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.
An employer’s internal job code is not the TN profession list
A company may group different professional jobs under one internal code. Identify the applicant’s actual duties and the listed TN profession being considered before using the code to select credential evidence. An internal classification can explain the employer’s system without deciding immigration eligibility. Hypothetical example: a textile-dye chemist receives an offer under a broad “technical services” code, but the manager’s project notes show laboratory formulation work. The applicant must decide whether the employer can document the actual listed profession and its required credentials, or whether the proposed duties need further clarification before a TN request is made.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Ask what the code includes
- Select evidence for the actual profession
- Keep the final description consistent with the employer’s records
A related U.S. company does not turn Canadian residence into a transfer qualification
A Canadian permanent resident may work for a company that also has a U.S. affiliate. That relationship can raise an L-1 question, but residence in Canada does not supply the required foreign employment or qualifying duties. Document the person and the organizations separately. Hypothetical example: a cryogenic-valve manufacturer recruits a Canadian permanent resident who previously worked for an unrelated supplier overseas. The applicant must decide whether the present group can prove qualifying foreign employment and a qualifying relationship, rather than assuming a Canadian card or industry experience fills either gap.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify the actual employer and employment history
- Do not substitute one route’s fact for another’s
- Prepare the missing-evidence list for both sides
An insurance condition may change what the proposed business can open
A business plan may assume coverage that the insurer has not agreed to provide. Identify the actual condition and its effect on operations before describing the enterprise as ready to open. Insurance questions need appropriate commercial advice; an immigration filing does not resolve them. Hypothetical example: a microtome-blade servicing business has signed a lease, but its insurer requires a ventilation upgrade before coverage begins. The investor must decide whether to fund and document the upgrade, revise the opening plan, or postpone reliance on the premises as ready for operation; a quotation alone does not resolve the commercial condition.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify the condition rather than the insurance label
- Show how the condition affects the investment and operation
- Update the plan using confirmed information
A purchase agreement signed before closing does not show completed ownership
A group may prepare a new U.S. operation while an acquisition remains conditional. Distinguish the signed purchase agreement from the ownership and control that will exist only if closing occurs. The proposed L-1 relationship must be supported by the actual facts at the relevant stage. Hypothetical example: a bird-safe glass fabricator signs a conditional purchase for a small U.S. workshop while the seller’s lender approval is pending. The transferee must decide whether the company can document present qualifying control and secured premises, or wait until closing supplies facts that a conditional agreement cannot prove.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Record the conditions and effective dates
- Separate the transferee’s history from the pending transaction
- Coordinate the new-office evidence with the actual sequence
A business consultant’s plan must match the applicant’s personal role
A consultant may prepare a persuasive expansion plan without having verified what the applicant will personally do. Review the role description against the company’s actual arrangements before choosing L-1 or E-2. A polished plan cannot supply authority, employment or capital that does not exist. Hypothetical example: a disinfectant-dispensing equipment company wants its founder to open the U.S. operation while also retaining a Canadian management role. The founder must decide whether a qualifying transfer role and foreign-employment history can be documented, or whether the treaty-investor ownership, investment and day-to-day direction facts better describe the real plan.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Check who provided the facts
- Test the role under each set of requirements
- Revise assumptions without rewriting the history
When the employer pays family costs, still identify each person’s procedure
An employer may agree to reimburse dependent immigration costs without specifying which relatives or steps are covered. Clarify the commercial promise and the individual immigration process separately. A budget allowance does not mean all family members use the same application or qualify together. Hypothetical example: a bookbinding conservator accepts a U.S. assignment, while their spouse has a separate job offer and one child will finish a school term later. The family must decide which person has an independent basis, which needs a derivative process, and which commitments can wait for the relevant immigration outcome.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Read the reimbursement terms precisely
- Keep eligibility and permitted activities individual
- Prepare dates that the reimbursement policy cannot control
Settlement proceeds need evidence of entitlement and actual payment
A settlement agreement may promise funds without showing that the applicant has received an unrestricted amount. Identify the claimant, payment conditions, deductions and actual transfer before building an immigration funding plan. A headline settlement figure is not necessarily the capital available to commit. Hypothetical example: an electrolyzer-gasket supplier receives a settlement payment in two tranches, with the second held pending a release. The applicant must decide whether only the cleared amount can support the proposed commitment, and whether the file can show its lawful source and full transfer path without treating a promised balance as available capital.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Read the agreement and the payment together
- Connect the proceeds to the investment evidence
- Keep the Gold Card commitment distinct