Read the general investor planning overview
Hypothetical example: a greenhouse operator plans to establish a growing operation across the border and has funds ready, a site identified and equipment quoted. Ready is not invested. The condition that decides the file is irrevocable commitment with the funds genuinely at risk, evidenced by signed agreements, released deposits and payments that would not return if the venture failed. Structuring that commitment carefully is the substance of the preparation.
Identify the moment money stops being recoverable
For each element of the plan, write down the point at which the money can no longer come back: the date a lease becomes binding, the release of a deposit to a vendor, the payment for structures or climate equipment ordered to specification, and any non-refundable site work. Those moments are the evidence. Funds sitting in an account earmarked for the project, a quotation, or a conditional offer are not, no matter how firm the intention behind them. Setting this out as a schedule before signing anything makes the eventual evidence file straightforward and forces useful conversations with vendors about deposit terms.
Substantiality is measured against this business
There is no fixed threshold. The invested amount is weighed in proportion to what it costs to establish or acquire this particular enterprise, so a greenhouse operation with significant structure and equipment costs is assessed against that cost base rather than against any general figure. The related but separate question is marginality: the enterprise must be real and operating and must have the present or near-future capacity to generate more than a minimal living, usually through employment or demonstrable earning capacity. A plan that reaches those numbers only in a distant year needs a candid look before the capital is committed.
Keep the source trail alongside the commitment trail
Two documentary chains run in parallel and both have to hold. The commitment chain shows money leaving the investor's control and entering the enterprise. The source chain shows where that money lawfully came from, through every account it passed. Growers whose capital came from years of operating income should assemble tax filings and financial statements early; those whose capital came from a property or quota sale need the sale documents and the closing statements. Where funds are borrowed, security taken against the investor's personal assets is treated differently from security taken against the assets of the enterprise itself.
What else is on your mind?
Is there one minimum investment that guarantees E-2 eligibility?Is holding money or owning an asset enough for E-2?Editorial source review: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.