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.
Document the employment behind each US project
A Nanaimo professional considering more than one US engagement should identify the employer relationships before assembling a TN file. Two client names may represent one employer’s assignments or separate employment. The documents should explain the actual structure and the professional work rather than assume the same authorization covers everything. The first practical decision is whether the record describes one true employer arrangement or several. Make a document register before collecting credentials: identify the signer, payer, supervisor, worksites, professional duties and the document that verifies each item. This avoids spending time on an elegant degree package before confirming that the employment structure is the one the application will describe. Hypothetical example: A Canadian geologist specializing in hydrology is asked to advise a New Mexico water utility through a consulting firm, while the utility also sends her daily assignments. She must decide which entity is the actual employer for TN purposes and obtain records that explain the consulting relationship rather than leaving two competing descriptions in the file.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Map the agreements
- Complete the professional evidence
- Check the permission for the next engagement
Separate a Canadian home address from treaty citizenship
A Nanaimo address identifies where a person lives, while TN and E-2 nationality questions depend on actual citizenship. Canadian permanent residence is not Canadian citizenship. Start with the applicant’s current documents and assess the opportunity using the requirements that apply to those facts. The decision is often whether to pursue a route that exists now, wait for a citizenship change, or restructure an employment or investment plan around a different category. Start with passports and citizenship certificates rather than a Canadian address, PR card or provincial credential. A first review should produce a family-by-family nationality table because spouses and children may not share the same citizenship evidence. Hypothetical example: A Canadian permanent resident who works as a corrosion engineer receives an offer from a U.S. refinery, while her citizen spouse owns a separate consulting company. She must decide based on her own present nationality and qualification, not on the household's Canadian connections or an anticipated naturalization date.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Record each citizenship accurately
- Assess employment and investment alternatives independently
- Plan the household person by person
Read the acquisition schedules before relying on the purchase price
An E-2 buyer needs to know what the transaction actually transfers and how the business will operate afterward. Asset and share purchases can produce different evidence and obligations. Neither structure replaces the nationality, control, investment and nonmarginality requirements. A buyer must choose whether the available deal produces an operating enterprise with a documented ownership and funding story, or whether a different structure is needed. Start by marking every condition that affects control, transfer of assets, premises, licences and the investor's ability to direct the operation. The first review should produce a closing checklist paired with an immigration evidence list. Hypothetical example: A Canadian owner proposes to purchase a U.S. mushroom-growing operation, but the seller retains the growing licence and key customer contracts pending a later approval. The buyer must decide whether the acquisition can operate as described or whether the transaction needs a different sequence and clearer documentation.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify the continuing enterprise
- Explain the money and authority
- Test the post-closing plan
Describe a distributed team truthfully in a new-office plan
A company opening a US operation may draw on staff in several countries. The L-1 plan should identify where people actually work, what they do and how the proposed role meets the requirements. A diagram that moves everyone into the United States can misrepresent the support available to the transferee. The central decision is whether the U.S. operation is genuinely ready to support the claimed role after its initial launch, rather than merely ready to incorporate or lease an address. Prepare a practical opening file: premises, ownership link, funding, customers, staffing, operations and the transferee's role in each stage. Hypothetical example: A Canadian manufacturer of laboratory ventilation systems secures a U.S. warehouse and wants to transfer its service manager before any technicians are hired. The company must decide whether the plan credibly shows future managerial work or simply assigns the manager to install equipment until growth occurs.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Establish the new-office facts
- Explain the management support
- Track actual development
Distinguish a related-company transfer from an independent acquisition
A business opportunity may involve employment within related organizations or personal ownership of a US enterprise. L-1 and E-2 ask different questions about those arrangements. A licensing agreement, commercial partnership or planned purchase should be examined for what it actually establishes. The choice should follow the facts that already exist: a qualifying employment relationship between related organizations, or treaty-national ownership and active direction of a business supported by committed capital. Build two short evidence lists before choosing. Hypothetical example: A Canadian owner of a commercial-kitchen design firm is offered a U.S. affiliate role, but also has an option to buy a controlling interest in an American cabinetmaker. She must decide whether she wants to remain an employee within a documented corporate relationship or become an owner whose transaction must meet a separate nationality, control and investment analysis.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Test the transfer relationship
- Test the investor arrangement
- Compare the work and obligations
Plan staggered arrivals and separate work permissions
One family member may accept a US assignment while others remain in Canada initially. Record where each person will actually live and work and which immigration step they intend to use. A principal’s transfer does not mean the whole household has already acquired dependent status. A family should make one person-by-person plan before anyone travels: status sought, relationship evidence, entry date, school plan, work plan and any independent route needed. The decision is often whether everyone travels together or whether a spouse or older child waits until their own authorization is ready. Hypothetical example: A Canadian civil engineer accepts a U.S. assignment, while her spouse has an offer from a different employer and their twenty-year-old son expects to work at a music venue. The household must decide separately what each person's status allows; accompanying the engineer does not turn the other plans into authorized activity.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Review work at the actual location
- Prepare later dependent applications accurately
- Coordinate admission and household commitments
Compare a qualifying capital contribution with the chosen gift arrangement
An applicant with inherited or distributed funds should first establish lawful ownership and payment history, then assess the chosen immigrant route. EB-5 and Gold Card do not treat money as the same legal transaction. The source of funds cannot substitute for the route’s remaining eligibility requirements. The decision is not simply which route has the larger payment. EB-5 requires qualifying capital exposed to business risk and the required job evidence, followed by a conditional-residence stage; Gold Card concerns a payment made by the applicant to the U.S. government while separate immigrant eligibility remains necessary. Create two evidence lists before moving funds. Hypothetical example: A Canadian owner of a renewable-energy equipment distributor has sale proceeds available and must choose between an EB-5 project with job documentation or the Gold Card framework. She must decide whether she prefers a business-risk investment with later condition removal or can meet the separate payment and immigrant-category requirements.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- For EB-5, review the enterprise and jobs
- For Gold Card, identify individual or corporate terms
- Separate the funds from the residence decision