On January 22, 2020, USCIS announced that due to the Oct. 3, 2018 termination of the 1955 Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights with Iran, Iranian nationals are no longer eligible for E-1 treaty trader and E-2 treaty investor changes or extensions of status based on the treaty. Known as the “investor visa,” the E-1 and E-2 nonimmigrant visa classifications allow an individual of a treaty country to be admitted to the United States for the purposes of engaging in international trade or investing a substantial amount of capital into a U.S. business. Due to the termination of the treaty, USCIS will send Notices of Intent to Deny to affected applicants who filed applications after the Department of State’s Oct. 3, 2018 announcement. Iranians currently holding and properly maintaining E-1 or E-2 status may remain in the U.S. until their current status expires.
