Can You Use Financed or Borrowed Money for an E-2 Visa? (2026)
Updated September 2026 · Reviewed by Talia Harari, Attorney
Partly, yes. Borrowed money can count toward your E-2 investment, but only when the loan is NOT secured by the assets of the E-2 business itself. Personal loans, home equity, and gifts can qualify; a loan collateralized by the business you are buying generally cannot.
The rule behind it: your money must be at risk
The E-2 requires your capital to be personally at risk. If the loan is secured by your own assets, your house, your savings, a personal guarantee, you genuinely stand to lose, so it counts. If the loan is secured by the E-2 business and its assets, the lender bears the risk, not you, so those funds do not count toward the investment. Gifted funds count when the gift is genuine and the source is lawful and documented.
What this means for the deals people actually ask about
Seller financing. Common in business purchases: the financed portion is usually secured by the business, so plan for your down payment and personally-secured funds to carry the “substantial investment” test on their own. A $150,000 down payment on a $450,000 business is evaluated as your investment, and it can be enough when it is substantial for that business.
Property down payments. Real estate alone is passive and does not qualify; a property-based operating business is judged on the same at-risk logic.
Structure early. How a deal is papered decides what counts, which makes financing structure a before-you-sign conversation with an E-2 attorney, not an after-the-fact explanation.
Structuring a deal with financing in it?
Get the structure reviewedWe match investors with vetted E-2 attorneys before the purchase agreement is signed.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a home equity loan from my country for the E-2?
Generally yes: it is secured by your personal asset, so the funds are at risk and can count, with the money trail documented.
Does a bank loan to my new U.S. company count as my investment?
Money the company borrows against itself is not your personal at-risk capital. What counts is what you personally put in and stand to lose.
Related: the real E-2 minimum investment, businesses worth buying, and the full cost breakdown.
IAVRS is an immigration attorney matching service, not a law firm. This is general information, not legal advice. For advice on your case, we will match you with a licensed U.S. immigration attorney.