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.
West St. Paul TN guide: explain the Canadian owner’s actual U.S. arrangement
A Canadian business owner should disclose relevant ownership and describe the real professional services proposed in the United States. Foreign ownership alone is not a blanket TN disqualification, and it should not be confused with the actual U.S. self-employment analysis.
Hypothetical example: an owner keeps a Canadian consultancy while considering a U.S. professional offer. Services to a U.S. entity solely owned or controlled by the applicant are outside the permitted arrangement. Calling that entity a client or adding a supervisor does not cure a prohibited arrangement; identify genuine ownership and work facts.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify the recipient and control
- Establish the professional requirements
- Describe actual location and permission
West St. Paul guide: Canadian business ownership is not Canadian citizenship
A permanent resident can own or work in a Canadian business without having the citizenship required for TN. Distinguish personal nationality, corporate ownership and the proposed U.S. activity.
Hypothetical example: a Canadian permanent resident owns an active company and receives a U.S. offer. TN requires eligible Canadian or Mexican citizenship; permanent residence alone is insufficient. Incorporation, revenue and years operating the business do not establish that nationality.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Start with the individual’s actual documents
- Assess another route using its real requirements
- Review the actual activity and process
West St. Paul E-2 guide: connect company funds with the real investment
Funds associated with a Canadian operation need a clear account of ownership, lawful transactions and commitment to the actual U.S. enterprise. A corporate balance should not be treated as automatically interchangeable with personal capital.
Hypothetical example: an applicant plans a U.S. acquisition using funds connected to a Canadian business. Identify who owns the money and the genuine transactions through which it reaches the investment. E-2 requires substantial lawful capital committed at risk relative to the enterprise, without a universal fixed minimum.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Trace the actual contribution
- Assess nationality, direction and security
- Use evidence of the relevant U.S. operation
West St. Paul L guide: show the continuing foreign business and the U.S. launch
A new U.S. operation and an established Canadian business should each be described accurately. Registration or a shared brand does not replace the evidence of qualifying organizations and real business activity.
Hypothetical example: a Canadian group launches a U.S. office while continuing to serve foreign customers. Establish actual qualifying ownership or control and generally one continuous full-time qualifying foreign employment year within the relevant preceding three years. Doing business involves regular, systematic and continuous goods or services; a new office concerns a U.S. organization doing business for less than one year.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Document actual operations and employment
- Apply the relevant A or B launch standard
- Keep actual evidence from both operations
West St. Paul guide: distinguish a related-company transfer from a separate investment
Keeping a Canadian operation active can be part of different U.S. proposals. Assess the actual transfer or investment structure rather than assuming foreign business ownership creates a single preferred route.
Hypothetical example: an owner-manager considers work in a related U.S. company or a separate acquisition. L-1 requires qualifying organizations, relevant foreign employment and managerial, executive or specialized-knowledge duties. Genuine business activity and the individual’s history need evidence beyond incorporation. An owner or major stockholder also needs evidence that the U.S. assignment is temporary and that the person will be transferred to an assignment abroad afterward.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Identify the qualifying transfer facts
- Identify the actual investor facts
- Review the real work and household plan
West St. Paul family guide: assess work performed from the United States
A family may intend to retain jobs or business responsibilities connected to Canada. Identify where each person will actually perform the work and the relevant status instead of assuming a foreign employer makes permission automatic.
List the spouse’s actual account-management duties, systems accessed and physical work location. A Canadian customer base or payroll does not itself authorize performing those tasks from the United States. Record the genuine relationship, age where relevant and proposed status rather than describing the activity only as staying connected to the home business. Ask which responsibilities would continue, stop or move to another person so the review concerns the real working arrangement.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Describe the Canadian work that would continue after the move
- Preserve the dependent distinctions
- Use immigration records for the cross-border calendar
- Respect the order of immigrant entry
West St. Paul guide: explain company funding under the correct residence framework
A company payment can support different proposed arrangements, but its source alone does not establish the EB-5 investment or Gold Card framework. Identify the actual transaction, recipient and individual applicants.
Hypothetical example: an investor proposes funds associated with a Canadian company transaction. Establish genuine lawful source and path, capital at risk and the relevant qualifying-job method, requiring at least ten qualifying full-time jobs per investor. Existing Canadian payroll does not automatically establish the U.S. proposal’s job requirement, and company funds should not be described as personal capital without explanation.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Trace the EB-5 investor’s real capital
- Identify the actual official gift proposal
- Separate later obligations and private terms
- Reconcile the company’s authorization with the actual individual obligation