Read the general eligibility basics overview
Business partners living in McMasterville may share a Canadian enterprise while holding different citizenships. Identify who would actually apply under each U.S. category before combining their plans into one company narrative. A first review should assign one proposed principal to one route at a time, then list the document that proves nationality, ownership, foreign employment, and the intended U.S. role. The decision is whether the current facts support TN, E-2, or L for that person; Canadian permanent residence cannot be used as a substitute for the citizenship or employment evidence a route actually requires.
Do not use the company’s address as personal nationality
Canadian permanent residence does not establish Canadian citizenship. TN requires a Canadian or Mexican principal with the qualifying listed professional arrangement. A Canadian partner’s eligibility does not supply citizenship to a permanent-resident partner, and registration of their company in Canada does not change either person’s citizenship. Hypothetical example: A ceramic-kiln service company has a Canadian citizen who would supervise an E-2 enterprise and a permanent resident who would be its operations employee. The decision is whether to pursue an investor analysis for the citizen and a separate work-authority analysis for the other partner.
Test an investor proposal at both person and enterprise levels
E-2 requires the relevant treaty nationality, qualifying enterprise ownership and development and direction. Generally at least 50% relevant treaty-national ownership must be established. Examine the real ownership chain and capital: substantial lawful funds must be committed at risk in a real nonmarginal enterprise. A shared corporate plan does not eliminate the applicant-specific analysis. The passport and citizenship record settle the TN nationality question; the company’s Canadian registration does not. Before collecting job documents, decide whether the individual holds the nationality required for the route being considered.
Assess a transfer using the intended employee’s history
L depends on qualifying foreign employment, related organizations, the required international business and the actual U.S. role. Record the proposed transferee’s own work rather than aggregating the partners’ experience. If the route changes after that assessment, update the supporting narrative instead of continuing to describe everyone as a single applicant. For E-2, map the ownership chain to actual people and their nationalities, then trace the investor’s lawful funds into obligations exposed to business loss. The enterprise must be real and nonmarginal; a proposed share percentage alone does not answer either point. For L, build a dated employment chronology for the intended transferee and verify the related organizations before choosing the U.S. capacity. The employee generally needs one continuous qualifying foreign year in the three years before the petition, not a combined history of both partners.
What else is on your mind?
Does Canadian permanent residence give me access to TN?Is a matching job title enough for TN?Can years of experience replace a degree for TN?Can my own U.S. company employ me under TN?Editorial source review: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.