Review the effective authority and update the account before relying on earlier terms.
Disclose the current arrangement
A changed removal or decision provision can affect the analysis even if the share percentage is unchanged. Keep the actual executed documents available for review.
Franchisor approval usually comes first, followed by a binding purchase agreement and either completed expenditures or deposit into a qualifying visa-contingent escrow. Sequence commercial readiness by recording each consent, transfer, payment, and condition with its actual effective date. The standard answer is an escrow arrangement: the purchase agreement is signed, the price is deposited with an escrow agent, and release to the seller is conditioned on visa issuance, with the funds returned if the visa is refused. Appointment availability at Canadian posts varies, and E-2 cases are typically reviewed on documents before an interview, so a realistic plan allows several months between the land closing and the takeover. Prelaunch readiness can matter, and credible commitments — a signed lease, an executed employment agreement, ordered equipment — can support a case before first sales. Funds must remain irrevocably committed and at risk on genuine terms; a delay that restores unrestricted control to the investor may change that analysis. The usual sequence is to renegotiate the ownership and control terms first, then sign a purchase agreement with funds held in escrow and released on approval, refundable only on refusal.