Funds actually paid or irrevocably committed toward buying and operating the business count; contingent deposits, seller financing secured on the business, and personal moving costs do not. Government visa fees are on the State Department and USCIS schedules; professional, valuation and licensing costs are separate.
Keep three ledgers: invested, contingent, and personal
Open a simple spreadsheet with three sections before negotiating. Invested: the purchase price paid, equipment bought, the first months of lease and payroll committed, working capital transferred to the business account. Contingent: any escrow that could return to the investor other than on visa issuance, and any part of the price the seller is financing against the company's own assets. Personal: relocation, housing, vehicle, and the family's living costs, which are not investment at all. The first section is what the application measures against the total cost of the enterprise. Then add the process costs: the consular application fee, any USCIS charge if status is later extended from inside the country, professional fees, a business valuation if the price needs support, and the state licensing examination. Hypothetical example: an East Hants buyer counts the moving truck and six months of rent as investment; a reviewer removes both and the proportion drops.
Hypothetical example: an East Hants buyer of a commercial chimney-sweep business pays a deposit, prepays insurance, and signs a lease while leaving the equipment balance contingent on ordinary financing. The first review should match each payment to the agreement and show whether it is committed, refundable only on visa refusal, or still optional. Bank statements, escrow instructions, invoices, and security documents settle the classification. The decision is whether to restructure the outstanding balance before applying, not to call personal relocation spending part of the enterprise.