The consular interview is the moment your whole E-2 application comes down to a conversation at a window. Two questions worry applicants most: who has to come with me, and what will the officer ask? Let me cover both, because the answer to the first one changed recently, and the answer to the second is more open-ended than people expect.
Who Has to Attend the E-2 Interview?
Who comes with you to the E-2 visa interview at the U.S. consulate in your home country? Your spouse and all of your children under the age of 21 must attend.
This is a change worth flagging clearly. Before September of 2025, only children who were 14 and older had to attend the interview. Now everyone must attend. Yes, that means if you have a six-month-old baby, that baby must go to the interview too. A three-year-old, the same. Every family member included in the application needs to be physically present.
Do the officers question your young children? Typically not. They do not usually ask a toddler anything. But the kids still need to be in the building and physically present, regardless of age. So when you plan your interview, plan for the whole family to be there, childcare and all. This is a real logistical point, and it has also affected interview scheduling at busy consulates, since every body in the room now counts toward the space.
What Will the Consular Officer Ask?
Now the second question. What will the officer ask you at the E-2 interview? The honest answer is: anything they want. The officer has wide discretion, and there is no fixed script you can memorize.
That said, certain questions come up so often that you can and should prepare for them. Very common topics include who your business partner is, if you have one. How much money did you invest? What does your business do? Why will you be successful at running this business? And they often ask about your employees, both current and planned, and about your revenues, both current and planned.
Read those again and notice the theme. The officer is testing whether you truly know and control your business. They want to hear, from you directly, that the investment is real, that the business is real, that you understand how it works, and that you have a credible plan to run and grow it. The “why will you be successful” question in particular is your chance to show the conviction and competence the E-2 is built around.
How to Prepare for Both
Put the two pieces together and a clear preparation plan emerges.
On attendance, build your travel and scheduling around the full family. Spouse and every child under 21 in the building, including infants. Do not assume a young child is exempt, because that rule ended in September of 2025. Sort out logistics in advance so interview day is calm rather than chaotic.
On questions, get comfortable speaking plainly about your own business. Know your investment figure. Be able to describe in simple terms what the business does. Have a genuine, specific answer for why you will succeed. Know your employee picture and your revenue picture, current and planned. You will not be able to predict every question, but a person who truly knows their own business handles whatever comes.
The interview rewards real knowledge and honest preparation more than rehearsed lines. If you understand your business and you have the right people in the room, you are in good shape.
Have questions about your interview, who needs to attend, or how to prepare? Give us a call anytime. We would love to speak with you about your E-2 visa.
About the author
Angie Rupert is the founder of Rupert Law. Her firm works exclusively on E-2 and E-1 visas, helping investors and entrepreneurs from treaty countries move to (and stay in) the United States.
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