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The Visa Guide · Work
E-1 Treaty
Trader Visa
Built on trade.
For nationals of treaty countries who live in the U.S. to carry on substantial trade: goods, services, technology, banking, principally between the United States and their home country. Here’s the whole journey, in plain English.
Who Qualifies
Trade that adds up.
Four things make or break an E-1 case: the treaty, the volume, the ratio, and your role.
Treaty nationality
Nationality of a country holding an E-1 treaty with the U.S., with the trading enterprise at least 50% owned by treaty nationals.
Substantial trade
Continuous, numerous transactions over time. Volume matters more than any dollar minimum.
Principal trade
More than 50% of the enterprise’s international trade runs between the U.S. and the treaty country.
The right role
You are the trader, an executive or supervisor, or an essential employee of the same nationality.
The Process
Five steps. One trade route.
Document the trade
Invoices, contracts, bills of lading, and ledgers proving volume, continuity, and the 50% U.S. share.
The application
Apply at the U.S. embassy with Form DS-160 and DS-156E, or file Form I-129 for a change of status inside the U.S.
The interview
Interview with the consular E-visa unit.
The admission
Admission in 2-year increments, renewable indefinitely while the qualifying trade continues.
The family
Spouses receive work authorization incident to status; children may attend school.
Forms & Fees
Know the paperwork.
The consular visa application, filed for the embassy interview
The treaty trader supplement, filed with the consulate’s E-visa unit
The change-of-status route for applicants already inside the U.S.
Every consulate runs its own E-visa unit
Each consulate has its own E-visa unit and procedures. Check the specific post’s requirements before assembling the file, and confirm your country on the State Department treaty list below.
Live processing times & fees
Government numbers change monthly. These official tools are always current:
Your business.
Our fight.
Every case is different. Tell us your story. The evaluation is free, and we’ll tell you exactly which path fits.
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The Rules
What you can and cannot do.
- Run the U.S. side of the trade day to day and draw a salary from it
- Receive a fresh two-year admission every time you re-enter on a valid E-1 visa
- Renew from abroad or extend from inside the U.S., whichever fits your travel
- Pursue a green card later: E-1 has no foreign-residence requirement, though timing needs care
- Work for any employer other than the E-1 enterprise, even part time
- Count purely domestic U.S. sales toward the qualifying trade
- Keep the status if the trade winds down or treaty-national ownership falls below half
- Stay past your I-94 date just because the visa in your passport is still valid
Costs
What it costs in 2026.
Where you file decides what you pay. Consular applicants pay the E-category application fee up front, then the $250 integrity fee when the visa is issued: that fee was created by the 2025 budget law, and the refund it promises after a compliant stay has no working process yet, so treat it as a cost. Applicants changing status inside the U.S. skip both and pay USCIS petition fees instead, which run higher and land on the enterprise.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Visa application fee (MRV) | $315 per person | The E-category consular rate; covers the DS-160 and DS-156E, paid when you book the interview |
| Visa integrity fee | $250 per person | Collected when the visa is issued; adjusts with inflation; some posts add a small reciprocity fee by nationality |
| Change of status (Form I-129) | $1,015 | The USCIS route from inside the U.S.; $510 for small employers and nonprofits |
| Asylum Program Fee (with I-129) | $600 | Added to every I-129; $300 for small employers, $0 for nonprofits |
| Premium processing (Form I-907) | $2,965 | Optional 15-business-day USCIS decision on the I-129 route |
| Dependents in the U.S. (Form I-539) | $420 online / $470 paper | Extends or changes status for the family; one filing can include a spouse and children |
Fee amounts reflect published government figures as of August 2026 and change over time; the live links above are always current. Consular fees apply per person, including children.
FAQ
Questions we hear every week.
Can a brand-new company qualify?
E-1 rewards a track record, not a plan. The trade must already be flowing when you apply, though it does not need years of history: a steady run of completed, documented transactions between the U.S. and your treaty country can be enough. A signed contract with no shipments behind it usually is not.
My company is registered in a third country. Is that a problem?
Registration matters less than ownership. What counts is the nationality of the people who ultimately own at least half of the enterprise, so a trading company incorporated elsewhere can still qualify if treaty nationals own it. We trace the ownership chain and document every link.
What happens at renewal if trade dipped for a year?
Consulates look at the trend, not a single bad year. A dip explained by market conditions, with orders recovering, reads very differently from a business that quietly stopped trading. We rebuild the numbers and tell that story before the interview, not during it.
Does the company get registered, or just me?
Both, in effect. When a consulate approves the first case it registers the enterprise with its E-visa unit, and later applications by qualifying staff ride on that registration, usually moving faster. Keep the registration current as ownership or trade patterns change.
Can I switch from E-1 to E-2 later?
Yes, and businesses evolve this way all the time. If the model shifts from trading goods and services to running an invested U.S. operation, the move to E-2 is a fresh application with its own proof, not an automatic conversion. We map which category fits before you commit either way.
Is there a path from E-1 to a green card?
Not an automatic one: E-1 is a nonimmigrant status. Traders commonly reach permanent residence through employment-based routes such as EB-1C for multinational executives or an employer-sponsored case, and E-1 does not force you to abandon those plans. Sequence the filings carefully, because bad timing complicates renewals.