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 the intended professional period when the contract and project calendar differ
A Sainte-Catherine applicant may receive an employment document with one end date and a project schedule with another. Clarify the actual temporary work proposed instead of selecting the date that appears most convenient. A first review should produce a table naming the employer, professional activity, credential and record for each fact. A Canadian ordinarily requests TN classification during inspection, while an employer can request it through a Form I-129 petition. Neither procedure permits a self-employed U.S. arrangement. Decide whether the temporary prearranged engagement is supported as written or needs correction before the next step. Add the employer’s signed explanation of remaining professional duties to the review set.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Separate the employment term from the customer milestone
- Retain the professional and credential conditions
- Present the actual temporary arrangement
Prepare the nationality evidence before relying on a company’s category recommendation
A Sainte-Catherine resident may be told by an employer that a particular U.S. route is suitable. Confirm the actual nationality and category conditions rather than treating an internal company recommendation as the applicant’s citizenship assessment. A first review should make a nationality-and-route matrix: passport fact, proposed activity, evidence held and condition still unproved. That produces a decision—continue, obtain a missing record or stop treating a general recommendation as eligibility. Request the corporate chart, foreign payroll, ownership record and funds trail before comparing alternatives, because each settles a different governing condition.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Establish the individual nationality fact
- Evaluate each recommended route on its own basis
- Identify what the recommendation assumed
Explain equipment contributed to a venture through its actual ownership and transaction
A Sainte-Catherine investor may propose equipment as part of a U.S. enterprise’s resources. Identify the real asset, ownership and commitment instead of inserting an unsupported value into the investment total. A first review should separate assets already transferred from assets merely discussed, and produce a source-and-use list tied to transaction documents. E-2 capital must be irrevocably committed and at risk, while the enterprise must be real and not marginal. Decide whether the investor can show an existing business commitment or must wait until the contemplated contribution becomes real.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Document the asset and the actual contribution
- Keep the capital analysis complete
- Connect the resources to the enterprise and investor
Explain outsourced support without overstating the transferee’s managerial role
A Sainte-Catherine company may outsource accounting, administration or other support during a U.S. launch. Identify what those arrangements actually cover and what the transferee will personally do before relying on them in an L-1A role description. A first review should map recurring work to the transferee, employee or outside provider, then identify the document proving the allocation. The individual must have completed one qualifying year abroad during the three years before the request. L-1A is generally subject to a seven-year maximum and L-1B to a five-year maximum. Decide whether the proposed role is primarily managerial or executive now, or the launch needs more structure first.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Describe the actual allocation of work
- Apply the new-office conditions accurately
- Retain the organization and actual-progress record
Identify whether a proposed adviser will be an employee transferee or an investor directing the enterprise
A Sainte-Catherine project may describe its proposed U.S. operator as an adviser. Explain the real employment, ownership and duties rather than treating that flexible title as a category of its own. A first comparison should yield evidence lists for a qualifying transfer and for treaty-investor ownership and control. For L-1, the individual needs one qualifying foreign year during the three years before the request; L-1A is generally limited to seven years and L-1B to five. For E-2, the enterprise must be real and not marginal, and funds must be irrevocably committed; they must also be at risk. Decide which facts can be proved without recasting the relationship.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Assess the actual L employment and role
- Assess the investor’s actual authority and commitment
- Preserve additional conditions for a launch or owner
Separate a spouse’s planned business involvement from the principal’s approved activity
A Sainte-Catherine couple may both expect to participate in the U.S. enterprise. Identify the spouse’s actual status and intended work rather than assuming that the principal’s business permission covers the household. A first review should make separate columns for each household member: current status, relationship evidence, proposed activity, work rule and date needing attention. TD does not authorize work; qualifying E and L spouses may be employment-authorized incident to status, while children do not receive that spouse benefit. Decide which plans may proceed together and which require a different status or a pause before business duties begin.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Establish the real dependent basis
- Apply the work rule of the actual status
- Keep study and age planning separate
Keep an invoice date separate from the petition date that governs EB-5 capital thresholds
A Sainte-Catherine applicant may receive a project invoice before deciding when an EB-5 petition will be filed. Identify the applicable threshold through the petition-filing-date rules rather than assuming a private invoice locks the immigration amount. The initial review should produce a dated table separating invoice, capital transfer, petition filing and official government instruction. EB-5 requires capital at risk, qualifying job creation and conditional residence; an invoice alone establishes none of those conditions. A Gold Card payment is made by the applicant to the U.S. government under official instructions and is never a conventional visa or a substitute for EB-5 capital.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify the actual EB-5 threshold and other conditions
- Track the official Gold Card process separately
- Preserve the residence and financial distinctions
- Create a dated record with the purpose of each event