E-2 E-2 Visa: CNMI-Only Investor

At a Glance

Item	Details
Visa name	E-2 CNMI-Only Investor
Purpose	CNMI transition status
Stay	Two years; extend through 2029
Cost	Required fee; amount unstated
Eligibility timing	Admitted before November 28, 2009
Initial filing deadline	Before January 18, 2013
Work rights	Not stated in the source
Study	Not stated in the source
Medicare	Not stated in the source
Travel facility	Not stated in the source
Citizenship	Not stated in the source
Family sponsorship	Spouse and minor children included
Visa record	Not stated in the source
Location	CNMI only
Extension period	Two-year increments

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Purpose

The E-2 CNMI-Only Investor classification allows eligible foreign long-term investors to remain lawfully present in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) through December 31, 2029, while resolving immigration status during the CNMI transition to U.S. immigration laws.

Eligibility

You must:

• Have been admitted to the CNMI as a long-term investor before November 28, 2009.
• Have continuously maintained CNMI residence under long-term investor status.
• Continue to maintain the investment underlying that status.
• Otherwise be admissible to the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Qualifying CNMI investor statuses

You may qualify if you held:

• A long-term business certificate based on at least a $50,000 investment.
• A foreign investment certificate based on:
  • At least $100,000 in an aggregate approved investment exceeding $2 million; or
  • At least $250,000 in one approved investment.
• A foreign retiree investment certificate, if over age 55, based on a qualifying CNMI residence investment.

Nonqualifying statuses

You are not eligible if you held:

• The Japanese-national retiree investor sub-category.
• A short-term business entry permit.
• A regular-term business entry permit.
• The two-year nonrenewable Japanese retiree investor program.

Stay and Extensions

Initial E-2 CNMI Investor status is valid for two years.

Extensions may be granted in two-year increments, ending December 31, 2029. To request an extension, file a new Form I-129, Supplement E, required evidence, and fee.

A spouse or minor child accompanying or following to join you in the CNMI receives the same validity period.

Initial Filing Warning

Initial petitions had to be filed before January 18, 2013. USCIS will reject initial petitions filed after that date.

Individuals seeking an initial grant of nonimmigrant status in the CNMI must follow additional grant of status guidance.

Required Evidence

Submit all documentation previously provided to the CNMI government for each investor application.

All applicants must provide:

• A valid, unexpired foreign passport.
• A properly endorsed CNMI admission document showing lawful long-term investor admission.
• An unexpired Long-Term Business Certificate, Foreign Investment Certificate, or Foreign Retiree Investment Certificate.

Business or foreign investors

Applicants holding a CNMI foreign investor or long-term business entry permit must show continued investment. Evidence may include:

• CNMI government approval letter.
• Bank statements, receipts, contracts, leases, financial statements, or tax receipts.
• Evidence of the required minimum investment.
• Business plan for a new enterprise.
• Corporate, partnership, or joint-venture records.
• Current business licenses and registration records.
• Recent tax returns and evidence of capital sources.
• Lists of employees, business-certificate holders, and controlled corporations.
• Annual CNMI investment activity reports and independent CPA audit reports.

Retiree investors

Applicants holding a CNMI retiree investor permit should provide:

• Proof of an interest in CNMI property, such as a lease.
• Proof of property value, such as an appraisal.
• Proof of property improvements, including receipts, invoices, or appraisals.