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.
Choosing the evidence for a TN accountant position
The accountant entry lists a baccalaureate or licenciatura degree, or CPA, CA, CGA or CMA credentials. Identify the route actually supported by the applicant’s records and assess the proposed accounting duties. Do not turn a familiar Canadian job title into proof that the occupation and qualifications meet the TN requirements. Begin by choosing the evidence sequence: listed profession, qualification, then offered duties. For a Canadian applicant, the procedural choice is to seek admission from an inspecting officer or have the employer submit Form I-129. Neither method makes permissible an arrangement in which the professional would effectively operate the American client business personally. TN does not permit self-employment for the U.S. entity receiving the services.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Choose the qualifying record deliberately
- Explain the work beyond the finance label
- Keep the employment and identity evidence complete
Using treaty nationality without confusing it with Canadian residence
For an E-2 inquiry, establish the applicant’s actual nationality and the enterprise’s ownership before relying on Canadian residence. A Canadian permanent resident may hold a nationality relevant to a treaty analysis, but that does not establish the business, investment or other requirements. Review the complete proposal rather than only the passport country. Make the nationality decision before spending on business diligence. If treaty nationality and enterprise ownership survive that review, the next question is whether the capital has been irrevocably committed, exposed to commercial risk, is substantial for the venture, and supports a real operation that will not be marginal.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Describe citizenship accurately
- Identify the owners behind the enterprise
- Keep other routes and Canadian obligations separate
Reading two different conditions in an E-2 purchase agreement
An agreement may depend on immigration approval and on a separate commercial event. Identify each condition and its effect on the funds. Qualifying escrow arrangements require assessment of the actual terms; describing the whole contract as visa-contingent can hide another condition that changes the commitment. Before signing, decide which obligation places the funds beyond the investor’s unrestricted control and what document proves that point. E-2 capital must be irrevocably committed and at risk; it must also be substantial for the particular business, which needs a real operating plan rather than a marginal activity.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Separate the triggers for release
- Document where the money is now
- Reassess if the transaction changes
Explaining a corporate reorganization before an L-1 office filing
A new-office proposal should identify which foreign and U.S. entities are involved after any reorganization. Preserve the historical employment record and explain the changes in ownership or entity names. The qualifying relationship and employment analysis should follow the actual corporate history rather than a simplified diagram that omits an important event. Start with a dated corporate and employment timeline. The transferee generally must have completed one uninterrupted qualifying year abroad during the three years before the petition, so the first review should identify the foreign employer, pay records, and exact filing date before drawing conclusions from a title.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Date the changes in the structure
- Connect the employee’s history to the entities
- Assess the proposed operation on its own evidence
Comparing an employee transfer with a personal investment
Keep the employer’s proposed transfer separate from an investment the applicant would make personally. Different parties may control the two plans, and the relevant history and commitments may differ. Review the actual role, company relationships, nationality and investment evidence before assuming the applicant can combine the strongest features of both routes. Create two separate decision files. An L-1 case calls for a legally qualifying link between the overseas and American organizations plus an uninterrupted, full-time twelve-month qualifying foreign employment period in the three years before filing; L-1A admission is limited to seven years and L-1B to five. An E-2 case instead needs qualifying treaty nationality, a committed investment exposed to loss, proportional funding, and an operating enterprise that is not marginal.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify whose proposal is being assessed
- Describe the applicant’s responsibilities in each
- Compare the decisions that cannot be shared
Preparing the family relationship record before choosing dates
Identify the relationship and documents for each proposed accompanying person. A household description is useful context, but dependent eligibility depends on the applicable category and the individual facts. Raise any uncertainty about names, relationships or records early instead of assuming every person in the household can use the same dependent route. Make a person-by-person matrix before assuming a shared plan. For every family member, note the relationship record, age, nationality, current status, intended activity, and the principal’s route. That matrix exposes whether a dependent classification is available and whether a timing decision has to be made before work, school, or travel commitments.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Describe the relationships accurately
- Keep translation and missing evidence separate
- Review activities once the relationships are clear
Tracing investment funds through multiple currencies
A final bank balance does not explain how capital reached the account. For an EB-5 investment inquiry, organize the lawful source and path of funds through conversions and transfers. Keep that evidence exercise separate from the Gold Card gift and eligibility review; the financial mechanisms and applicable instructions are not interchangeable. First decide whether the proposed capital is actually exposed to commercial risk and how the project will create the required positions for qualifying U.S. workers. EB-5 grants conditional permanent residence for two years before a later conditions-removal process; a projected redemption date or final bank balance is not proof that those requirements will be met.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Explain each conversion and transfer
- Keep the project evidence alongside the funding history
- Assess a gift proposal under its own instructions