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.
Reconcile the engineering offer with the client’s statement of work
A hypothetical Leduc County engineer may have an offer from one company and a project statement from another. Explain how the actual responsibilities fit together instead of selecting whichever document uses the strongest professional terminology.
Compare the proposed duties, recipient, work period and responsibility for deliverables. One party may describe design analysis while another expects routine operations. Resolve the real arrangement before obtaining updated evidence; identical wording is not useful if the parties intend different work.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify the differences that matter
- Establish the Engineer qualification independently
- Preserve the remaining TN conditions
Check citizenship separately for the principal and the dependent spouse
A hypothetical Leduc County household may include a Canadian or Mexican professional and a spouse who is a Canadian permanent resident of another citizenship. Assess their actual roles separately rather than applying the principal’s TN citizenship requirement to every family member.
The TN principal must be a Canadian or Mexican citizen. Canadian permanent residence alone is insufficient, even with an engineering licence and a U.S. offer. The listed profession, credentials, prearranged work and temporary entry also need assessment; citizenship is one condition rather than the entire case.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Start with who seeks professional work
- Apply the dependent rule to the actual relative
- Do not infer work rights from family eligibility
Read the franchise agreement alongside the enterprise’s ownership records
A hypothetical Leduc County franchise buyer should identify the actual business being funded and controlled. Permission to use a successful name does not establish the applicant’s nationality, ownership or qualifying investment.
Explain which operating decisions the investor makes and which the franchisor reserves. E-2 development and direction may be supported by at least 50% ownership or operational control through a managerial position or another corporate device. Do not assume every brand restriction defeats control or every franchise purchaser necessarily has it.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Locate the rights and restrictions
- Identify the treaty enterprise
- Test the financial and operating conditions
Explain who will exercise authority when a new office reports to two leaders
A hypothetical Leduc County manager may open a U.S. operation reporting both locally and globally. Describe the actual organization, resources and duties instead of assuming the two reporting lines establish a managerial role.
Identify the qualifying U.S. organization and whether it has been doing business for less than one year. A recently signed lease or new team name is not decisive by itself. Establish the qualifying corporate relationship and continuing U.S. and foreign business foundation alongside the actual operating history. The qualifying foreign year must be full-time within the relevant three-year period. U.S. visit days do not count toward that year, although brief visits do not automatically interrupt continuity.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Determine whether the office meets the definition
- Build the L-1A showing around responsibilities
- Keep L-1B and ordinary L-1A rules distinct
- Use the actual authorized period
Distinguish a franchise network from a qualifying corporate group
A hypothetical Leduc County applicant may have experience with a franchise brand abroad and an opportunity with another operator in the United States. Review who owns and employs through each organization before describing the move as an intercompany transfer.
L-1 requires qualifying parent, subsidiary, affiliate or branch organizations, continuing business and the required foreign employment. Separate franchise operators do not automatically have that relationship simply because they use the same brand or training materials. If a qualifying relationship exists, the U.S. role still needs the relevant managerial, executive or specialized-knowledge showing. Establish one continuous full-time qualifying year abroad within the relevant preceding three years; ordinary foreign work can be managerial, executive or specialized knowledge, while the U.S. duties must fit the requested L classification.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Check the L-1 relationship rather than the logo
- Check an actual E-2 employee proposal separately
- Distinguish buying from being hired
- Keep the factual employer description consistent
Plan different work permissions when spouses have different offers
A hypothetical Leduc County couple may have an engineering assignment for one spouse and a franchise-management opportunity for the other. Map each proposed activity to the person who will perform it and the actual status relied upon.
An eligible spouse and unmarried children under 21 may seek the relevant dependent classification. TD allows study but does not authorize employment. A spouse accompanying a TN engineer cannot assume permission to run the franchise, even if the business belongs to a relative or pays from Canada. Eligible TD, E and L dependents may study while maintaining their status; school enrolment does not extend that status, and immigrant CSPA rules do not extend temporary dependent eligibility.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Distinguish accompanying from working
- Use the E or L spouse rule only when it actually applies
- Keep separate principal proposals accurate
- Avoid using an immigrant plan to bridge a work gap
Compare a staffing-based EB-5 proposal with a family Gold Card budget
A hypothetical Leduc County household may compare direct EB-5 investment in a staffed business with Gold Card sponsorship. Keep the commercial job evidence separate from the official government-gift process and the family’s eligibility.
At least ten qualifying permanent full-time jobs per investor are required. A genuine shared full-time position meeting the weekly hours requirement can count as one position; unrelated part-time roles cannot simply be combined. Check qualifying employee exclusions and the applicable evidence method. Current capital is US$1,050,000 or US$800,000 for a qualifying targeted employment area or infrastructure project, with statutory adjustments beginning January 1, 2027. Lawful at-risk capital and managerial or policy engagement remain necessary.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Test the direct EB-5 employment plan
- Read the separate Gold Card terms
- Preserve the family and later-process distinctions