Photo by Justine Camacho
Though things have been tough for some visa holders as of late, others have acquired considerable wins instead; more specifically for E-1 and E-2 holders hailing from Mexico. In an announcement made recently by the U.S. Department of State, Mexican nationals in the E-1 Treaty Trader and E-2 Treaty Investor categories, will now benefit from an increased visa validity period from a meager 12-month period before to 48 months (4 years) now.
With added time, of course comes added fees – for every E-1 and E-2 issued there will be an increased and well-worth processing fee of $296 up from the once $46.
But why the sudden change of policy? one asks. According to (National Law Review), the reciprocal extension “suggests improved cooperation in mutual Mexican investor visa policies towards Americans consistent with national interests of US travelers and businesses.”
What are the advantages to the new Visa Reciprocity for Mexican nationals?
Perhaps the most sizeable upside of this new development will undoubtedly be the extended visa validity, which means that business owners and principal employees can rest assured knowing that they are well-armed with visas authorizing returns to the US for a prolonged period of time; especially in times like these when Covid-19 and global consular-post closures remain in effect.
Another noteworthy benefit that carries weight includes the opportunity afforded to these Mexican E-1 and E-2 business owners who are now able to develop newer business ventures in the US over a 48-month period as a opposed to only a year, providing them with ample time to establish their presence and accomplish their business goals.
Although the US took some time to finally “round the corner” on this, it is finally consistent with the visa validity of most E-1 and E-2 countries, who in some cases issue visas to their holders for up to 60 months.
