E-2 visa lawyer in Miami: counsel, consular review and the South Florida business case

Miami as an E-2 market

Miami-Dade and Broward are the entry point for Latin American and Southern European investors: Colombians, Argentines, Mexicans, Spaniards and Italians make up a large share of South Florida E-2 cases. Florida helps: no personal state income tax, a $125 LLC filing fee with a $138.75 annual report, and a business culture where foreign ownership is normal. Tourism, trade through PortMiami and Miami International Airport, and a fast-growing population support restaurants, distribution companies, services and logistics.

The caution: Miami plans get scrutiny for two recurring problems. First, real estate. Many applicants arrive wanting to buy condos or houses; passive property never qualifies, and officers at Latin American posts know Miami applicants well. Second, marginality. Small cafes and one-person consultancies without hiring plans are refused. A Miami plan needs staff from year one and rents that match the actual submarket, whether Brickell, Doral, Coral Gables, Hialeah or Fort Lauderdale.

Choosing a Miami E-2 attorney

Miami’s immigration bar is large and bilingual. For E-2, the differentiator is volume at the posts your case will go through: Bogota, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Madrid, Rome, Santiago and Lima all have their own habits on source of funds and business plan format. Ask for recent approvals at your consulate. Spanish-language service is easy to find, but insist that the written package be in English with certified translations.

The attorney handles eligibility, route, forms, the legal brief and interview preparation. TealBridge handles the business: selection or acquisition, Florida entity and banking, lease and licensing, hiring, the reconciled investment schedule and the five-year plan. If you do not have counsel, we introduce a partner attorney matched to your consulate.

What works in Miami

Restaurants and bakeries with a Miami-Dade health permit and a state Division of Hotels and Restaurants license; import and wholesale companies with real warehousing and staff in Doral or Medley; property management and short-term rental operating companies that manage units for other owners; cleaning, landscaping and pool services with crews; beauty and med-spa concepts with licensed staff; freight forwarding and logistics near the port and airport. Acquisitions of operating businesses in Broward and Palm Beach frequently offer better prices than Miami-Dade with the same visa logic.

Source of funds from Latin America

Consular officers at Latin American posts look closely at the origin of funds: property sales with notarial deeds, company dividends with tax filings, salary history, and currency conversion records. Cash-based income and informal transfers are the most common problem. We prepare the paper trail before the attorney files. See minimum investment and source of funds.

Fees and timeline

Attorney flat fees of $4,000 to $10,000 for the principal and $500 to $1,500 per dependent; business plan $2,500 to $8,000 separately. Consular review of four to ten weeks at most Latin American posts after a complete package. Details in E-2 visa cost and processing time. For Mexican applicants, see E-2 visa for Mexican citizens.