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.
Keep a former employer’s reference separate from the new professional offer
A Saint-Mathieu applicant may have a strong reference describing past work. Identify what that record establishes and what the proposed U.S. employer still needs to explain for the TN assessment. A first document review should produce a three-column list: proof of citizenship, proof of the listed profession’s required credential, and proof of the specific U.S. role. Canadians normally request TN classification during border inspection or preclearance; alternatively, a U.S. employer may pursue an I-129 filing with USCIS. The category does not allow the applicant to perform work for a U.S. business the applicant solely owns or controls. Hypothetical example: a forensic typography analyst has a detailed prior-employer reference but an offer that only says “consulting.” The decision is whether the employer will issue a duty-specific letter before travel.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Use the reference for the history it actually describes
- Check the prescribed qualification for the listed profession
- Obtain the actual U.S. arrangement
Update an old company profile without assuming the applicant’s nationality has stayed the same
A Saint-Mathieu company may rely on an older employee summary when planning a U.S. assignment. Verify the person’s actual citizenship evidence rather than treating an old label as the current category basis. The first review should identify the document that proves present nationality, its validity date and any name difference from the personnel record. Canadian permanent residence cannot replace Canadian citizenship for TN. Hypothetical example: a restorer of scientific glassware is listed internally as Canadian because the company reimbursed a Canadian work permit years earlier, but the current passport proves a different nationality. The decision is whether to pause the TN plan and assess another route from the actual evidence.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify what the current authentic evidence establishes
- Reassess the proposed route if its assumption was wrong
- Preserve a clear record of the actual proposal
Distinguish a supplier quote from the commitment described in the investment plan
A Saint-Mathieu investor may collect quotations while budgeting a U.S. venture. Identify whether each document is a price indication, an actual obligation or evidence of a completed payment before including it in the investment account. A first review should produce a funding schedule that separates quotations, signed obligations, cleared payments and visa-contingent arrangements. It should also trace the lawful source and path of the money. E-2 requires treaty nationality, qualifying ownership or control, capital that is substantial and exposed to loss, and a real enterprise that is not marginal. Hypothetical example: an operator of an industrial aroma-dispensing equipment business receives a quote for installation but has not accepted it. The decision is whether to commit under terms that accurately show the commercial risk before relying on the amount.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Describe the real stage of each purchase
- Assess capital on the real commitments
- Connect the purchases to the operating proposal
Distinguish incorporation records from evidence of the U.S. operation’s activity
A Saint-Mathieu business may have formed a U.S. entity before commencing its actual services. Date the real activity and explain the stage of the launch instead of treating incorporation as the entire doing-business record. A first review should create a dated launch file: formation, premises, bank activity, contracts, payroll, invoices and the first actual provision of goods or services. That file shows what exists and what remains projected. Hypothetical example: a maker of precision ceramic pump seals signs a U.S. lease before its first customer order. The decision is whether the premises, financial plan and foreign-company record are sufficient for a new-office filing now, rather than treating incorporation as evidence of a mature operation.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify what the formation documents prove
- Match the employee to the launch conditions
- Retain the international relationship and actual progress
Identify what an organizational chart establishes before using it for two different routes
A Saint-Mathieu group may have a chart showing a foreign company, a U.S. entity and the proposed applicant. Verify the underlying relationships and rights rather than treating the drawing as complete L or E-2 evidence. A first comparison should produce two separate evidence maps, one for the intercompany transfer and one for the investment enterprise. L-1 depends on a qualifying relationship, qualifying foreign employment and a qualifying U.S. role; L-1A has a seven-year maximum total stay and L-1B a five-year maximum. E-2 depends on treaty nationality, qualifying ownership or control, capital exposed to loss and a real enterprise that is not marginal. Hypothetical example: an operator of a mobile textile-dye testing unit may either transfer through a related foreign company or invest personally. The decision is which factual record genuinely supports the selected route before funds move or duties are assigned.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Support the L relationship with actual records
- Support the E-2 investor’s own authority
- Keep added owner and new-office conditions visible
Assess proposed remote work through the spouse’s actual location and status
A Saint-Mathieu spouse may intend to continue work for a foreign business after moving to the United States. Identify the activity and actual status rather than assuming that a foreign payer removes U.S. work restrictions. A first review should produce one activity-and-status sheet for each family member, with location, employer or client, intended dates and the authority for any work. A foreign payroll label does not itself authorize activity performed in the United States. Hypothetical example: a tuner of concert-hall pipe organs plans to answer overseas customer calls and prepare quotations from a U.S. residence while accompanying a principal. The decision is whether the dependent’s actual category permits that work before travel and client commitments are made.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Start with the status the spouse would hold
- Describe the activity accurately
- Keep other relatives and stay questions separate
Identify the method behind a project’s job estimate before comparing investor routes
A Saint-Mathieu applicant may see a job total without a clear explanation of how it was calculated. Ask which EB-5 framework and evidence the proposal actually uses rather than treating every reported job as interchangeable. A first comparison should separate the EB-5 investment file from the Gold Card payment file. For EB-5, identify capital exposed to risk, the lawful source and path, the applicable job methodology and the conditional-residence sequence. Gold Card is not a conventional visa: its government gift is paid by the applicant to the U.S. government after successful vetting and official instructions. Hypothetical example: a manufacturer of underwater acoustic-release devices asks its employer to make every payment. The decision is whether the actual payer and records satisfy the applicant’s required obligations under the chosen process.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Connect the job figure to the applicable framework
- Retain the capital and individual requirements
- Compare the actual Gold Card gift route