Read it.
Use it.
Focused guides for the questions that need more than a quick answer. Each includes a worksheet to prepare your next conversation.
Guides for your next decision.
Build a TN employer evidence brief before drafting the letter
Read & prepare Applicant planningKeep an L-1A new-office record from approval to extension
Read & prepare Applicant planningCompare the E-2 evidence for a startup and a business purchase
Read & prepare U.S. destination planningCanadian RN planning for New York State
Read & prepare U.S. destination planningCanadian RN planning for California
Read & prepareSeven decisions, answered before you prepare.
Preparing TN evidence when an agency and a client are involved
An agency arrangement needs a clear account of the specific professional position, the parties and the applicant’s qualifications. A recruiter’s general promise of future placements is different from identified work. Establish the actual arrangement before the employer prepares a letter describing it as settled. A first review should produce a party-and-position chart: the legal employer, client, supervisor, worksite, compensation source, duties and term. TN requires an eligible Canadian or Mexican citizen, a listed profession and the required credentials; it does not permit self-employment. Hypothetical example: a Canadian dietitian receives an agency assignment to revise meal plans for a rehabilitation clinic. The decision is whether the signed client scope, agency agreement and support letter identify one genuine professional engagement before travel is planned.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify what is already arranged
- Compare the parties’ descriptions
- Check the profession against the identified duties
Planning around a pending Canadian citizenship application
Use current citizenship for the present U.S. assessment and identify a pending Canadian citizenship application as a possible future change. Do not replace proof of citizenship with an expected ceremony or processing date. The opportunity can still be described and reviewed without assuming the future outcome. A first review should separate present nationality, Canadian immigration status, passport validity, employer needs and any future citizenship event. A Canadian permanent resident is not thereby eligible for TN; that category requires Canadian or Mexican citizenship. Hypothetical example: a museum-exhibit fabricator has permanent resident status and an offer from a U.S. contractor while a citizenship ceremony has not been scheduled. The decision is whether the employer can wait for a confirmed change or must assess a different route under its own rules.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Record the facts that exist today
- Ask what can be assessed without that change
- Agree on a reassessment point
Examining the collateral behind an E-2 financing proposal
The word loan is not enough to assess proposed investment funds. Identify who borrowed, what secures the debt and how the money would reach the enterprise. Personal unsecured borrowing can be treated differently from borrowing secured by enterprise assets; the actual terms should guide the review. A first review should trace funds from their lawful source through borrowing, receipt, commitment and the enterprise's use, with the governing documents beside each step. E-2 capital must be irrevocably committed and at risk, and the enterprise cannot be marginal. Hypothetical example: a buyer of an electric-cargo-tricycle repair business plans to use a personal line of credit secured partly by the business inventory. The decision is whether the collateral and draw conditions leave capital genuinely exposed to loss.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Locate the security provisions
- Distinguish available funds from committed funds
- Bring the business evidence to the same review
Explaining shared premises in an L-1A new-office plan
A premises proposal should be assessed in the context of the business that will operate there. Identify the space secured, the rights to use it and the activities it can support. The new-office review considers premises alongside the company relationship, employment and proposed managerial or executive operation. A first review should produce a launch record tying the premises to the legal entity, planned activity, staffing, budget and the transferee's role. The transferee generally needs one continuous qualifying year abroad within the preceding three years, and the new office must be able to support a managerial or executive position within the first year. Hypothetical example: a vertical-farm irrigation company leases a small warehouse unit before hiring its U.S. technicians. The decision is whether the signed space, staffing timeline and operating plan can support the proposed managerial role rather than a hands-on launch job. L-1A stay is subject to a seven-year maximum, while L-1B stay is subject to a five-year maximum.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Describe the arrangement precisely
- Connect the space to the planned activity
- Keep premises within the wider role assessment
Comparing routes when the applicant’s past role was technical
An applicant’s past technical work and proposed future duties need to be described separately. Do not assume that investment ownership makes the future role managerial or that a technical title establishes specialized knowledge. Compare the actual L-1 and E-2 evidence without changing the work history to suit a preferred option. A first review should make two evidence lists rather than one blended narrative: corporate relationship and qualifying foreign employment for L-1, then nationality, ownership, investment and operating control for E-2. L-1 generally requires one continuous qualifying year abroad during the preceding three years and has seven-year L-1A or five-year L-1B limits; E-2 capital must be irrevocably committed, at risk and directed to a non-marginal enterprise. Hypothetical example: an employee of a nonwoven-fabric dyeing company can transfer knowledge to a related U.S. entity or buy a separate dyeing studio. The decision is whether the existing corporate evidence or a genuine investment plan is the stronger factual route.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Explain the knowledge and how it was acquired
- Write the proposed role without a category label
- Compare the remaining evidence gaps
Reviewing dependent status before postsecondary study
A plan for college or university should include the student’s immigration status and age, not only the admission offer. Study may be permitted in TD or E/L dependent status while that status is maintained, but enrolment does not extend it or create employment permission. Have the individual timeline assessed before making assumptions. A first review should produce a family timeline showing every person's birth date, status end date, proposed school term and any work-related program component. Dependent status can permit study while it remains valid, but it does not itself create employment permission. Hypothetical example: the child of a parent assigned by an animation-storyboard studio wants to begin a design degree with a paid summer practicum. The decision is whether the family's current status covers study only, or whether a separate work-authorized plan is needed before accepting the placement.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Put age and status dates beside school dates
- Separate classroom study from employment
- Plan for a change in the parent’s situation
Distinguishing an investment return from a residence outcome
Evaluate a commercial return and an immigration outcome as separate questions. EB-5 requires qualifying investment and job evidence, with investment risk. The Gold Card FAQ describes a gift-based route subject to eligibility, admissibility and EB-1 or EB-2 visa availability. Neither a forecast nor willingness to make a gift guarantees permanent residence. A first review should build two separate decision files: EB-5 source and path of capital, at-risk investment, qualifying jobs and conditional residence; Gold Card applicant payment source, admissibility and immigrant-category availability. Gold Card is not a conventional visa, and its required gift is paid by the applicant to the U.S. government when directed. Hypothetical example: a maker of artisan concrete countertops can either subscribe to a job-creating project or use liquid assets for a Gold Card payment. The decision is whether the family values an investment's commercial risk and job evidence differently from a non-return gift.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Ask who is responsible for each claim
- Describe what happens to the money
- Keep unresolved conditions visible