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.
Organizing a TN file when your name differs across records
A diploma under an earlier surname, a passport with two given names and an employer letter using an abbreviated name can make one person look like several people on paper. Prepare a clear identity trail before assembling the TN evidence. Changing the name on a translation does not repair the original record. The first review should produce a name-and-document matrix, not a corrected-looking bundle. It identifies the record that links each variation, whether an issuer correction is available, and which document should carry the explanation. The reader must decide whether the issue is identity continuity, a translation requirement, or the separate question of whether the position and credential qualify for TN.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Separate a legal name change from a formatting difference
- Translate the evidence without rewriting it
- Keep identity proof separate from professional eligibility
A Canadian citizenship application is not yet a TN qualification
If you live in Repentigny as a Canadian permanent resident and have applied for citizenship, separate the status you hold today from the status you hope to obtain. An employer’s proposed start date cannot turn a pending citizenship application into Canadian citizenship. Review the U.S. route using the citizenship and employment facts that actually exist. A first review should create two timelines: Canadian status events and the U.S. employer’s required start date. The record that settles citizenship is the issued proof of citizenship, not a pending application, ceremony invitation, or anticipated date. The decision is whether to wait, use another existing nationality where applicable, or evaluate a different U.S. pathway on the facts available now.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Create two honest timelines
- Assess options without assuming TN is available
- Do not confuse treaty nationality with Canadian residence
Before using money from a relative for an E-2 business
A transfer from a relative needs an explanation beyond the bank receipt. Is it a completed gift, a personal loan or money the relative still controls? Write down the actual arrangement before treating the funds as your investment. Family involvement does not remove the need to establish a lawful source and your possession and control of the capital. The first review should trace the money in chronological order: original source, transfer terms, account movement, payment to the enterprise, and the risk retained by the investor. The record that settles the arrangement is the signed agreement together with the banking trail, not a family description of the transfer. The decision is whether the funds are a gift, a qualifying personal loan, or money still controlled by someone else.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Document the arrangement that actually exists
- Check what secures a loan
- Test the enterprise as well as the funding
Planning the handover when a manager opens the U.S. office
Moving a manager to the United States creates two staffing questions: who will run the existing foreign operation, and who will perform the new office’s daily work? Use a responsibility handover to test the expansion plan. An organizational chart should explain the operating arrangement, rather than simply give the transferring employee a senior title. The first review should produce a handover map and an operating plan that can be tested against payroll, contracts, and the actual tasks required at each location. The key record is not the senior title; it is the evidence of who will do the work after transfer. The company must decide whether the foreign operation remains active and whether the U.S. office can support the intended managerial or executive role within one year.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Show who takes over the Canadian responsibilities
- Build the U.S. staffing sequence around actual work
- Verify the transfer foundation before scheduling the move
Buying a U.S. business: does the proposed owner also qualify for a transfer?
An acquisition can raise both L-1 and E-2 questions, but the purchase does not make the routes interchangeable. Sketch the ownership before and after closing, then assess the proposed applicant’s employment history and future responsibilities. Keep the transaction’s commercial merit separate from whether either immigration category fits. The first review should produce two separate eligibility maps, then compare them against the transaction timetable. The record that settles L-1 is the qualifying organizational relationship and the applicant’s foreign employment; the record that settles E-2 includes treaty nationality, ownership, investment, and operating-business evidence. The buyer must decide which route fits before treating closing documents as immigration evidence.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Start with the relationship created by the deal
- Ask who is investing and directing the enterprise
- Compare the consequences of a delayed closing
When one partner wants to start work before the rest of the household moves
A household does not necessarily move on one date. One partner may want to start a U.S. role while the other finishes a project and a child completes a term. Map the sequence person by person, then check the immigration consequences before committing to accommodation or employment. A principal applicant’s approval does not automatically give everyone permission to work. The first review should produce a person-by-person movement and authorization calendar. It identifies the document that controls each person’s status, the intended activity, and the date that activity can begin. The household must decide whether to delay a job, use an independently authorized arrangement, or change the sequence; family plans and housing commitments do not create U.S. work permission.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Write down the activity, not just the travel date
- Check the dependent category before budgeting a second income
- Give permanent-residence plans their own sequence
Separate capital at risk from a government gift before comparing budgets
A household budget can look sufficient until you distinguish investment capital, nonrefundable fees, gifts and ordinary moving costs. Build separate columns for EB-5 and the Gold Card. Compare the legal process and financial exposure, not just the first advertised amount. Neither payment alone guarantees immigration approval. The first review should produce a source-of-funds and cash-commitment schedule for each option. The record that settles EB-5 exposure is the project and its governing documents; the record for Gold Card is the official program instruction identifying the applicant’s payment to the U.S. government. The household must decide which funds can be exposed to investment risk and which can be paid as nonrefundable government charges.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Record what the EB-5 capital must accomplish
- Calculate the Gold Card commitment by applicant
- Keep a separate decision about the immigration result