After the funds are committed, not before. The interview should be scheduled once the equipment is bought or escrowed, the lease signed and the ownership documents finalized, because the officer assesses the enterprise as it exists on the interview date.
Commit first, interview second, open on issuance
E-2 is assessed at the consulate on the state of the investment at the time of the interview, so the sequence matters more than the calendar. First, settle the structure: form the U.S. corporation, complete the share registers under the holding company, sign the shareholders’ agreement and confirm state contractor registration requirements.
Second, move the capital and spend it on the enterprise or place it in visa-conditioned escrow, keeping every wire and invoice. Third, assemble the file and book the interview, checking the post’s wait times when timing the equipment purchase. The visa issued to a Canadian is valid for the period in the reciprocity schedule and each entry is for up to two years, renewable while the enterprise continues to qualify, with no fixed cap on the number of renewals.
E-2 confers no direct path to permanent residence. Running the Quebec company in parallel is compatible with E-2 so long as he genuinely directs the U.S. enterprise; the file should name who manages each company in his absence.