E-2 Visa Interview Questions: 45 Questions and How to Prepare

E-2 visa interview questions test one thing above all: whether the person in front of the officer matches the file. Officers check that the investment is yours and is committed, that you understand and direct the business, that it can grow beyond supporting your family, and that you intend to leave when your E-2 status ends. The best preparation is to know your own numbers and paper trail well, not to memorize answers.

Interview waivers were narrowed in 2025, so E-2 applicants should expect an in-person interview. Below are 45 realistic questions grouped by topic, with what each one is really testing and how to prepare.

What the consular officer is checking

The Foreign Affairs Manual (9 FAM 402.9-6(A)) lists what an officer must decide in an E-2 case. The interview questions map directly to those points:

Requirement	What the officer wants to hear from you
Treaty nationality and ownership	You are a citizen of the treaty country, and treaty nationals own at least 50%
Investment made or in process	Funds are spent or irrevocably committed, and at risk
Substantial investment	The amount is proportional to the cost of the business
Real and operating enterprise	The business exists and produces goods or services
Not marginal	It can generate more than a minimal living for your family, or make a significant economic contribution
Develop and direct	You control the business and make the decisions
Intent to depart	You will leave when E-2 status ends

Questions about your investment

1. How much have you invested in the business so far? Testing: whether you know the total and whether it matches the investment summary.
2. What did you spend the money on? Testing: that funds are actually spent or committed, not parked in an account.
3. How much is still in the business bank account, and what is it for? Testing: whether uncommitted cash is being counted as investment.
4. Is any part of the investment in escrow? What are the release conditions? Testing: irrevocable commitment, which escrow conditioned on visa issuance can satisfy.
5. How did you arrive at the purchase price? Testing (acquisitions): fair value and a real arm’s-length deal.
6. What is the total cost to get this business fully operating? Testing: the proportionality test for a “substantial” investment.
7. Did you borrow any of the money? What is the collateral? Testing: loans secured by the business’s own assets do not count; personal loans can.
8. What happens to your money if the business fails? Testing: that the funds are genuinely at risk.

How to prepare: know the total, the main line items and the dates. If part of the investment is in escrow, be able to explain it in plain words. See our minimum investment guide.

Questions about source of funds

9. Where did the money come from? Testing: a lawful source you can explain without notes.
10. Walk me through the sale of your property: when, how much, where did the proceeds go? Testing: the paper trail matches your story.
11. Who gave you this gift, and how did they earn the money? Testing: the donor’s own source.
12. Why is there a large deposit in your account in this month? Testing: unexplained transactions in your bank statements.
13. How did you move the money to the United States? Testing: path of funds through wires and currency exchange.
14. Were any funds held in cash or moved through other people? Testing: gaps that could hide an unlawful source.
15. Are these savings from your salary? How long did you take to accumulate them? Testing: plausibility against your income history.

How to prepare: draw a one-page map of every source, amount, date and transfer. Officers often pick one transaction from your statements and ask about it. Our E-2 source of funds guide shows what records to have ready.

Questions about the business

16. Describe your business in one minute. Testing: whether you understand your own business model.
17. Who are your customers, and how will you reach them? Testing: a real market and marketing plan.
18. Who are your main competitors? Why will customers choose you? Testing: local market knowledge.
19. Why this city and this location? Testing: a reasoned choice, not a random one.
20. Is the business operating now? What have you sold so far? Testing: real and active enterprise.
21. Do you have a signed lease? What are the terms? Testing: commitment and operational readiness.
22. What revenue do you expect in year one? Year three? Year five? Testing: you know the projections in your business plan.
23. When will the business be profitable? Testing: non-marginality within about five years.
24. What are your largest monthly costs? Testing: whether the numbers are yours or a template’s.
25. Who wrote your business plan? Testing: whether you can discuss every part of it. A consultant-written plan is fine if it reflects your decisions.

How to prepare: reread your business plan the week before. Practice a one-minute and a three-minute description of the business.

