At Grupo Sineva, we know the E-1 visa requirements list may seem simple: be a national of a treaty country, demonstrate substantial trade with the U.S., hold a supervisory or executive role, and commit to returning home after the visa expires. However, behind these points lie technical nuances that, if overlooked, can jeopardize the entire application.
One of the most critical — and least discussed — details is the origin of the goods. It’s not enough for the applicant to be from a treaty country; the exported product must also originate from that country. If sourced from elsewhere, it must have undergone substantial transformation in the treaty country before being shipped to the U.S.
At Grupo Sineva, we approach each immigration case with a strategic and legal mindset to prevent these technical issues from being missed. In mid-2022, a Colombian client came to us after receiving concerns from the U.S. embassy regarding his E-1 application. He was a coffee producer who, to meet export demand and required volume, had begun importing beans from Ecuador. While his file included purchase and sales invoices, it failed to clearly detail the production process performed in Colombia on that imported coffee.
During our audit, Grupo Sineva’s legal team found that the only described activities were “roasting and packaging.” There was no evidence of substantial transformation that would justify the change of origin. This technical gap — common in many applications — was enough to place the entire petition at risk.
Based on this finding, Grupo Sineva restructured the case, providing proof of physical changes and a technical report supported by experts, including an analysis of the economic and commercial impact of the transformation. Thanks to this comprehensive work, the file was successfully resubmitted, fully complying with embassy requirements. Months later, the visa was approved. Today, that Colombian coffee — technically transformed and legally supported — reaches U.S. consumers with the peace of mind that every step was backed by Grupo Sineva.
