Does Bankable Require a
Green Card?

The Definitive Answer

Bankable does not require a green card. Full stop. This is not a technicality, a loophole, or a special case program — it is the fundamental design of our underwriting model. We evaluate businesses based on their US revenue performance. Immigration status is not a variable in our credit decision.

If you have an SSN, an EIN, a US business entity, and at least 6 months of operating revenue, you are eligible to apply for Bankable funding. Your visa type — whether E-2, L-1, O-1, TN, H-1B, or otherwise — does not appear in our credit criteria.

Why Other Lenders Require a Green Card

To understand why Bankable's approach is different, it helps to understand why most lenders do require permanent residency. Traditional bank credit policies were written decades ago, when the US business lending ecosystem was designed for citizens and permanent residents. The credit policy rationale is straightforward: a lender wants legal recourse against a defaulting borrower who remains within US jurisdiction. A permanent resident with a green card has strong legal ties to the US. A visa holder, the logic goes, can leave.

This rationale is outdated and overly simplistic when applied to E-2 investors. E-2 visa holders have made substantial capital investments in US businesses — the visa itself requires it. An E-2 investor who defaults on funding and abandons their business has not only lost their investment but likely their visa status as well. The incentive structures align perfectly with responsible repayment.

Bankable recognized this and built our underwriting model accordingly. We look at what the business actually earns, because that is the actual source of repayment — not the owner's citizenship.

What Bankable Evaluates Instead

Our underwriting process focuses on three things:

Business revenue: We verify your gross monthly revenue using bank statements, merchant processor data, or point-of-sale reports. Revenue consistency and trend are the primary factors in our funding decision. A business generating $50,000/month consistently for 12 months tells us far more than any immigration document could.

Business identity: Your EIN (Employer Identification Number) ties the funding to your US legal business entity. Your SSN ties it to your US tax identity. Both are standard requirements for any US business transaction — and both are accessible to E-2 visa holders by default.

Operational history: We look at how long your business has been operating, what industry it is in, and any basic indicators of business health available from your bank statements. We are not running deep credit investigations or requiring three years of audited financial statements.

The SBA Contrast

Since March 1, 2026, the SBA explicitly requires 100% US citizen ownership for all 7(a) and 504 loan programs. This is a categorical ban — not a case-by-case determination. No matter how strong your business is, how many employees you have, or how long you have operated, the SBA will not consider your application if you are an E-2 visa holder.

This is the starkest possible illustration of why a non-green-card lender like Bankable matters. The SBA's decision was a policy change that redrew the entire funding landscape for tens of thousands of legal, productive, tax-paying US business owners. Bankable is the primary institutional alternative at scale.

Other Visa Types That Qualify

While Bankable specifically serves the E-2 community, our no-green-card policy applies across non-immigrant visa categories. L-1 intracompany transferees who have launched US subsidiaries, O-1 extraordinary ability visa holders running creative or tech businesses, TN visa holders from Canada or Mexico operating professional services firms, H-1B holders who have founded side businesses — all of these profiles may qualify for Bankable funding based on their US business revenue.

The common thread is a legitimate US business entity generating real US revenue. If that describes your situation, the immigration category on your visa is not a barrier.

What About After Your Visa Expires?

Active funding relationships with Bankable are structured around your business, not your visa timeline. If you are in the process of renewing your E-2 visa, your business continues to operate, your revenue continues to be generated, and your Bankable funding relationship continues normally. We do not monitor visa expiration dates or trigger any funding changes based on renewal timelines.

If you are transitioning from E-2 to permanent residency or another visa category, your Bankable relationship continues seamlessly. There is no requirement to disclose or document immigration changes during the life of your funding.

We are a business lender. We lend to your business.

Starting the Application

The Bankable application takes approximately 12 minutes to complete online. You will provide your business name, EIN, SSN, and connect your business bank account for automated revenue verification. You will also upload your last 3 months of business bank statements.

That is all. No immigration documents. No visa copies. No attorney letters. No co-signers with green cards. Just your business, your revenue, and our decision — delivered within 48 hours.