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 a part-time professional arrangement without making the hours tell the whole story
A Mercier applicant considering part-time U.S. professional work should document the actual arrangement. A shorter schedule does not remove the TN profession, qualification or employer requirements. A first review should create a dated decision record, not simply collect documents: identify the legal question, the record that can settle it, the responsible person, and the next event that may change the answer. Hypothetical example: a rare-book binder receives a part-time offer called professional consultancy but with no defined duties. The concrete decision is whether the proposed facts can be proved as they will exist on the filing or admission date, rather than as a hoped-for future arrangement. Where a document, payment, ownership right, or duty changes, update the comparison before relying on an earlier explanation.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Describe the services and schedule accurately
- Establish the listed professional qualification
- Keep additional work outside the assumption
Distinguish Canadian residence from the country whose nationality supports an investor case
A Mercier permanent resident may have treaty-country citizenship other than Canadian citizenship. Assess that actual nationality and the enterprise’s ownership before assuming either that Canadian residence qualifies the case or that it rules the case out. A first review should create a dated decision record, not simply collect documents: identify the legal question, the record that can settle it, the responsible person, and the next event that may change the answer. Hypothetical example: a cartographic-illustration studio belongs to a Canadian permanent resident with a treaty-country passport and an unrelated investor. The concrete decision is whether the proposed facts can be proved as they will exist on the filing or admission date, rather than as a hoped-for future arrangement. Where a document, payment, ownership right, or duty changes, update the comparison before relying on an earlier explanation.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Record the nationality that is actually relevant
- Trace ownership beyond the company’s registration address
- Keep the investment and any L alternative complete
Separate the operating business budget from household spending
A Mercier investor may prepare one moving budget that includes both a U.S. enterprise and family expenses. Classify the proposed spending before using its total as evidence of an E-2 investment. A first review should create a dated decision record, not simply collect documents: identify the legal question, the record that can settle it, the responsible person, and the next event that may change the answer. Hypothetical example: a reusable-packaging wash-facility buyer includes a refundable apartment deposit in the purchase budget. The concrete decision is whether the proposed facts can be proved as they will exist on the filing or admission date, rather than as a hoped-for future arrangement. Where a document, payment, ownership right, or duty changes, update the comparison before relying on an earlier explanation.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify the actual commercial commitment
- Assess the enterprise’s economic capacity
- Retain the nationality, control and funds analysis
Show how the proposed U.S. manager will move from setup tasks to a qualifying role
A Mercier company opening in the United States should explain both the work needed to launch and the role the transferee will actually hold. A management title does not show who will perform the operation’s ordinary work. A first review should create a dated decision record, not simply collect documents: identify the legal question, the record that can settle it, the responsible person, and the next event that may change the answer. Hypothetical example: a harpsichord-restoration company leases a U.S. workshop and plans to transfer its foreign manager. The concrete decision is whether the proposed facts can be proved as they will exist on the filing or admission date, rather than as a hoped-for future arrangement. Where a document, payment, ownership right, or duty changes, update the comparison before relying on an earlier explanation.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Use the new-office criteria only where they apply
- Explain the L-1A staffing and responsibility plan
- Keep another category and the extension evidence separate
Test a hands-on owner’s proposed duties without assuming every route requires the same management model
A Mercier owner may expect to serve customers personally while directing a U.S. enterprise. Compare that actual role with each category instead of copying an L-1A management description into an investor case. A first review should create a dated decision record, not simply collect documents: identify the legal question, the record that can settle it, the responsible person, and the next event that may change the answer. Hypothetical example: a costume-restoration entrepreneur owns a foreign company and plans to buy a U.S. workshop. The concrete decision is whether the proposed facts can be proved as they will exist on the filing or admission date, rather than as a hoped-for future arrangement. Where a document, payment, ownership right, or duty changes, update the comparison before relying on an earlier explanation.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Describe what the person will actually do
- Assess investor control and the enterprise together
- Identify the conditions specific to an owner transfer
Check work authorization before a dependent accepts an offer
A Mercier household may compare a principal’s route partly because a spouse hopes to work after moving. Keep the spouse’s actual status and evidence separate from an employer’s willingness to hire. A first review should create a dated decision record, not simply collect documents: identify the legal question, the record that can settle it, the responsible person, and the next event that may change the answer. Hypothetical example: a sign-language interpreting business transfers one parent while the other hopes to begin freelance work immediately. The concrete decision is whether the proposed facts can be proved as they will exist on the filing or admission date, rather than as a hoped-for future arrangement. Where a document, payment, ownership right, or duty changes, update the comparison before relying on an earlier explanation.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify which dependent category is actually available
- Distinguish the work rules instead of using one family assumption
- Keep school and age planning on separate lines
Ask what an investor payment can and cannot establish for a spouse’s plans
A Mercier couple comparing EB-5 and Gold Card may focus on moving and working together. Tie each household expectation to the actual route and immigration stage rather than treating the principal’s payment as everyone’s permission. A first review should create a dated decision record, not simply collect documents: identify the legal question, the record that can settle it, the responsible person, and the next event that may change the answer. Hypothetical example: a map-restoration partnership can fund an EB-5 project but also receives a corporate Gold Card proposal for one employee. The concrete decision is whether the proposed facts can be proved as they will exist on the filing or admission date, rather than as a hoped-for future arrangement. Where a document, payment, ownership right, or duty changes, update the comparison before relying on an earlier explanation.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Retain the EB-5 investor conditions and derivative distinction
- Budget the intended Gold Card family through the official process
- Locate the actual residence and conditions milestones
- Record whose next step is actually resolved