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.
An offer mixing professional and general business duties needs an accurate explanation
A Chambly applicant may receive a U.S. offer combining technical work with sales or administration. Explain the actual assignment instead of omitting inconvenient duties or assuming a professional title covers every activity. TN is limited to Canadian or Mexican citizens undertaking temporary professional work in an occupation named in the USMCA list. A structurally self-directed U.S. business arrangement needs separate scrutiny. Hypothetical example: a nutritionist is offered a role designing animal-feed formulas, but the letter calls the position sales support. The first decision is whether the employer can document professional nutrition duties as the real assignment.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Describe the whole job
- Apply the individual qualifications
- Separate immigration from professional practice
Canadian work experience and Canadian citizenship are different parts of the record
A Chambly permanent resident may have many years of Canadian professional experience. Preserve that experience accurately while separating it from the citizenship condition of a U.S. category. Citizenship evidence, not Canadian permanent-resident documents, resolves the TN nationality question. Hypothetical example: a Peruvian permanent resident of Canada is offered work as an occupational therapist and has a strong Canadian licence. The first decision is to separate the licence and experience from the citizenship requirement, then assess a route that fits the person actually applying.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Do not convert a work history into nationality
- Use the experience for the question it can answer
- Keep future changes separate from current eligibility
An online business still needs evidence of a real enterprise and the investor’s direction
A Chambly investor considering a U.S. online business should explain the activity behind its website. A polished storefront or a large audience is not itself proof of a qualifying E-2 investment. E-2 requires treaty nationality, a real operating enterprise, and capital that is substantially committed and exposed to risk rather than held for a later choice. Hypothetical example: an investor launches a subscription service for commercial beekeeping sensors and leaves most of the budget in a personal savings account. The first decision is which expenditures are actually bound to the enterprise and which remain only an intention.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Describe how the business operates
- Trace committed investment and authority
- Support the nonmarginality assessment
A U.S. opening announcement does not establish when the company began doing business
A Chambly group may register a U.S. entity, announce a launch and begin serving customers on different dates. Explain the operating history before selecting the new-office framework. The applicant must have completed one continuous qualifying year abroad within the preceding three years, and the organizations must have the required qualifying relationship. Hypothetical example: a maker of ceramic-kiln controls leases U.S. space while its foreign operation has invoices but no current production staff. The first review tests whether the foreign business is actually continuing and whether the new office can support the proposed role after its first year.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify actual business activity
- Apply the L-1A new-office requirements
- Match the evidence to the proposed capacity
Closing the foreign business can change the transfer assessment
A Chambly owner considering a U.S. move should make the future of the foreign operation explicit. A plan to transfer within a continuing group differs from a plan to close the foreign business and begin a new investment. L-1 requires a qualifying organizational relationship and one continuous qualifying foreign-employment year in the preceding three; L-1A and L-1B time is generally limited to seven and five years respectively. Hypothetical example: a firm installing saltwater-aquarium systems plans to shut its foreign workshop after the owner reaches the United States. The first decision is whether the foreign operation will continue for an L strategy or whether the facts instead call for a separately qualified E-2 analysis.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Assess continuing qualifying operations for L
- Assess E-2 without assuming it repairs every L gap
- Make the proposed sequence truthful
A household budget should not assume the spouse can work immediately in every category
A Chambly family comparing a temporary U.S. move may depend on two incomes. Establish the spouse’s actual proposed status and work permission before treating the second salary as available. The family plan should identify each person's classification, age, relationship, and expected arrival or change date before anyone accepts work. Hypothetical example: an apprentice jeweler who is the principal's spouse receives an immediate U.S. job offer. The first decision is whether that person will hold qualifying E or L dependent status with the required I-94 evidence, rather than assuming the offer creates work permission.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Distinguish the dependent categories
- Separate a job offer from permission to perform it
- Keep children out of the spouse-work assumption
A document package should explain the chosen investor pathway rather than combine incompatible checklists
A Chambly applicant may collect EB-5 project papers and Gold Card information at the same time. Keep the actual chosen procedure clear so that a checklist does not imply one program’s financial structure satisfies the other. EB-5 is an investment-and-job-creation route with capital at risk and conditional residence; Gold Card is not a conventional visa and requires payment by the applicant to the U.S. government through the official process. Hypothetical example: a buyer of an electric cargo-tricycle assembly firm wants to use one wire transfer for both programmes. The first decision is to separate an EB-5 capital trail from any gift payment and never treat one receipt as proof of the other.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Use the EB-5 evidence for the investment case
- Use the official Gold Card sequence separately
- Identify what each document actually proves