Read the general eligibility basics overview
A work permit and permanent residence are different Canadian facts. If they were confused during an initial discussion, correct the description from the actual documents: current citizenships, Canadian status and its conditions, document validity and pending applications. An accurate record lets the U.S. review address the applicant's actual circumstances. The first review should begin with the physical documents, not a recollection of their names. It should produce a status timeline, passport-nationality list, copies of every permit or card, and the expiry and conditions shown on each. That record establishes which U.S. pathways are genuinely available before anyone chooses a filing sequence.
Restate the status from the documents themselves
Read the issuing authority, category, conditions and validity on each document. A work permit, study permit, confirmation of permanent residence and permanent resident card answer different questions. Hypothetical example: someone calls a Canadian work permit a PR card during a consultation, but the document shows time-limited work conditions. Correct the account and identify any application actually pending. Do not infer a new status from the person's intention to apply, or treat a card's printed expiry as a complete answer to status questions. Compare the document to the government record that issued it when the label is unclear. A landing paper, a work permit and a citizenship certificate can all appear in one household file, but each establishes a different fact and may carry a different effective date.
Match citizenship to what each route requires
TN is available to Canadian and Mexican citizens; Canadian permanent residence alone does not open it. E-2 turns on qualifying treaty nationality, which the person may or may not hold through another citizenship. L-1 turns on the companies and the qualifying employment rather than on where the applicant lives. List every citizenship held, including one acquired through a parent and easily forgotten, and let the professional test each route against that list rather than against an address. Hypothetical example: a maker of precision sundials holds Canadian permanent residence and an Italian passport, then receives a U.S. purchase opportunity. The decision is not whether the Canadian card is impressive; it is whether the Italian nationality supports the proposed treaty route and whether the business facts satisfy that route’s separate conditions.
Keep the Canadian and U.S. questions in separate columns
Ask which U.S. steps would apply to your circumstances — petition, visa application, admission, or change of status — and note that these are distinct decisions with distinct timing. Separately, list the questions about maintaining Canadian status, residency obligations or a pending application, and take them to someone qualified on Canadian law. Nothing here requires a decision today about leaving or staying. The immediate task is an accurate description that both advisers can work from. Put the travel question last. First determine the person’s actual nationality, the proposed activity, the responsible U.S. entity and the evidence needed; only then choose between a consular process, a petition-based step or a request for admission where the category permits it.
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.