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About usClear information for your path to a U.S. franchise
Franchise and Visa publishes educational content about franchises in the United States for investors from Latin America and around the world, and, through a certified franchise broker, supports those ready to take the next step.
Education and guidance
Educational content
Guides, comparisons and clear answers about the franchise model, investment and visas.
Certified advice
Sessions with an FBA-certified franchise broker, directly and without intermediaries.
A complete view
Aligning the business decision with the immigration strategy, together with immigration attorneys.
Official sources: Franchise Brokers Association (FBA) · IFA – Franchising Economic Outlook
León Valencia, certified broker
León has been an entrepreneur for more than 25 years and is a franchise broker certified by the FBA (Franchise Brokers Association). His background in investment, finance, processes and marketing lets him guide every decision with professional judgment, a track record recognized with the O-1 visa for Extraordinary Ability in Business.
Today he supports other investors hand in hand with his immigration attorney.
Our approach
Understand your profile
Experience, goals, budget and immigration situation.
Evaluate options
Brands and models that truly fit you.
Support your decision
Clear information so you can decide with confidence.
What a franchise broker does, and what we publish
Franchise and Visa combines educational content with the guidance of a certified franchise broker. These are the principles behind both.
Verified information
Our pages rely on public, official sources: the Federal Trade Commission for franchise disclosure rules, the International Franchise Association for sector data, the SBA for lending rules and USCIS for visa categories. When a rule changes, we update the content and cite the source.
What a franchise broker does
A franchise broker helps you define your criteria, identifies brands that match them and organizes your research and conversations with franchisors. León Valencia is an FBA certified franchise broker who works with investors from Latin America and around the world.
What we do not do
We do not give legal, immigration, tax or financial advice, and we never promise the approval of a visa or the profitability of a franchise. Those decisions depend on U.S. authorities, on each business and on the advice of qualified professionals.
Your decision, your due diligence
The FTC recommends reading the Franchise Disclosure Document, talking to current and former franchisees, and consulting an accountant and a lawyer before you sign. We help you prepare for each of those steps; the final decision is always yours.
Who we serve
Most of our readers are entrepreneurs and investors who want to understand franchising in the United States before committing capital, often while they evaluate an E-2, L-1 or EB-5 visa with their own attorney.
How a session works
In a first session we review your experience, the capital you can invest, the role you want in the business and the market where you would like to operate. From there, the franchise broker suggests brands to research, explains what to look for in their FDDs and helps you plan the next steps at your own pace, with a clear list of questions for each franchisor.
How we treat numbers
When we share figures about the franchise sector, such as the International Franchise Association’s projection of about 845,000 franchise establishments in the United States in 2026, we present them as sector data. They describe the market as a whole and say nothing about the results of a particular brand. For a specific franchise, the only earnings information a franchisor may share must appear in Item 19 of its Franchise Disclosure Document, and we encourage you to ask for the written support behind it and to review it with an accountant.
How we treat visa topics
Many of our readers need to live in the United States to run their business, so our content explains the general rules that USCIS publishes for the E-2, L-1 and EB-5 categories. We summarize those rules in plain language and link to the official pages. We do not evaluate individual immigration cases: that analysis belongs to an immigration attorney, and no franchise investment guarantees a visa. Our role as a franchise broker is to help you find and study businesses that fit the plan you build with your attorney.
What to prepare before talking to us
The conversation is more useful if you arrive with a few answers: the total capital you could invest and how much of it is liquid, the role you want to have in the business every day, the cities or states that interest you, your timeline and, if it applies, the visa you are considering. You do not need to have every detail resolved. A first session is designed to turn those ideas into concrete criteria and a short list of brands to research.
Why we cite our sources
Rules change. In 2026, for example, the SBA changed the ownership requirements for its 7(a) and 504 loans, which affects many international buyers. Citing the FTC, the IFA, the SBA and USCIS on each page lets you check the information yourself and see when it was last confirmed.
Content in two languages
Franchise and Visa publishes its content in English and Spanish so that investors from Latin America can study the same information in the language they prefer. Both versions follow the same editorial rules: official sources, plain language, no promises of visa approval or profitability, and an invitation to review every decision with qualified professionals before signing a franchise agreement or transferring any funds to the United States.
Ready to review your case with a broker?
Book a session with a certified franchise broker and see which options fit your profile, budget and goals.