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 amended offer needs a record of what actually changed
When a professional offer is revised, identify whether the revision corrects an error or changes the underlying role. The final support record should reflect the genuine proposed work, with material changes explained. Consistent wording is useful only when it describes consistent facts. Hypothetical example: an environmental-impact analyst’s offer changes from field reporting to a mixed project-sales role after the employer has prepared a letter. The applicant must decide whether the revised duties still support the particular listed profession before ordering evaluations or arranging travel. Preserve both versions, identify the real weekly tasks, and have the employer choose a truthful professional description rather than treating the earlier letter as a reusable template.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Keep a short amendment history
- Match the complete role and qualification
- Resolve document tasks without changing history
A citizenship application and citizenship already held are different facts
A planned citizenship application does not establish present TN eligibility. At the same time, absence of a certificate does not necessarily mean a person is not already a citizen by law. Establish the applicant’s actual citizenship position with reliable evidence before assigning a U.S. route. Hypothetical example: a permanent resident of Canada who is not a Canadian citizen receives a U.S. urban-planning offer and assumes Canadian residence gives access to TN. The first decision is citizenship, not residence history. If the person cannot use TN, the family should compare an employer-sponsored route or another status before resigning, while separately preserving the Canadian residence documents that may matter for returning to Canada.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Distinguish a future grant from proof of an existing status
- Apply the U.S. requirement to the individual
- Keep the residence and travel plan separate
A price adjustment should appear in both the agreement and the funding explanation
If the price depends on a later inventory or working-capital calculation, the investment narrative must explain that condition. Record the commitment that exists now and the mechanism that will establish the final amount. A provisional figure should not silently become the claimed completed investment. Hypothetical example: a cabinet-hardware distributor has US$240,000 available and is choosing between buying a small established operation and starting from a garage with a website. The decision is which enterprise can be funded with a substantial, committed, commercially exposed investment and a credible path beyond supporting only the investor’s household. A smaller price does not automatically make the E-2 analysis easier.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify who decides the final adjustment
- Explain the investment relative to the actual business
- Update the evidence when the transaction changes
- Check nationality and the funding chain
A signed lease is only one part of showing operating readiness
Premises evidence should explain what the business can actually do at the location. A lease may establish a commitment without showing that access, equipment or necessary operating permissions are ready. Identify those separate facts before describing the office as functioning. Hypothetical example: a commercial-drone mapping company has formed a U.S. subsidiary but has only a month-to-month virtual-office subscription. The decision is whether it has secured suitable physical premises and can document the financial capacity and staffing plan needed for a new office, or whether the launch must be sequenced differently. Incorporation alone does not establish a functioning office.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Record possession and readiness separately
- Connect premises to the intended role
- Preserve the rest of the qualifying foundation
An employee buy-in creates two timelines to assess
An employee purchasing an ownership interest while considering a transfer has an employment chronology and an investment chronology. Keep both accurate. Shares acquired today do not establish past ownership, and the acquisition does not erase the duties actually performed as an employee. Hypothetical example: a pavement-marking business owner is deciding between transferring as manager of a related Canadian company and personally buying a U.S. competitor. The decision is whether the facts naturally support a qualifying corporate transfer with a full year abroad or a treaty investment with personal funds genuinely committed to the new business. Choosing by perceived speed can obscure the controlling facts.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Document the change in rights and responsibilities
- Compare each category with the actual resulting structure
- Coordinate the choice with the transaction decision
Different start dates call for separate status and activity records
A household does not need to treat every person’s travel and work plans as one event. Record each person’s citizenship, status and intended activity before deciding whether a shared departure is practical. Canadian permanent residence and citizenship are separate, and a PR card does not confer TN eligibility. TD dependants cannot work, dependent children do not inherit E/L spousal work authorization, children may age out at 21, and each family member’s own activity determines the route. Hypothetical example: a restoration-ecology professional and spouse plan to move with a 20-year-old child who is midway through a university program and wants weekend work. The household must decide early whether the child can remain a derivative through each stage and whether a separate student or work route is needed. School admission, work plans, age, and status validity belong on one calendar.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify which decision depends on which person
- Check permissions for the activities actually planned
- Keep documents current as the sequence changes
A company-approved payment still needs a clear recipient and purpose
A board may authorize money for an investor or employee without establishing that the payment meets a particular immigration program’s requirements. Identify whose funds they are, the applicant’s rights and the intended recipient. EB-5 investment and an official Gold Card gift have different purposes and evidence. Hypothetical example: a laboratory-supply company founder has substantial liquidity and wants permanent residence but cannot decide whether to expose capital in a job-creating enterprise or make the Gold Card payment. The decision is not simply which amount is larger. EB-5 calls for at-risk capital and job evidence; the Gold Card describes a government gift and a separate EB-1 or EB-2 basis. Each requires different proof before funds move.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Read the authorization before treating funds as personal capital
- Assess an EB-5 contribution as invested capital
- Use the official Gold Card sequence for that proposal
- Compare the current investment and gift requirements
- Keep the procedural obligations distinct