Read the general eligibility basics overview
A Saint-Lazare employer may begin a U.S. assignment plan with incomplete information about the employee’s citizenship. Identify what has been verified and what is still an assumption before selecting a route. The first review should identify the person who would actually apply, every citizenship that person holds, and the document that proves each one. It should then match the individual—not the company’s Canadian footprint—to the proposed category. Hypothetical example: a museum conservator has Canadian permanent residence and Italian citizenship, while the employer’s roster lists only a Montréal address. The decision is whether a qualifying category is supported by the conservator’s real nationality and facts, not whether the company commonly hires people in Canada.
Distinguish Canadian residence from the TN nationality condition
Canadian permanent residence is not Canadian citizenship. TN requires a Canadian or Mexican principal with the listed professional qualifications and arrangement. An internal employee record showing a Canadian address does not itself establish that citizenship. Request the actual passport or citizenship document before relying on an HR database, a Canadian tax record, or a permanent-resident card. If the document is expired, record that separately from the citizenship fact. A person’s status in Canada and nationality for a U.S. category answer different questions and should not be substituted for one another.
Ask which facts the proposed route requires
L needs the actual employee’s qualifying foreign history, related organizations, required international business and U.S. role. E-2 requires relevant treaty nationality, qualifying ownership and control and lawful substantial capital committed at risk in a real nonmarginal enterprise. A limited internal profile should not be treated as evidence that those conditions have already been checked. Once nationality is confirmed, build a route-specific evidence list. For an intracompany transfer, verify foreign employment dates, related entities, international business, and the exact U.S. position; the applicant generally needs a qualifying uninterrupted foreign year in the previous three. For an investor route, verify treaty nationality, qualifying control, lawful capital exposed to loss, and a real enterprise that is not marginal.
Make the unresolved item specific
Record the proposed applicant and route, the available authentic evidence and the missing fact. Keep information needed for the assessment identifiable without inventing a nationality or substituting another employee’s record. The consultation can then address a concrete evidence gap rather than an inaccurate company-wide assumption. The useful output is a short gap list with the fact, the authentic record expected to settle it, the person who can obtain it, and the consequence if it remains unknown. That list helps the employer decide whether to pause, choose another applicant, or seek a category-specific assessment. It is safer than filling a missing nationality field from residence or assumption.
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.