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.
Sorting a research appointment that also includes teaching
A research appointment can combine an independent project, teaching hours and the supervision of students. Before ordering translations or an evaluation, write down what the person would actually do each week, who directs that work and who pays for it. The TN analysis follows the duty mix and the specific credentials held, not the academic label printed on the appointment letter. The first review should produce a two-column duty chart: what the employer will actually require and what the selected TN profession requires. It should identify the record that proves each fact, the issuing institution for each credential, and any missing translation or explanation before a travel date is chosen.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Write the week down before you rely on the title
- Test the credential against the profession, not the post
- Ask who directs the work and who receives it
When a Canadian work permit was mistaken for permanent residence
A work permit and permanent residence are different Canadian facts. If they were confused during an initial discussion, correct the description from the actual documents: current citizenships, Canadian status and its conditions, document validity and pending applications. An accurate record lets the U.S. review address the applicant's actual circumstances. The first review should begin with the physical documents, not a recollection of their names. It should produce a status timeline, passport-nationality list, copies of every permit or card, and the expiry and conditions shown on each. That record establishes which U.S. pathways are genuinely available before anyone chooses a filing sequence.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Restate the status from the documents themselves
- Match citizenship to what each route requires
- Keep the Canadian and U.S. questions in separate columns
Describing a seller's training period before the sale closes
A seller who offers to train the buyer during the transition is describing activity, and activity raises a question separate from whether the investment qualifies. Write down what the buyer would do, where, when and under what status. Eligibility for a category and permission to perform work are decided separately, and a transaction still under negotiation settles neither of them. Separate commercial preparation from work that would advance the enterprise in the United States. The first review should list each planned activity, who benefits, where it occurs, whether it produces revenue or deliverables, and the immigration permission the person would have on that date. That list makes the timing decision visible before travel is booked.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Write the training period down as activities and dates
- Keep work authorization separate from investment eligibility
- Test the transaction terms alongside the plan
Preparing a U.S. office while the manager still works abroad
Preparing a U.S. office can involve lease negotiations, incorporation, supplier discussions and hands-on operations. Those descriptions do not establish which activities a particular status permits. Record who would perform each task, where and when, and have the proposed activities assessed before an overseas manager begins working on site. The first review should assign every preparatory act to a person, place and date. It should then separate corporate setup from the proposed transferee’s qualifying foreign employment, because a persuasive launch narrative cannot replace proof of the individual’s prior role. That separation also reveals whether an early trip would change the relevant employment timeline.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Date the preparations against the person's status
- Keep the qualifying employment year clean
- Show what the first year is meant to produce
Comparing routes when a family business passes to the next generation
A parent transferring shares to a son or daughter changes ownership. That transfer does not by itself create a qualifying corporate relationship between two companies, and it does not describe the work the person would perform. Write the succession down as three separate facts — ownership, employment history and the proposed U.S. role — then test each route against them. The first review should produce two separate route charts, not one blended family-business story. One chart follows ownership, qualifying entities and the individual’s employment history; the other follows nationality, capital, operating control and the business forecast. The decision is which chart the available records can actually support.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Separate the share transfer from the company structure
- Describe the employment as it actually happened
- Test E-2 on its own terms
When a spouse reconsiders working after the move
A spouse who initially planned to pause work may later want to resume it. Assess the spouse's actual status and proposed activities before the work begins. Record where the spouse would physically perform the work, the employer and the arrangement; a foreign employer or foreign payroll does not by itself establish permission to work while in the United States. The first review should create an activity-and-status calendar for the spouse, including planned employment, self-directed business work, study, remote duties and travel. It should identify the record that establishes the current classification and I-94, because a household plan can change while the immigration permission does not.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify the status the spouse would actually hold
- Do not assume a remote or foreign-employer exception
- Examine an independent route in parallel
Separating a business valuation from funds you can commit
A minority stake in a private company can be worth a great deal on paper and produce very little cash on demand. An EB-5 investment and a Gold Card gift have different funding requirements; a valuation alone establishes neither. Before comparing them, work out what could lawfully be made available, from what source and by when, and keep that separate from what the holding is said to be worth. The first review should produce a liquidity map, not merely a valuation. List the asset, its current holder, restrictions, expected sale steps, net proceeds, tax consequences, and the records that trace the money from disposition to the proposed immigration payment or investment. The decision is whether cash can be documented and committed on the required timeline.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Value and availability answer different questions
- Trace the path the money would take
- Do not price an outcome against a net worth