The budget should reflect the real obligation and the actual business proposal.
Keep financial assumptions honest
Review the funding terms, risk and economic capacity without assuming a universal E-2 dollar minimum settles the case. An omitted obligation can make the operating account misleading.
Prepare two cash-flow views: the enterprise's true operating obligations and the separate immigration-evidence budget. Loan repayments, family covenants, escrow conditions, inventory, rent, payroll, and reserves should appear according to the real agreements even if someone informally used the word “gift.” There is no universal E-2 minimum; substantiality is assessed relative to the business. The investor must demonstrate treaty nationality and an auditable funding path, with capital placed irrevocably at commercial risk, plus a real non-marginal operation directed through half ownership or equivalent operational control. Check government fees on the current official schedule, and do not present E-2 as a direct permanent-residence route. The common mistake is deleting debt service to make projections look healthier.
Hypothetical example: an Orford mountain-bike repair operator buys a U.S. workshop using a parental advance that must be repaid quarterly. Her forecast should show those payments, the acquisition price, tools, parts, wages, and realistic working capital rather than recast the advance for immigration optics. Bank and contract records should trace the money and explain its security. If the repayment burden leaves the shop unable to provide more than a minimal living for her family or make a significant economic contribution, calling the funds a gift will not cure marginality or demonstrate a substantial at-risk commitment.