It’s the question we hear on the very first call, and the honest answer is: it depends — but not on what you’d think. The consulate step is rarely the longest one. What takes time is everything that has to exist before the application can be filed.
To give a sense of scale, between the first conversation and the restaurant’s opening, our clients count in months, not weeks — and the range is wide depending on whether you’re taking over an existing business or building one. Here are the steps, and what speeds them up or slows them down.
Step 1: framing the project
City, format, budget, family calendar. This step can be settled in a few conversations if you know what you want; it drags on if the project stays vague. Starting a restaurant search without this framing is the surest way to lose months on leads that don’t fit.
Step 2: finding the restaurant or the space
This is the most unpredictable variable in the timeline. A takeover can close in a few weeks if the right opportunity is on the market, or take several months if the market is tight in your target city. A new build is longer by nature: finding the space, the lease, construction. We go through both options in buying vs. building a restaurant in Florida.
Step 3: committing the investment and building the application
E-2 business plan, proof of the source of funds, company formation, purchase agreement or lease, quotes, investment structure. A large part of the real timeline plays out here: a complete, consistent application goes through; an incomplete one triggers requests for additional evidence, and those back-and-forths are what stretch everything out. We prepare the project and financial side; the immigration attorney builds and defends the application.
Step 4: filing and the interview
For French nationals, the E-2 visa application is processed by the U.S. Embassy in Paris. Processing times and interview appointment availability vary with the season and the workload; the attorney gives you the current estimate at the time of filing. Once the visa is granted, you can enter the United States and open.
What actually saves time
Four things, always the same ones. Funds that are available and traceable from the start. A project framed before the search, not during it. An application prepared alongside the restaurant search, not after signing. And a single point of contact coordinating the attorney, the accountant, the seller, and the landlord, so that no one is waiting on anyone.
For common questions about the investment amount, spouses, or children, see our FAQ or our page the E-2 visa explained.
To prepare the business and financial side of your file, working with the immigration attorney in our network, see our E-2 visa and investment support.
Want a realistic timeline for your project? Request a free, no-obligation first call.