Questions about your experience and role

26. What is your professional background? Testing: relevant management or industry experience.
27. Have you run a business before? What happened to it? Testing: ability to develop and direct.
28. Why this industry? Testing: a credible connection between your background and the business.
29. What will you do day to day? Testing: that you direct the business rather than work as an ordinary employee or passive owner.
30. Who else owns part of the company, and what nationality are they? Testing: 50% treaty ownership and your control.
31. Who makes the final decisions if you and your partner disagree? Testing: control, including 50/50 negative control.
32. How will you manage the business if you have no experience in this field? Testing: whether a qualified manager fills the gap under your direction.

How to prepare: connect your past experience to the business clearly. If you are new to the industry, explain who brings the expertise and how you oversee them. See E-2 ownership rules.

Questions about hiring and growth

33. How many employees do you have now? Testing: current operations and payroll evidence.
34. How many will you hire in the next five years, and when? Testing: the hiring plan in your business plan.
35. What roles will they fill, and what will you pay them? Testing: realistic wages for your market.
36. How will the business pay for those salaries? Testing: revenue that supports payroll.
37. How will this business support anyone besides you and your family? Testing: marginality directly.
38. Will you hire U.S. workers? Testing: economic contribution.
39. Are you bringing any employees from your home country? Testing: E-2 employee plans, which need their own applications.

How to prepare: know your payroll number for each year and the revenue that covers it. A vague “five to eight employees” is weaker than named roles with dated hires.

Questions about your family and intent

40. Who is coming with you? Testing: derivative applicants and their relationship to you.
41. What will your spouse do in the United States? Testing: whether the spouse, not you, will really run the business. An E-2 spouse may work, so this question is about credibility.
42. Where will your children go to school? Testing: realistic planning.
43. What will you do when your E-2 status ends? Testing: intent to depart when status ends.
44. Do you plan to apply for a green card? Testing: nonimmigrant intent. The E-2 is not a dual-intent visa.
45. Have you or your family ever applied for a U.S. immigrant visa or been refused a visa? Testing: consistency with your DS-160 and immigration history.

How to prepare: be honest. The Foreign Affairs Manual says an unequivocal statement of intent to depart when status ends is normally sufficient, and you do not need to keep a home abroad. Do not deny an interest you have already acted on, such as a pending immigrant petition; discuss sequencing with your attorney. See E-2 dual intent.

Interview tips

• Answer the question asked, then stop. Short, accurate answers beat long stories.
• Use your own words. Scripted answers sound scripted, and officers notice.
• Know your numbers. Investment total, major expenses, year-one revenue, hiring plan and payroll.
• Bring updated evidence. Recent bank statements, new contracts, new hires and sales since filing, in a slim folder you offer only when relevant.
• Bring what the post asks for. Usually your passport, DS-160 confirmation, appointment letter, fee receipt, a copy of the submitted package and originals of key documents. Our E-2 document checklist helps.
• Be consistent. Your answers will be compared with your DS-160 and package.
• Do not guess. If you are unsure of a figure, say you will confirm it.
• Dress for a business meeting and arrive early with family members’ documents organized.

Warning signs during the interview

Some questions suggest the officer has a specific concern. Treat them as a chance to address it directly.

What the officer asks	Likely concern	How to respond
“Why is this money still in your account?”	Investment not committed	Explain what it is committed to and when, or that it is working capital the plan requires
“How will this support anyone besides you?”	Marginality	Point to the hiring plan and revenue growth
“Who actually runs the business?”	Develop and direct	Describe your decisions and authority concretely
“Where did this deposit come from?”	Source of funds	Walk through the specific transaction and its documents

After the interview

Officers often decide at the end of the interview. If approved, the passport is returned with the visa. If the officer needs more information, you receive a 221(g) notice listing what to submit; this is a temporary refusal while the case is incomplete, not a final denial. If the case is refused, read E-2 denial reasons before reapplying. For where the interview fits in the full sequence, see the E-2 application process.

Next steps

Our clients go into the interview knowing their plan because they built it with us, and we rehearse the investment timeline and source-of-funds story before the appointment. If your interview is coming up, or you are still building the business, book a consultation. You can also check your basics with the E-2 eligibility checker.