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.
When a design portfolio and an experience record answer different questions
For a hypothetical Trois-Rivières graphic designer using the diploma-or-certificate TN route, a portfolio can illustrate design work while the credential and three years of experience require their own support. Do not ask one document to prove everything. For Canadians, the route is a port-of-entry request or employer-filed Form I-129 with no TN visa stamp; TD dependants may study but not work. Hypothetical example: A Trois-Rivières museum-display fabricator has a qualifying credential but project records held by several former employers. The immediate decision is which credential route is actually used and which record proves each claimed experience period.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify the route before collecting references
- Attribute the work accurately
- Finish with the actual professional arrangement
Keeping a citizenship application separate from a professional start date
A Trois-Rivières permanent resident may have a pending Canadian citizenship process and a U.S. professional offer. The offer should be assessed using citizenship actually held, without presenting a hoped-for future grant as completed. TN forbids U.S. self-employment and requires ownership disclosure; Canadians use a port-of-entry request or employer-filed Form I-129 and need no TN visa stamp; TD dependants may study but not work. Hypothetical example: A Trois-Rivières clinical-research coordinator expects Canadian citizenship approval after accepting a U.S. professional offer. The decision is whether current citizenship evidence supports the route now or whether the employer must plan for a later, uncertain event.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify the current citizenship evidence
- Keep professional readiness separate
- Compare only genuinely available alternatives
Preparing the E-2 account for a business activity separated from a larger seller
A hypothetical Trois-Rivières buyer should distinguish the acquired operation from services and assets retained by the seller. The E-2 account must explain the buyer’s enterprise, not simply reproduce the seller’s consolidated success. Canada qualifies; funds must be irrevocably committed, at risk and substantial relative to the business; the investor ordinarily needs at least 50% ownership or operational control; an E spouse may work incident to status, but E-2 has no direct path to permanent residence. Hypothetical example: A Trois-Rivières buyer of a mobile bicycle-workshop business will receive vans and customer lists but not the seller’s booking staff. The decision is whether the purchased elements and funded replacements form the real enterprise the buyer will direct.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Reconcile the sale schedules and operating plan
- Trace the investment and treaty ownership
- Assess the business after support expires
Opening the U.S. office when a key manager’s return is still being organized
A Trois-Rivières company’s hypothetical new-office plan may depend on both premises becoming available and a manager returning from leave. Explain those events separately; completing one does not establish the other or satisfy every L-1 requirement. L-1 requires one continuous year abroad in the prior three and two active related entities; a new office must have secured premises and capacity to support the role within one year and is initially approved for one year; offsite work must not be labour-for-hire and must remain petitioner-controlled; an L-2 spouse may work incident to status; the L-1A maximum is seven years. Hypothetical example: A Trois-Rivières electronics-repair group plans a new U.S. office while its proposed manager finishes a documented leave. The decision is whether the employment history and the first-year operating plan each stand on their own evidence.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Check the employee history on its own facts
- Support the new operation with actual arrangements
- Do not let one delay rewrite the other record
Comparing a group transfer with purchasing a separated business activity
A hypothetical Trois-Rivières applicant may have experience inside a company group and also consider investing personally in an acquired activity. Identify the actual employer, buyer and operating role before comparing L-1 with E-2. L-1 requires one continuous year abroad in the prior three, two active related entities, qualifying L-1A managerial/executive or L-1B company-specific knowledge duties, one-year new-office limits, petitioner-controlled non-labour-for-hire offsite work, L-2 spouse work authorization and seven-/five-year caps. E-2 requires qualifying treaty nationality—Canada qualifies—irrevocably committed at-risk funds substantial relative to a real nonmarginal business, development and direction through at least 50% ownership or operational control, E-spouse work authorization, and has no direct permanent-residence path. Hypothetical example: A Trois-Rivières artisan-beverage distributor has managed a group division and is considering personal purchase of a separate U.S. route. The decision is whether the actual transaction supports an intracompany transfer, investor role, or neither.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Follow the organizations for L-1
- Follow ownership and capital for E-2
- Compare the unresolved relationship before the route cost
Preparing family records when the principal’s work plan changes
A Trois-Rivières household may revise a move after a leave, new assignment or investment change. Reconcile each person’s current status and planned activity rather than assuming the entire household follows one employment calendar. Canadian citizenship and permanent residence are separate; a PR card does not create TN eligibility, and children age out at 21, subject to applicable child-status protection. Hypothetical example: A Trois-Rivières avionics engineer’s household is planning school enrollment, a spouse’s job and travel while the principal’s assignment changes. The decision is which activities are supported by each person’s present status rather than by the family’s preferred move date.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Record what each classification permits
- Separate immigrant entry from a work assignment
- Update the household’s practical commitments
Comparing investment capital with an individual or corporate government gift
A hypothetical Trois-Rivières applicant comparing portfolio redemption with employer funding should distinguish EB-5 capital from Gold Card gifts. The payer, recipient, economic risk and immigration process differ; one large transfer does not answer every requirement. EB-5 also requires ten full-time jobs for qualifying U.S. workers, investor engagement in management or policy formulation, and permits the spouse and unmarried children under 21 as derivatives. Gold Card instead uses a Commerce gift deposited in a separate Treasury fund, is not a conventional standalone visa category, is never an EB-5 investment, and must be re-verified before money moves. Hypothetical example: A Trois-Rivières wholesale-stationery company owner has sale proceeds and an employer willing to discuss a Gold Card proposal. The decision is whether the funds are for qualifying EB-5 capital at risk or for the applicant’s government payment under the separate Gold Card structure.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify the EB-5 investment structure
- Identify the Gold Card payment structure
- Compare the immigration sequence as well as the money