E-1 Treaty Trader Visa

If you are a national of a country which has a treaty for commerce and navigation with the United States, then starting a business or initiating a trade in the US would be easy for you. The Immigration and nationality act offers a non-immigrant status for the nationals of the countries who have a treaty with the US and who wish to start a trade.

The official document granting this type of non immigrant status is the E1 treaty trader visa. You must satisfy the following conditions to become eligible for E1 treaty trader visa: you must be a national of the treaty country, the nationality of the trading company for which you come to the US should also be of the treaty country, the trade that you plan to involve in or work for must be a feasible one (which means that the trade must have substantial funds and size), the trade must be continued, the trade must predominantly exist between the treaty country of the applicant and the US (the US immigration law demands more than 50% of trade involving US and the country of the applicant). Further the applicant must be professionally skilled and technically talented so as to match the requirements of executives or high grade traders. Poor skilled or ordinary skilled workers are not given the E1 treaty trader visa.

E1 treaty trader visa enables the exchange of goods, commodities, man power, services, and technology between the treaty country and the US.

There are certain groups of people who are not eligible for US visas as listed in form DS-156. If such people have the skills to qualify for the E1 treaty trader visa, a waiver of ineligibility can be applied and would be granted the visa if approved.

The application form DS 156-E, duly signed and filled, must be submitted to the US consular office with a non-refundable fee of $100, passport copies and latest photographs. In addition, all male non-immigrant applicants of the age 16 to 45 years must submit a form DS-157.

The application for E1 treaty trader visa can either be applied at the US embassy or US consular office abroad with the necessary documents. The applicants in the age group of 14 to 79 have to go for an interview at the consulate board whereas children below 14 years of age and senior citizens above 80 years are relieved from it.