Nonimmigrant visas

 Types of Visas - Treaty Trader/Investor

  · Need information about investment opportunities in the U. S. A.?

Please submit all E visa applications by an Embassy-approved courier service (FedEx, DHL Ilyang or Hanjin). You will be contacted by Gold Team directly to schedule an interview.

**All passports will be returned by courier service and are generally received within five business days.  Please schedule flight plans accordingly.**

Dear E Visa Applicant:

Thank you for your interest in a Treaty Trader (E-1) or Treaty Investor (E-2) visa. US Immigration law and regulations permit holders of E visas to reside in the United States to manage the trade or investments of a US business (the "Enterprise") or, in certain cases, to provide essential skills to the Enterprise. Holders of E visas must intend to depart the United States upon the termination of their E status.

Treaty visas are authorized on the basis of treaties of commerce and navigation between the United States and certain other countries.  The Republic of Korea is one of these countries.  Please note that the Enterprise must be majority-owned, as well as developed and directed by nationals of the Treaty.

The spouse and unmarried children (under 21 years of age) of treaty traders, treaty investors, or employees of Enterprises may also receive dependent E visas in order to accompany or follow to join their spouse or parent. They are not required to have the same nationality as the principal applicant to obtain an E visa.

E visas permit the investor/trader and his/her family to live in the United States during the validity period of the visa. These visas are non-immigrant visas; consequently, you are allowed to live in the United States so long as the conditions under which the visa was granted remain valid. Dependents are not authorized to work in the US unless they receive explicit authorization to do so from BCIS (formerly INS) in the US. This authorization must be applied for after your arrival in the United States.

How to Apply

Applicants for E visas and their family members must submit their applications by Ilyang or Hanjin courier within Korea or FedEx outside of Korea.  We will contact you via telephone or e-mail regarding your appointment date.  Please complete all contact information, including an e-mail address, telephone/cell phone number (in Korea) and fax number on the Nonimmigrant Visa Application form.

E visa applicants are required to be finger scanned at the time of their interview. If your left or right index finger is injured (i.e. cut, stitched, bandaged, etc.), you will need to schedule your interview for some time after your finger has healed. 

Please check your e-mail on a daily basis. The Embassy cannot be held responsible for missed appointments. If you miss your scheduled appointment, your documents will be sent back to you and you will have to reapply.

Any children 13 years old and younger are not required to accompany their parents to the Embassy for an interview; however, the children must be physically present in Korea on the date of their family's scheduled appointment.

What is Need to Apply

Please choose the type of E visa that applies to you:

• Treaty Trader Visa (E-1)
  
• Treaty Investor Visa (E-2)
  

How Long is Visa Processing?

Processing time will vary with the complexity of the case and our overall workload. Generally, it takes four weeks for an officer to review your case, but during peak times, it can take as long as eight weeks. We will contact you via e-mail or phone for your interview after the officer has reviewed your case. Applicants should not make unchangeable travel or business plans until their visas have been issued. Please do not inquire as to the status of the case within the first six weeks of our receipt of the case. If you are found eligible for a visa at the time of your interview, your visa will be ready for mailing after 3 to 5 working days. Please make flexible travel plans.

How to reapply

Ineligible under Section 221(g)

Applicants are ineligible under Section 221(g) of the INA because some document or information is missing. If you are ineligible under Section 221(g), we will give you a refusal letter, listing what is needed and explaining how to reapply.

If you wish to reapply, you may do so by your preferred courier service (DHL Ilyang, Hanjin or FedEx). Include our refusal letter, a cover letter, two completed copies of form DS-156E, new application form (electronic application form DS-156 with one photo and DS-157), information overcoming the noted ineligibility, and all the information submitted with the prior application. A new visa application fee is NOT required for 221(g) ineligibilities within one year.

Supporting documents should be labeled with tabs and listed on a table of contents.  Documents provided should have English translations.

Ineligible under Section 214(b)

If an applicant is found ineligible under Section 214(b) of the INA, we recommend that he/she reapplies only after his/her current family, social, professional or economic circumstances have changed significantly and/or if there are important facts that were not presented at the initial interview. Applicants who are ineligible under Section 214(b) are given an orange ineligibility letter.

If you choose to reapply, you must submit your applications by your preferred courier service (DHL Ilyang, Hanjin or FedEx).  Include our refusal letter, a cover letter, two completed copies of form DS-156E, new application form (electronic application form DS-156 with one photo and DS-157), new MRV fee receipt, information overcoming the noted ineligibility, and all the information submitted with the prior application.

How can I contact the Embassy about my E visa?

Due to our volume of casework, we are unable to accept telephone calls concerning individual visa cases. Attorneys of Record, applicants and other interested parties are welcome to contact us by e-mail. Please include return contact information so that we may respond to your inquiry.

• Our e-mail address for E, H, L, O, P or Q visa inquiries is seoulgoldteam@state.gov.
  
• Our fax number for E, H, L, O, P or Q visa inquiries is ++82-2-736-6839.
  
• Our address in Korea (international postage needed from outside Korea):
  

For more information, or to schedule an appointment, please go to USA VISA Information Services at http://www.us-visaservices.com. USA VISA Information Services is available 24 hours a day, and can be accessed from both inside and outside of Korea.

For nonimmigrant visa (NIV) inquiries (excluding E, H, L, O, P, Q visa inquiries), please e-mail us at : seoulniv@state.gov. For E, H, L, O, P, Q visa inquiries, please e-mail us at : seoulgoldteam@state.gov.

The applicant, not the U.S. Government, assumes full responsibility for all documents and materials submitted in connection with any consular or visa matter, and for qualifying for the required visa or travel document in time to meet the applicant's needs.

Updated May 8, 2008