Update on Israeli E-2 Visa: We are Still Waiting, Perhaps until October

April 17, 2017- Shortly after New Year's Day we brought you news that the E-2 Visa is moving forward for Israeli nationals, with a projection that it would go "live" the first or second quarter of 2015. The U.S. Department of State ("DOS") has tempered the optimism of these initial reports by signaling that the E-2 visa might not be available until October 2017.

Specifically, during the Spring 2017 American Immigration Lawyers Association meeting with DOS, the agency stated:

Public Law 112-130 authorized E-2 visa classification for nationals of Israel if that government provides similar status to nationals of the United States. Israel is in the process of making certain regulatory changes that we expect will provide a basis for the Department of State to make a determination that Israel meets the similarity of status requirement. We anticipate that E-2 visas will be available for nationals of Israel by the fourth quarter of calendar year 2017.