A little-known but increasingly popular visa program lets foreign nationals open and invest in businesses, pay taxes, hire American workers and send their children to public schools — but does not let them become permanent residents.
This past year, state and federal lawmakers tried to reform the program, but like the rest of the country’s immigration system, the proposed legislation failed to gain traction.
“I’ve seen some E-2 owners have families in the U.S. and they have a U.S. citizen child who turns 21. And the child can petition (to have their parents become residents), but that takes over 20 years,” said Brent Renison, an immigration lawyer for the Portland, Ore., firm Parrilli Renison.
