Law Offices of Metin Serbest PLLC · Last reviewed: November 2026
The Law Offices of Metin Serbest PLLC helps individuals and companies consider U.S. investment and intracompany transfer options. This page is a short comparison. Each category has its own detailed page, and the official rules control.
Serving clients nationwide. We meet clients at our offices in Chicago, Fort Lee, New Jersey, and Burlingame, California, in Washington, D.C. by appointment or online, or by secure video.
We speak English.
We speak Turkish.
We speak Kurdish.
| Category | What it is | Leads to a green card by itself? | Treaty required? |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-2 | Treaty investor: invest a substantial amount in a real U.S. business and come to develop and direct it | No. Temporary (nonimmigrant) status. | Yes. The investor must be a national of a treaty country. |
| E-1 | Treaty trader: carry on substantial trade, principally between the United States and the treaty country | No. Temporary (nonimmigrant) status. | Yes. The trader must be a national of a treaty country. |
| EB-5 | Immigrant investor: invest the required amount in a new commercial enterprise that creates at least 10 jobs | Yes. It is an immigrant (green card) category, usually beginning with conditional residence. | No. |
| L-1 | Intracompany transferee: a manager, executive, or specialized-knowledge employee of a qualifying foreign company | No, by itself. Some L-1A managers or executives later qualify for EB-1C. That is a separate petition. | No. |
The E-2 classification is for nationals of a country that has a qualifying treaty with the United States who invest a substantial amount of capital in a bona fide U.S. enterprise and come to develop and direct it. There is no fixed minimum dollar amount in the regulations; the investment must be substantial in relation to the cost of the business, must be at risk, and the business must not be marginal. Investors are generally admitted for up to two years at a time, with extensions of up to two years each and no set limit on the number of extensions, as long as they continue to qualify and intend to depart when status ends. Spouses in valid E-2 or E-2S status are employment-authorized incident to status, except in limited situations described by USCIS (for example, certain long-term investors in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). As of January 30, 2022, USCIS and CBP began issuing Forms I-94 with the admission code E-2S for certain spouses of E-2 workers.
Sources: USCIS: E-2 Treaty Investors; 8 CFR 214.2(e) (see the 2025 official CFR text); State Department Treaty Countries list.
The official Treaty Countries list includes Turkey for E-2, with the treaty in force on May 18, 1990. Confirm the current list before filing. See our E-2 visa FAQ for Turkish citizens and the full E-2 page.
The E-1 classification is for nationals of a treaty country who carry on substantial trade that is principally between the United States and that country. “Trade” and “substantial” are defined in the regulations and in USCIS and State Department guidance. Like E-2, E-1 is temporary. The official Treaty Countries list includes Turkey for E-1, with the treaty in force on February 15, 1933. Confirm the current list before filing, because the E-1 and E-2 lists are not identical for every country.
Sources: USCIS: E-1 Treaty Traders; 8 CFR 214.2(e); Treaty Countries list. Full page: E-1 Treaty Trader Visas.
EB-5 is an immigrant category. For petitions filed on or after March 15, 2022, the standard minimum investment is $1,050,000, or $800,000 if the investment is in a targeted employment area (TEA) or in a qualifying infrastructure project. The investment must be in a new commercial enterprise that creates at least 10 jobs for qualifying U.S. workers. These amounts are scheduled to adjust on January 1, 2027, and every five years thereafter. Always confirm the amount that applies to your filing date on the official USCIS pages before investing or filing.
Sources: USCIS: About the EB-5 Visa Classification; USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 6, Part G, Ch. 2. Full page: EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program.
L-1 is for employees of a qualifying organization who have worked abroad for that organization (or a parent, affiliate, or subsidiary) for at least one continuous year in the three years before admission, and who are coming to the United States as managers or executives (L-1A) or as specialized-knowledge employees (L-1B). A new-office petition has its own rules, including a shorter initial period of stay. L-1 is temporary. Some L-1A managers or executives later seek lawful permanent residence through the EB-1C category, which is a separate immigrant petition with its own requirements.
Sources: USCIS: L-1A; USCIS: L-1B. Full page: L-1 Visa: Intracompany Transferees.
On the firm’s U.S. immigration services page, E-1, E-2, and EB-5 appear under investment-based immigration; L-1 appears under employment-based nonimmigrant visas. All four have standalone posts on serbestlaw.com.
Offices:
Washington, D.C.: By appointment or online.
Call 312-473-5500. You can also send a message through our contact form.
EB-5 is itself an immigrant (green card) category. E-2, E-1, and L-1 are temporary. Some people later qualify for a green card through a separate category, such as EB-5, EB-1C, or EB-2 NIW. Each filing is judged on its own facts.
Some investors later file in a different category, including EB-5, if they independently meet that category’s requirements (including source-of-funds and job-creation rules). An E-2 approval does not, by itself, approve an EB-5 petition.
The official State Department Treaty Countries list includes Turkey for both E-1 (treaty in force February 15, 1933) and E-2 (treaty in force May 18, 1990). Confirm the current list before filing, because treaty coverage can change. EB-5 and L-1 do not depend on a trade or investment treaty. See our E-2 FAQ for Turkish citizens.
No fixed minimum dollar amount is set in the regulations. The investment must be substantial in relation to the cost of the business, must be at risk, and the business must not be marginal. The official rules control.
Call 312-473-5500 or send a message through the contact form on serbestlaw.com/contact-us/. We speak English. We speak Turkish. We speak Kurdish.
General information, not legal advice. No attorney–client relationship is formed by reading this page. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Not affiliated with USCIS, EOIR, the Department of State, or any government agency.
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