Updated with State Department commentary
The shortening of E visas was to take effect on Thursday, 29 August. This will not be the case.
The US Embassy in France announces on its website, in a laconic form, that the "reciprocity program " E visas for France will now be effective on 26 September, without specifying whether the new duration for these visas is maintained at 15 months. The State Department said in an e-mail, Thursday, Aug. 29, that "any changes or updates to the visa reciprocity program will be announced before September 26".
This change of date will certainly give some respite to French investors and entrepreneurs in the United States who had expressed strong concerns at the surprise announcement in late August of the shortening of this visa from 60 months (5 years) to 15 months. The US authorities had indicated then that they were aligned on the validity of similar visas in France.
E visas are awarded to citizens of countries that have a trade and navigation treaty with the United States, such as France. The E-2 visa is granted to individuals who make a substantial investment on US soil, such as entrepreneurs. The E-1 visa is given to people who participate in trade (services, goods, finance, tourism …) with the United States. The applicant's business must be able to prove that it is trading "substantial" – that is to say "continuous"And involving transactions"of consistent size"- with the US.
According to Hervé Linder, an immigration lawyer in New York at Ernst & Linder, this report suggests that they "are negotiating the duration"E visa to arrive at a"compromise". In France, foreign investors can apply for a long-term visa for one year, then a four-year residence permit depending on their profile. "If they changed the date without specifying a new duration, it is because they are talking about it."
The French Embassy in the United States welcomed the postponement and said that the state services continue to work with the State Department. North American French MP Roland Lescure said on twitter on Thursday that the French authorities were continuing their "Efforts for more favorable conditions".
