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.
Separate technical repairs from the professional services in an equipment offer
An equipment-support offer can contain repair, training and analytical work in different proportions. The TN review needs that allocation and the appropriate listed profession, if any. A technical title and a capable applicant do not establish the category without the underlying duties and qualification evidence.
Hypothetical example: an offer describes equipment analysis, but the service contract promises scheduled repairs and emergency replacement of parts. Collect the customer scope, internal duties and expected weekly allocation. Explain any professional analysis that the applicant would perform and distinguish it from mechanical execution. Do not rename every technical task as engineering.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify the work the customer actually receives
- Match the specific listed alternative to actual records
- Prepare complete evidence without overstating its effect
A Canadian company’s incorporation does not establish its owner’s citizenship
Company registration and individual nationality belong to different parts of the file. A Canadian permanent resident may own a Canadian corporation without being a Canadian citizen. Record the owner’s actual citizenship before selecting a category for the intended U.S. work.
Hypothetical example: a sole shareholder presents Canadian incorporation papers as the reason TN should be available. Obtain the applicant’s own citizenship documents and distinguish them from the corporation’s registered address and ownership records. TN is for qualifying Canadian and Mexican citizens; Canadian permanent residence alone is insufficient.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Separate the company record from personal identity
- Disclose who would receive the services
- Assess other routes on their own evidence
Retirement-account withdrawals need a net funding record before a franchise commitment
A retirement-account statement is not the same as money available under a signed purchase arrangement. Identify what can be withdrawn, what deductions apply and what the applicant can actually commit. Coordinate financial and tax advice with the immigration analysis without treating either as a substitute for the other.
Hypothetical example: an applicant budgets the gross retirement-account value for a franchise purchase, while the financial institution’s withdrawal estimate is lower. Keep the statement, withdrawal instructions and calculation of deductions. Obtain qualified advice on tax consequences and record the net funds expected, without assuming a universal tax rate or guaranteed withdrawal date.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Reconcile the account balance with available proceeds
- Identify what the franchise payment secures
- Document each step into the investment
A sole owner must document managerial work without inventing a supervising board
L-1A does not become a board-supervision exercise because the applicant owns the company. The file must establish the qualifying organization, employment and role on actual evidence. Describe how the U.S. operation will function and who will perform its underlying work.
Hypothetical example: a sole owner plans to open a U.S. operation but initially lists every sales, delivery and administrative task as their own responsibility. Identify which tasks will be delegated, to whom and under what arrangements. Do not add a paper board or inflate titles to make a founder appear removed from work they will actually perform.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Show authority through the operating record
- Document the employment and corporate foundation
- Make the first-year plan measurable
A spouse’s existing green card does not resolve the business applicant’s route
One household member may already have an independent U.S. immigration position. That fact should be recorded accurately, but it does not establish the other person’s L-1 or E-2 eligibility. Separate the business proposal from the spouse’s status and residence questions.
Hypothetical example: a business owner plans a transfer while a spouse holds permanent residence obtained through an earlier petition. Gather the owner’s company and employment records separately from the spouse’s immigration history. Ask about the spouse’s actual residence and travel circumstances rather than assuming possession of a card answers every continuing-status question.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Describe the two individual positions
- Compare the principal applicant’s evidence
- Coordinate decisions without merging categories
An adult child’s support needs require a separate status plan
Financial dependence or a disability does not by itself establish eligibility under a category limited to unmarried children under 21. Record the child’s actual circumstances and ask what routes and procedures apply. Avoid treating the household’s care plan as an immigration classification.
Hypothetical example: parents planning a transfer assume their 23-year-old child can accompany them as a dependent because the parents provide daily support. Record age, marital status, citizenship, existing immigration history and intended activities. Provide relevant information through an appropriate private channel rather than including unnecessary medical detail in general employer documents.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Gather facts needed for an individual assessment
- Keep ordinary age rules and specific protections distinct
- Coordinate the care plan after identifying immigration options
An insurance payout needs entitlement evidence as well as proof of deposit
An insurance payment can arrive before an applicant has assembled the documents explaining the right to receive it. Preserve the policy, beneficiary or settlement records and payment trail. A bank deposit proves receipt; it does not by itself explain every source-of-funds or ownership question.
Hypothetical example: an insurer pays a household member, but the proposed investor is another relative who expects to use the proceeds. Identify the policyholder, insured event, beneficiary and any assignment, trust or settlement restriction. Document the investor’s actual legal rights and any subsequent gift or loan instead of assuming family access establishes ownership.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify the basis and recipient of the payment
- Connect the specific funds to an EB-5 proposal
- Keep an official gift separate from invested capital