the country to develop the investment enterprise – which can be done by holding at least 50 per cent of the ownership of the enterprise.
Portugal Must Apply Reciprocal Measures to US Citizens so That Dual Citizenship Holders Can Obtain E-2 Visas
Dual citizenship holders, which is the case for Brazilians with Portuguese citizenship, are a growing market for immigration possibilities to the US.
However, diplomacy plays a key role in the matter of obtaining such visas. In order for the visa modality to be validated, Kanashiro says that both countries have to implement standards that favour reciprocity of rights.
This means that for Brazilian Portuguese to be able to obtain E-2 visas, the Portuguese government should offer similar opportunities to the US citizens.
Portugal became one of the countries considered for this type of visa in 2022, while many countries in the world are full-on treaty countries. Learn more....
