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 revised TN offer should explain what changed, not hide the earlier assignment
A Châteauguay professional may receive a revised offer after the employer changes the proposed duties. Build the application around the actual current role and explain relevant differences instead of keeping the most convenient sentences from conflicting versions. Before choosing the process, make a short chart linking each proposed duty to the TN profession and to a record that proves it. A Canadian candidate can generally request TN classification during entry inspection; where the petition procedure is appropriate, the U.S. employer can submit Form I-129. The decision is which current facts the record can support, not which route sounds faster.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify the operative assignment
- Check the qualifications against that role
- Keep the explanation consistent across the record
Different citizenships within one household can lead to different U.S. requirements
A Châteauguay household may include a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident with another citizenship and children with more than one nationality. Record each person’s actual citizenship instead of applying the principal’s documents to everyone. Start with a household matrix that records citizenship, Canadian immigration status, passport expiry, relationship and intended U.S. activity for every traveller. The first review should identify which person can be the principal under the proposed category and which people need a different route or separate documentation. A Canadian permanent-resident card settles Canadian status; it does not establish citizenship for a U.S. temporary category.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Evaluate the principal’s category first
- Assess relatives under the dependent rules
- Make a person-by-person document plan
Compare an E-2 purchase price with what the transaction actually buys
A Châteauguay buyer may see one headline price covering equipment, inventory, goodwill and separate services. Understand the transaction before assuming the entire advertised figure is qualifying E-2 investment. The first review should trace each dollar from its lawful source through the account, agreement and payment that place it into the U.S. enterprise. It should also identify what remains refundable, personally available or outside the business. The immediate decision is whether to commit additional funds now, revise the transaction documents, or wait because the evidence does not yet show a qualifying investment.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Describe the property and business acquired
- Apply the investment conditions to the evidence
- Check commitments before treating a proposal as completed
A shared U.S. workspace needs an explanation of the operation it will support
A Châteauguay company may propose shared premises for its U.S. opening. Assess their suitability for the actual business rather than treating a prestigious address as sufficient proof or inventing a universal rule against shared space. Begin with a timeline showing the foreign company’s operations, the proposed U.S. launch, the worker’s qualifying employment and the first year’s staffing milestones. The review should separate facts that already exist from forecasts that must be credible. The individual must have completed one continuous qualifying year abroad during the preceding three years; a launch plan cannot replace that employment record.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Explain access and operating needs
- Use the correct new-office standard
- Keep company and worker requirements together
Buying into an unrelated U.S. business is not automatically an intracompany transfer
A Châteauguay owner may compare buying a U.S. company with transferring through an existing corporate group. The ownership transaction and the worker’s history both matter; an acquisition announcement does not supply every L or E-2 condition. Make the comparison from two separate evidence lists. An L-1 review begins with the worker’s foreign employment, the qualifying corporate relationship and the proposed U.S. capacity; an E-2 review begins with treaty nationality, enterprise ownership and the funds committed to the venture. The practical decision is whether the transaction preserves a real intracompany route or creates an investor case that must stand on its own.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Map the actual company relationship
- Assess the investor route on its own evidence
- Explain control and duties after the deal
Review each dependent’s own admission record after the family enters
A Châteauguay family may travel together but receive individual admission records. Check the actual category and dates for each person instead of assuming every record matches the principal’s. A first review should produce a person-by-person status plan showing the principal’s category, every dependent’s relationship evidence, the intended activity of each traveller and the admission record to check after entry. Make this before travel dates are fixed. The key decision is whether a family member can accompany as a dependent, needs a separate category, or must postpone work, study or travel plans.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Compare the record to the intended status
- Verify work permission before relying on it
- Track individual dates and eligibility
Compare the financial commitment, not just the number on the brochure
A Châteauguay applicant comparing EB-5 and Gold Card should distinguish an at-risk investment from the published gift arrangement. Similar headline amounts do not mean the money has the same purpose, conditions or recovery prospects. The first review should produce two separate cash-flow sheets: one for capital placed in the EB-5 enterprise and one for every Gold Card payment. For EB-5, identify the lawful source and path of funds, the commercial enterprise, the job-creation method and the evidence that capital remains exposed to business risk. The decision is whether the household accepts investment risk and a conditional-residence process, rather than only whether it can meet a headline amount.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Define the EB-5 investment
- Define the Gold Card payments
- Account for different ongoing obligations