Inhabitants:66.97 million
E-2 country since:July 03, 1815
E-2 visas issued since 2017:17,570
E-2 visa issuances in the United Kingdom have fluctuated across the years in light of changing global mobility patterns, such as economic stirrups and processing changes, among others. In 2017, there were some nice issuances for E-2 numbers for the United Kingdom, but they were pretty steadily progressing into numbers like 255 and 175. By 2019, the numbers dropped to levels like 218 and 148, probably reflecting uncertainties about Brexit and its subsequent impact on investment choices.
The COVID-19 pandemic set in during early 2020. Although early 2020 saw the beginning of the year at a very strong pace with 230 issuances in January, the episodes of the pandemic led to a great downturn as low as only 2 in July. There was some recovery at the very end of the year, but the numbers stayed well down on pre-pandemic levels. E-2 visa issuances started to recover in 2021 and continued to rise month after month, hitting 220 in December. This upward trajectory continued into 2022, when numbers increased greatly and peaked at 424 in March.
This recovery suggests pent-up demand among investors to follow through on fully developed plans. For 2023 and early 2024, issuances have plateaued, with around 200-250 each month. This widespread landscape of numbers would seem to reflect stable interest in the E-2 visa from UK investors, this following continued economic opportunities in the U.S. and perhaps continuing uncertainties in the UK.
*Data includes figures from January 1, 2024, up to the present date.
The difference in the time it takes to process a UK national's application for an E-2 visa can be as different as chalk and cheese, depending on so many variables, particularly the workload of the respective consulate and how complete your application is. This is usually done at the United States Embassy in London and may take anywhere from two weeks to four months normally.
Real-life examples from recent cases show applications filed within the last quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023 have had processing times that schedule the interview about 3 to 5 months from the date of initial application submission.
This information might not be accurate or current. Checking the most recent and precise information would always be best found at U.S. Embassy London or by consulting an immigration attorney from a law firm specializing in E-2 visa cases.