In this post, I discuss the E-2 Visa for Portugal.

The E-2 Visa Has This Major Limitation

The E-2 Visa is for foreign national entrepreneurs who want to live in the US while they grow a US based business. 

I am a big fan of the E-2 Visa. It has a ton of benefits that I have covered in other posts. But one of the problems with this visa category is that it is limited to citizens of countries that have the relevant treaty with the US.

Fortunately, as of 2022, many of the major European countries already had relevant E-2 treaties with the US. These countries included the UK, France, Italy, Spain and Germany. But there was one country that was curiously not on the list of European E-2 countries. That country was Portugal. Sadly, there was no E-2 Visa for Portugal.

Why?

I am not an international relations expert, so I cannot tell you exactly why Portugal did not have an E-2 treaty with the US. All I can tell you is that this reality was super annoying, since I knew that the United States could benefit tremendously from allowing Portuguese entrepreneurs to get E-2 Visas. 

Here is why we were missing out as a country…

The Entrepreneurial Explosion in Portugal

Entrepreneurship in Portugal has been skyrocketing in recent years for a few reasons.

The Portuguese government has implemented a number of policies and initiatives aimed at encouraging entrepreneurship and small business growth, and this has led to a major increase in the number of new businesses being formed.

Furthermore, Portugal has seen an increase in the number of accelerators and incubators that support new businesses, providing them with mentorship, resources and a community to help them grow.

As a result of this favorable environment, Portuguese entrepreneurs have blossomed. The country’s strong tech sector combined with government support and a growing entrepreneurial ecosystem, are helping to foster innovation and small business growth.

In short, the conditions have created super talented entrepreneurs. 

And naturally a handful of the talented people in this community will be interested in setting up US based businesses. The E-2 Visa is the visa that would allow them to not only set up US businesses but to actively manage them from within the country.

The AMIGOS Act

As someone who sees the value in allowing talented Portuguese entrepreneurs to come to the US to set up shop, I was really excited when I heard that a law was recently passed that will give Portuguese citizens the ability to obtain E-2 Visas.

In the official statement on this change, Congressman Jim Costa who represents California’s San Joaquin Valley stated…

“Portuguese-Americans have made significant contributions in the San Joaquin Valley and throughout the United States,” …“The AMIGOS Act will help create more American jobs and increase investment across the country, while strengthening the bonds between United States and Portugal.” 

I wholeheartedly agree with Congressman Costa. This change will be great for the United States and for Portuguese entrepreneurs!

More information will be known about the details of this option in the future. And as I learn more, I will make additional posts/videos to share the updates.

Thanks for your time!