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.
A transcript can clarify a credential without changing the profession’s requirements
For a Candiac applicant whose diploma title does not match the job title, start with the actual listed TN profession and the work offered. A course list may explain the education; it cannot create an exception to a required credential. Hypothetical example: a hydrologist holds a degree titled environmental systems while the offer concerns a listed professional role. The first decision is whether the duties and the credential’s documented content meet that role, not whether a convenient label can be chosen after the fact.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Compare duties with the listed profession
- Explain the credential accurately
- Resolve gaps before preparing the final letter
The employer should receive the applicant’s actual citizenship before choosing a visa route
A Candiac permanent resident may receive an offer from a U.S. employer that assumes every Canadian resident can use TN. Correct that assumption early. Living or working in Canada does not itself supply Canadian citizenship. Hypothetical example: a Tunisian citizen with Canadian permanent residence manages warranty claims for a manufacturer that offers a U.S. role. The first review records nationality, employer structure and actual duties before anyone promises TN, L or E-2 as the answer. Before a route is selected, have the employer choose between a delayed start and evidence for a category independently available on present facts. Hypothetical example: a seismograph calibration technician with Canadian permanent residence holds an Egyptian passport while a recruiter prepares a TN checklist. The first review compares the passport, Canadian status document, proposed employer and duty description. The concrete decision is whether the employer can support another route or must change the planned start date.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Separate residence from nationality in the first discussion
- Examine the employment history for a different route
- Avoid promises based only on the offer
A business purchase agreement should distinguish the investor’s committed funds from the seller’s promises
A Candiac buyer assessing an E-2 acquisition should understand what is actually being bought, paid and placed at risk. The advertised sale price is not automatically the amount of qualifying investment. Hypothetical example: a Canadian citizen agrees to purchase a bicycle-repair workshop, but the deposit remains in a personal account while the seller awaits a signed agreement. The first decision is whether the funds are truly committed under a workable escrow arrangement or still merely available.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Trace the buyer’s funds and obligations
- Assess the business after the transfer
- Review price allocation rather than inventing a minimum
A signed lease is one part of a new-office case, not proof that the transfer qualifies
A Candiac company arranging U.S. premises should connect the space to the proposed operation. The lease answers a premises question; it does not establish the employee’s foreign history or the managerial role the business must support. Hypothetical example: a commercial-dive equipment manufacturer leases a warehouse before choosing who will run the U.S. launch. The first review tests the foreign employee’s actual year of qualifying work, the corporate relationship and the one-year operating plan before treating the lease as the solution.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify the actual stage of operations
- Match the premises and plan to the L-1A role
- Assess specialized knowledge separately
A change from employee to business buyer changes the evidence that matters
A Candiac employee considering buying a U.S. business should compare the proposed ownership and work with the current group structure. An existing job abroad and a proposed investment answer different eligibility questions. Hypothetical example: a musical-instrument distributor offers an employee a stake in an unrelated U.S. repair business. The first decision is whether the proposed work remains an intracompany transfer or whether the new ownership calls for a separate investment analysis. Make the comparison before a purchase agreement or revised job description fixes a story that no longer fits. Hypothetical example: the founder of a microgravity-materials testing company has worked for its Canadian entity and is negotiating to buy an unrelated U.S. laboratory. The decision is whether records support a transfer before the purchase or an investment case afterwards, because ownership and employment facts cannot be blended.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Test whether a qualifying transfer still exists
- Review the investment route on its own conditions
- Keep the before-and-after structure visible
A school plan and a work plan require different checks for accompanying children
A Candiac household may plan both U.S. schooling and a teenager’s first paid job. Do not treat those activities as the same immigration permission. The child’s actual dependent category and valid status matter. Hypothetical example: a dependent child is offered a museum internship that includes a stipend while the family plans school enrollment. The first decision is whether the activity is study, employment or both, because a school calendar does not answer the work-permission question.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Confirm who qualifies as a dependent
- Separate study from employment
- Use each person’s own status record
Compare what happens to the funds, not only the headline amount
A Candiac household comparing EB-5 and Gold Card should distinguish an at-risk investment from a government gift and nonrefundable processing charges. Neither pathway should be presented as a guaranteed financial return or an automatic immigration approval. Hypothetical example: a family that owns a precision-optics company can fund either a private project or a government payment, but it needs liquidity for business obligations. The first decision is which funds may be committed, at what risk, and which immigration conditions remain after payment.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Understand the EB-5 investment obligation
- Read the Gold Card payment sequence
- Keep approval and later obligations in the comparison