An E-2 visa for a completely new business may be issued in several ways. Unfortunately, there is not a uniform process because the nature of the E-2 visa varies based on the nature of the U.S.’ bilateral trade treaty with the E-2 country. Some countries have arrangements with the U.S. that make the E-2 visa a very favorable one (Canada, Korea, or Turkey, for example) resulting in a five year, multiple entry visa; on the other hand, some countries have restrictive treaties and the E-2 does not offer a great deal of flexibility (Egypt would be an example of this). The visa itself will be available for use for a short time - 3-6 months and allow for a single entry. In those cases, however, the individual is usually admitted to the U.S. for a two year period, but this makes international travel inconvenient because it would necessitate either a new visa to return or returning as a visitor and taking a hiatus from the company until a change-of-status could be approved. E-2 status is renewable from inside (or outside) the U.S. upon expiry and there is not a limit to the number of times it can be renewed.
The chart below will detail the above for each treaty country:
