Can an E-2 small-business investor visa holder use the PPP employee-retention program?
I run an E-2 business. Due to the COVID shutdown, our business is also struggling to pay employee wages.
I’ve heard there’s an employee wage-retention program available — I’d like to know if our business, run by a foreign national, can use this to keep paying our employees. Please advise in a way that would create no issue for my E-2 visa status. Thank you.
An E-2 business can apply for PPP for its W-2 employees regardless of visa/status maintenance requirements. This also includes the E-2 investor themselves, as the company’s owner, if they also receive a W-2. Also, since PPP does not count as public assistance under immigration law, it won’t cause any problem for maintaining status or pursuing a green card later.