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.
Returning to professional work requires a current offer, not only a career history
A professional in Calixa-Lavallée considering U.S. work after time away should explain the assignment being offered now. A long career can supply relevant evidence, but the TN assessment still concerns a listed professional activity, the required qualifications and temporary entry for that work. Start by matching the signed offer to one listed TN profession and then test the person’s records against that profession’s specific qualification rule. Canadian citizens may request TN classification from CBP when seeking admission; an employer can submit an I-129 petition to USCIS in an appropriate case, while Mexican citizens generally require the appropriate TN visa. TN cannot authorize self-employed activity in the United States. Hypothetical example: an ophthalmic-lens coating chemist receives a short quality-control assignment from a laboratory. The decision is whether the signed duties fit a listed profession and whether the laboratory, rather than the chemist, directs and pays for the work; the offer, credential records and control terms settle separate questions.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify what the employer needs today
- Locate the qualifying credentials
- Explain the gap without inventing recent work
Two passports can raise different questions from Canadian residence
A permanent resident in Calixa-Lavallée may hold more than one citizenship. Record each accurately before comparing U.S. pathways. The passport used for travel and the nationality relevant to a particular classification should be examined together, without treating Canadian residence as an additional citizenship. Begin with a nationality-and-status table listing every citizenship, Canadian permanent residence, passport validity and the intended U.S. route. That table prevents a travel document from being mistaken for the nationality that controls TN or E-2 analysis. Hypothetical example: a rare-book paper conservator has Canadian permanent residence and a Mexican passport issued under a former surname. The decision is whether the passport supports the route being considered and whether the name-link records are ready; the PR card does not answer either point.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Keep residence and nationality in separate fields
- Identify the treaty nationality relied upon
- Provide consistent identity records
A currency conversion is not the same event as committing an E-2 investment
Converting savings into U.S. dollars may help a Calixa-Lavallée investor plan a purchase. It does not itself show that funds are committed to a qualifying enterprise. Track the commercial use of the capital after conversion instead of treating a foreign-currency account as the operating investment. The useful first product is a funds ledger: source, currency conversion, account movement, binding commitment, recipient and loss exposure. E-2 capital must be lawfully obtained, committed and at risk; the investor must direct and develop the enterprise, and it must not be marginal. Hypothetical example: a harbour-buoy refurbishment business pays a supplier deposit that becomes nonrefundable only after an inspection deadline. The decision is whether the contract actually exposes the buyer to loss now or leaves the payment revocable; the signed terms and payment trail answer that question, not the balance shown after currency conversion.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Follow the funds to the enterprise
- Assess substantiality using the actual business
- Preserve the ownership and direction evidence
A shared workspace must be explained against the actual new-office activity
A company planning a U.S. presence from Calixa-Lavallée may consider a shared office instead of a large dedicated lease. Assess whether secured premises are sufficient for the actual activity. Neither a prestigious address nor the largest available space automatically satisfies the new-office case. A first review should create a premises file, a corporate-relationship chart, foreign employment records, a credible first-year staffing plan and evidence of financial ability. The transferee generally needs one qualifying year abroad with the related organization during the preceding three years. An initial new-office L approval is limited to one year; the later record must show the business and role have developed as represented. Hypothetical example: a pneumatic-tube testing equipment manufacturer signs for a shared workshop with defined access hours and a separate storage bay. The decision is whether the actual rights support the proposed activity, not whether the address looks commercial; the agreement, floor plan and equipment schedule are the relevant records.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Describe the space that is really available
- Apply the right role-specific standard
- Document operations on both sides
Buying assets and buying shares can lead to different evidence
A Calixa-Lavallée buyer comparing L and E-2 should first understand what the proposed transaction actually transfers. Equipment, contracts and goodwill are not the same as ownership of the selling company. The immigration explanation must follow the completed or genuinely proposed structure. The comparison should begin with two separate diagrams: one for the related organizations and employment transfer required for L, and one for the treaty-national ownership, investment and operating business required for E-2. L generally requires one qualifying year abroad with the related organization during the preceding three years; L-1A and L-1B have seven- and five-year limits respectively. E-2 capital must be committed and at risk, the investor must direct and develop the enterprise, and it must not be marginal. Hypothetical example: an archival-film scanner repair company is buying only a brand licence and tools from an unrelated seller while its foreign parent proposes a separate transfer. The decision is whether there are two real structures with different evidence, rather than one blended story; the purchase agreement and corporate records settle the point.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Draw the post-transaction organization
- Explain the E-2 enterprise and capital
- Keep the contracts and immigration account aligned
A short family visit should not be described as permission to start work
A household from Calixa-Lavallée may want to visit the United States before deciding on a move. Keep that visit distinct from a later work or dependent-status plan. The intended activities and each person’s actual admission matter more than calling a trip an informal trial. A useful first review produces a person-by-person activity chart: visitor activity, principal work, spouse’s intended work or study, each child’s age and the admission record needed for each plan. No family member should begin employment from a visitor admission. Hypothetical example: a bassoon-reed maker plans a U.S. visit with a spouse who expects to accept paid workshop work and a 20-year-old child considering a college programme. The decision is which status may support each activity; a short visit, a TD category and an E or L derivative category have different consequences, and the I-94 records settle what was actually granted.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Explain what each person intends to do
- Distinguish the later dependent categories
- Check the record after admission
Proceeds from selling property need a documented path to the payment
A Calixa-Lavallée household using proceeds from a property sale should distinguish the gross sale price from money actually available. A sale can be part of the funding explanation for an investor plan, but does not by itself establish all lawful-source requirements or determine which U.S. route fits. Start with two separate payment maps. For EB-5, trace lawful source and path to capital that remains at risk and supports the required job creation; immigrant visa admission or approved adjustment begins conditional permanent residence. For Gold Card, the payment is a nonrefundable applicant gift to the U.S. government after successful vetting and official instructions, not a conventional visa or an investment. Hypothetical example: a commercial ice-rink refrigeration controls manufacturer has property-sale proceeds and receives both a regional-center offering and a Gold Card payment instruction. The decision is which route’s legal conditions and records fit the household; a closing statement, enterprise documents and the official payment instruction answer different questions.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Reconcile the sale and available funds
- Match the amount to the chosen structure
- Keep the Gold Card gift distinct