The original property's ownership records, the sale agreement, and the distribution or transfer records showing exactly what reached the applicant.
Trace the money from the shared sale to the individual investor
Ask for the closing statement and any sibling agreement dividing proceeds. A single combined bank deposit is harder to explain than a documented, itemized distribution.
Build a source-to-enterprise ledger for the applicant’s individual share. Gather the property deed, acquisition record, mortgage payoff, sale contract, closing statement, co-owner allocation agreement, tax records where relevant, bank statements for every transfer, and the business purchase or escrow documents. Reconcile dates and amounts, explaining any joint account or currency conversion. E-2 capital must be irrevocably committed and at risk, although the investor may still be in the process of investing; substantiality is judged proportionally rather than by a fixed dollar minimum. A frequent mistake is showing the gross property price and current balance without proving what the applicant owned, received, and committed.
Hypothetical example: A LaSalle mobile pet-grooming entrepreneur sells a cottage jointly held with a sibling, then routes the assigned net proceeds through two Canadian accounts before funding an American van purchase and lease deposit. The file should connect each transfer to closing documents and preserve any escrow conditions so counsel can decide whether the money is genuinely committed. Corporate records must separately confirm at least 50% treaty-national ownership and the entrepreneur’s ability to develop and direct the operation. A bank receipt cannot cure inconsistent ownership documents or a revocable purchase arrangement.