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.
St. John’s TN guide: turn a multi-site offer into a coherent file
Organize a TN file by the work performed and the employment arrangement, then use the travel schedule as supporting context. Eligible citizenship, the listed profession and its qualifications remain central even when the offer includes several customer locations. Make a source list before drafting: citizenship proof, qualification records, a detailed employer letter and any record that explains customer-site work or an intermediary. An eligible Canadian professional may seek TN classification from CBP, while an employer can request approval through Form I-129; the evidence must still show prearranged professional employment rather than self-directed U.S. business activity.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Create a duty-by-location worksheet
- Build the profession and credential connection
- Reconcile the employment documents
St. John’s guide: choose the U.S. review from citizenship and the actual proposal
A Canadian permanent resident should not assume the U.S. process available to a Canadian citizen applies unchanged. Start with citizenship and the proposed activity, then identify the evidence relevant to the possible route. Permanent residence in Canada is an immigration status, not nationality evidence for U.S. categories. Hypothetical example: a Canadian permanent resident who is a citizen of Brazil is offered a transfer by a related company. The first decision is whether the entity relationship and foreign employment support L classification, rather than treating a PR card as a substitute for a citizenship-based option.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Separate three different questions
- Review alternatives through their own facts
- Arrange logistics after the route questions
St. John’s E-2 guide: read the purchase timeline from deposit to control
An E-2 purchase proposal can involve several dates with different legal effects. Organize the transaction so the review can distinguish payment, commitment, possession and the applicant’s authority to develop and direct the enterprise. The investor must decide whether the transaction documents make funds irrevocably committed, exposed to loss and tied to an enterprise that is not marginal. Hypothetical example: a fire-suppression equipment buyer can either use escrow with narrow release conditions or retain unrestricted withdrawal rights. Choosing the latter may preserve commercial flexibility while weakening the E-2 commitment analysis.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Put the conditions on the calendar
- Trace the funding beneath the purchase price
- Assess the enterprise independently of closing
St. John’s L-1 guide: plan the Canadian handover and U.S. launch together
A new-office proposal should explain how the qualifying business continues abroad while the U.S. operation develops. A Canadian handover and a U.S. launch forecast provide context, but the particular L-1A or L-1B requirements need their own evidence. A new office needs more than a registration: the U.S. organization must have premises and evidence tailored to the L-1A or L-1B role, while the transferee needs the qualifying foreign employment period. Hypothetical example: a robotics-parts manufacturer has leased workshop space but has not decided whether its first transferee will manage staff or bring proprietary production knowledge. That choice determines the evidence plan.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Draw two operating pictures
- Distinguish the launch standards
- Plan to show actual results
St. John’s guide: compare a company handover with a business purchase
L-1 and E-2 may both arise in a business discussion, but they depend on different facts. Compare the actual transfer or purchase being proposed rather than selecting a route from a desired arrival date. Choose the route based on the transaction that will actually occur. L-1 rests on a qualifying company relationship and foreign employment; E-2 needs treaty nationality, committed risk capital and a nonmarginal enterprise the investor will run. Hypothetical example: a turbine-blade repair executive can accept a related-company transfer or buy an unrelated repair shop. The decision is which arrangement is real enough to document, not which label promises a quicker arrival.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Define which business arrangement is real
- Test the requirements separately
- Compare the dependencies before commitments
St. John’s family guide: plan arrivals that happen at different times
A family may intend to move in stages, but each person still needs the appropriate status and documentation for their own activity. Review the principal’s work, the spouse’s plans and children’s schooling together without treating one approval as universal permission. Turn the household plan into separate person-by-person decisions before booking travel or accepting work. Hypothetical example: a ceramic-glaze manufacturer’s spouse wants a part-time job and their child wants a summer internship. The family must choose status arrangements that actually cover those activities; dependent status does not give every person the same permission.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Make one row for each family member
- Match work and study to actual status
- Review the individual dates
- Respect the order of immigrant entry
St. John’s guide: compare immigrant pathways without merging their financial terms
An applicant deciding whether to commit funds should distinguish EB-5 investment requirements from the official Gold Card gift framework. Both require more than the ability to meet a payment target, and neither should be presented as a guaranteed timetable for residence. EB-5 and Gold Card require different commitments and evidence. EB-5 uses capital at risk and job creation before conditional residence; Gold Card is not a conventional visa and calls for a payment by the applicant to the U.S. government under official terms. Hypothetical example: a biodegradable-lubricants company owner can fund either option but expects part of the money from a pending asset sale. The decision is whether documented, presently usable funds support either framework now.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Separate available money from assumed funding
- Compare the correct legal obligations
- Make a decision record beyond the price
- Distinguish capital, official gifts and residence stages