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.
Explain your qualification record when the diploma title differs from the employer’s wording
A Delson applicant may hold a qualification whose title does not resemble the U.S. job title. Show the actual education and professional duties for assessment instead of translating the diploma into a qualification it does not award. Begin with a two-column comparison of the award and the proposed profession. A first review usually identifies which facts the issuing school can confirm, which courses need explanation and whether a credential evaluation is needed. Hypothetical example: A wildlife biologist holds a degree titled Environmental Studies and receives an offer for habitat-modelling work. The concrete decision is whether the transcript and course descriptions support the claimed professional field, or whether the proposed title masks a different occupation. The degree, official transcript, credential evaluation when needed, and signed duties letter each answer a separate question. Before travel, choose the presentation route that fits the timing. A Canadian professional may request TN classification from a CBP officer at inspection or preclearance; a U.S. employer can instead submit Form I-129. The work must be for a U.S. employer or other eligible entity, not prohibited self-employment.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Preserve the original qualification
- Apply the listed profession’s standard
- Connect the education to the actual duties
Canadian business ownership does not determine the owner’s U.S. visa category
A Delson permanent resident may own and manage a Canadian company while holding another country’s citizenship. Keep ownership, nationality and employment history separate when identifying a U.S. pathway. Start with a person-and-company matrix: list each person’s citizenship, residence document, ownership percentage, current employer and proposed U.S. role. A first review uses that matrix to identify the route that is legally available before anyone prepares a business narrative. Hypothetical example: A Japanese citizen who is a Canadian permanent resident owns a Canadian company that refurbishes industrial weighing scales and proposes a U.S. service company. The decision is not whether the Canadian company is real; it is whether the selected route can be supported by that person’s citizenship, ownership and documented prior employment. The passport, capitalization table, payroll record and corporate documents settle different points. Sequence the work by confirming nationality first, mapping any ownership change next and checking the actual employment history last. A permanent-resident card should not be used as a nationality document.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Start with the person’s actual citizenship
- Assess the company facts where they matter
- Document authority without assuming it is enough
The salary you hope to earn is different from the money committed to an E-2 business
A Delson investor may describe a planned salary as evidence that the enterprise will support the household. Explain the business’s actual capacity and investment separately; a proposed payroll amount is not cash already committed to the enterprise. Build a source-and-use ledger before treating a forecast as an investment record. A first review separates money already exposed to business loss from funds that remain available only because the investor can withdraw them. Hypothetical example: An investor buys a commercial composting-equipment distributor and leaves half of the purchase price in an account that the investor alone can release. The decision is whether to change the payment structure or defer the filing; the signed purchase agreement, escrow terms, wire confirmation and cancellation consequences show whether the funds have genuinely been committed. For E-2, the capital must have been committed irrevocably, must remain at risk, and the enterprise cannot be marginal. A hoped-for salary, a supplier quotation or a business-plan total cannot cure a missing commitment.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Distinguish investment from future compensation
- Explain the enterprise’s capacity credibly
- Retain nationality and direction requirements
A new U.S. address does not necessarily mean a new L office
A Delson group may move an established U.S. operation to different premises and call it a new office internally. Assess the actual history of doing business instead of equating a new lease with the immigration definition. Build a dated operating file instead of relying on the label used in a lease or board minute. A first review compares the lease, launch activity, invoices, service records and payroll to determine whether regular business had already begun. Hypothetical example: An employer that restores railway signal relays leases a U.S. workshop and assigns a Canadian operations manager. The key decision is whether it is starting a new office or expanding an operation already doing business; customer invoices, work orders and service logs are more probative than the date on the new lease. Confirm separately that the transferee completed one qualifying year of employment abroad during the three-year period before the petition. L-1A stay cannot extend beyond seven years, while L-1B stay cannot extend beyond five years.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Reconstruct the operating history
- Use the appropriate evidence framework
- Do not replace the individual or group tests
Separate your role as an employee from your interest as an investor
A Delson applicant may be both employed by a company and personally interested in its U.S. expansion. Describe the actual proposed work and capital arrangement before selecting L or E-2 from a business card. Choose only after testing both legal theories against the same operating facts. A first review should identify whether the U.S. role needs a qualifying corporate transfer or an investor’s own commitment to a business, then flag facts that support one theory but weaken the other. Hypothetical example: A Danish citizen owns a company that repairs marine navigation instruments and has directed it abroad for several years. The concrete decision is whether the U.S. function will be a transfer into a qualifying affiliate or an investment the person will develop and direct. Share ledgers, foreign payroll, purchase agreements and the operating plan settle different parts of that choice. An L case requires a full qualifying year with the foreign organization during the three-year lookback; L-1A has a seven-year maximum and L-1B a five-year maximum. For E-2, capital must be committed irrevocably, continue to face business risk and support a nonmarginal operation.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Examine the transfer duties and history
- Examine the investor’s authority and commitment
- Explain the different capacities accurately
Check an older dependent child’s eligibility before relying on the household’s original plan
A Delson family may have prepared its temporary U.S. move while a child was younger. Revisit age, marital status and the actual category before assuming the old plan remains valid throughout an extended timetable. Make a separate eligibility timeline for every family member rather than treating the principal’s approval as a household decision. A first review records each person’s date of birth, marital status, passport, planned entry date and intended activity, then identifies the first date on which a dependent category may no longer fit. Hypothetical example: A classical instrument restorer accepts a U.S. assignment while a 20-year-old child plans to marry before the family’s expected entry. The concrete decision is whether the timing still permits dependent status or whether the child needs assessment of a separate route. The birth record, passport, marriage plans and category-specific rules settle that issue; a school enrolment letter does not. Address this before booking travel or accepting employment, because a later change may leave fewer practical choices.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Use the temporary category’s criteria
- Consider the person’s actual next step
- Keep work permission separate
Identify who receives each payment before comparing investor pathways
A Delson applicant may receive a budget combining government charges, a business contribution and private professional fees. Label the recipient and purpose of each amount instead of assuming every payment is interchangeable across EB-5 and Gold Card. Make two separate ledgers before selecting a pathway: one for capital placed into a qualifying EB-5 investment and its job-creation evidence, and another for government charges, gifts and private fees. Hypothetical example: An applicant considering a museum-grade display-case business receives a proposal that combines an equity contribution, a regional-center administration charge and a provider’s invoice. The concrete decision is whether each amount has the claimed legal function; the subscription documents, escrow terms, job model and named payee resolve that question better than a combined total. Under EB-5, qualifying capital must remain at risk and the required jobs must be created; approval leads first to conditional permanent residence rather than unconditional completion. A Gold Card is not a conventional visa: it involves a payment by the applicant to the U.S. government after the applicable instructions, not an investment in a business.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify EB-5 capital and separate expenses
- Identify the official Gold Card sequence
- Keep private and continuing charges visible
- Reconcile an invoice with the payment it actually covers