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.
Add an ownership disclosure to the TN employment record
An applicant’s interest in a participating business should be explained, not hidden or treated as automatically decisive. Prepare the employment record and ownership facts together so the reviewer can assess the actual arrangement, including the TN restriction on U.S. self-employment. The listed profession and credential requirements still apply.
Write down the duties, employer, remuneration and intended period before considering any future share purchase. Hypothetical example: a Chestermere applicant receives a professional offer with an investment option. The current position should remain identifiable even if the option is never exercised. Ask the employer to verify that description. The threshold review is Canadian or Mexican citizenship, temporary professional activity and the particular listed profession’s qualifications. Canadian permanent residence alone does not qualify. Experience substitutes for a degree only where that profession permits it; a degree from an institution outside Canada, Mexico or the United States requires evaluation by a reliable service specializing in foreign credentials.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Describe the current job independently
- Disclose the powers attached to the interest
- Identify what would trigger a new assessment
Check nationality separately for an employee and a proposed investor
A Chestermere resident comparing an employment offer with a business investment may need different nationality analyses for the two routes. Canadian permanent residence alone does not establish TN eligibility or Canadian treaty nationality. Identify the actual citizenships and the facts of each proposal before making the comparison.
For the job, identify the employer, duties and qualifications. For the investment, identify ownership, control and funds. Hypothetical example: a permanent resident with a foreign passport is offered employment and a later equity interest. The citizenship relevant to each route must be checked against the actual criteria, not inferred from the Canadian address. TN is limited to eligible Canadian or Mexican citizens. Canadian permanent residence alone does not establish either citizenship.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Create two factual summaries
- Keep future citizenship changes conditional
- Review each person’s procedure
Test the control clauses before counting a share purchase as an E-2 plan
Compare the proposed investor’s authority with the agreements that govern the enterprise. A share percentage, payment and operating title can point to different facts. E-2 review needs the qualifying nationality, investment and ability to develop and direct the business, alongside the enterprise requirements.
Hypothetical example: a Chestermere co-investor wants to hire staff, but another owner objects. Identify which clause resolves the disagreement and who has the effective authority. Repeat the exercise for appointing management or changing the business direction. This exposes questions a simple ownership chart may leave unanswered.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Work through a disputed budget
- Connect the rights to the funding
- Describe the operation after closing
Explain decision authority in a new office with several owners
A new-office L-1A proposal should explain both the business development plan and the authority assigned to the beneficiary. Multiple owners do not answer whether the applicant’s actual role is managerial or executive. Present the governing agreements and the operating responsibilities together.
List decisions kept by a board, another owner or the foreign company and those delegated to the beneficiary. Hypothetical example: a Chestermere co-owner will open a U.S. office but needs approval for staffing. Describe the actual authority rather than using the ownership title to imply powers not granted.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify reserved decisions
- Show who performs the launch work
- Preserve changes for extension review
Compare a transfer now with an investment option later
A transfer proposal and an option to invest later should be assessed as separate stages. L-1 depends on qualifying organizations, employment and the role; E-2 examines treaty nationality, investment and enterprise requirements. A future opportunity should not be used as if it already establishes the current route.
Hypothetical example: a Chestermere employee could transfer to a related operation and later acquire an interest. Identify the employer, duties and company relationship at the transfer stage. Determine which facts are established and which depend on a later commercial decision rather than blending the two versions.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Describe the arrangement before the option
- Explain what exercise of the option changes
- Choose a review point before commitments
Separate a family business role from dependent work permission
A spouse may be an owner, an intended employee or an accompanying family member, and those descriptions answer different questions. Identify the actual planned work and status before assuming a family enterprise gives everyone permission to participate. Children’s work and study rules require separate attention.
Hypothetical example: a Chestermere spouse expects to help with the U.S. business while accompanying the principal applicant. Describe the activities and location for review rather than assuming that calling them informal removes the work question. Ownership or a family relationship is not itself an immigration authorization.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Describe unpaid or informal help accurately
- Check the proposed status and evidence
- Plan for different readiness dates
Compare shareholder funds with a corporate Gold Card offer
An applicant may be considering personally investing funds distributed by a business or accepting corporate Gold Card sponsorship. Keep those proposals separate. EB-5 capital and job evidence differ from the official Gold Card gift framework, and a company’s involvement does not remove individual eligibility and family questions.
Hypothetical example: a Chestermere shareholder could receive a distribution for EB-5 or an employer-sponsored Gold Card offer. Document the actual financial event under each option. A corporate account balance does not establish a personal distribution, while a sponsorship promise should be supported by its real terms. If the shareholder distribution funds EB-5, establish the applicant’s lawful ownership and path of the capital before assessing an at-risk investment, management or policy-formulation participation and at least ten qualifying full-time jobs per investor, generally 35 hours weekly. Current minimums are US$1,050,000 or US$800,000 for a qualifying targeted employment area or infrastructure project; confirm the filing-date amount because statutory adjustments start January 1, 2027. Applicable regional-center indirect-job rules need their own evidence. Capital terms granting investor repayment rights or guaranteed rates of return are excluded; distinguish the enterprise’s sole-discretion buyback exception, which has sustainment and other conditions.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify who commits the money
- Read the legal and family conditions
- Keep employment and investment advice distinct