Search fund in US with E2 visa pathway

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April 06, 2026

by a searcher from INSEAD in London, UK

Has anyone pursued an acquisition in US as a non-resident, and used E2 visa to transfer to US and operate the company? Looking for advice on feasibility and structure - how did you source the debt and structure the deal (visa contingent closing structure?)
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Reply by a searcher
from Universität Mannheim in Munich, Germany
You should probably talk to an specialized lawyer. My understanding is that if you are buying the company with your own funds there shouldn't be any problem. If you want to finance then it will get trickier, as you cannot use the SBA program. Another thing to consider is that the E2 process can take several months, so you would have to manage the company from abroad for some time or have a seller willing to wait until the visa process is finished.
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Reply by a lender
from Eastern Illinois University in 900 E Diehl Rd, Naperville, IL 60563, USA
We work with SBA, conventional bank and non-bank lenders for financing acquisitions. At the moment I am not really seeing lenders in any of those classes betting on operators that are not already legally here in the U.S. due to the changing immigration situation. Most lenders do not want to fund a business to an owner that may not be able to be onsite to run that business. That is just what I am seeing. Someone else might have some lenders that are doing some different.
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