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.
North Dumfries TN guide: bring both offers when considering another employer
An additional professional engagement should be explained alongside the existing arrangement. The review needs the actual employers and duties rather than an assumption that one admission covers every future offer.
Hypothetical example: a professional receives another part-time offer while continuing current work. Bring the existing admission and employment records. Do not erase the first role from the account merely because the new offer is the immediate question.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Preserve the existing arrangement accurately
- Assess the new offer’s own conditions
- Confirm the process before additional work
North Dumfries guide: do not use an old U.S. classification as proof of citizenship
A Canadian permanent resident may already have a U.S. immigration history. That history should be recorded accurately, but it does not itself establish citizenship or eligibility for a different category.
Hypothetical example: an applicant brings a Canadian residence card and an old U.S. approval. Neither should be described as proof of Canadian citizenship. TN principals need Canadian or Mexican citizenship; actual Mexican citizenship has its own relevant visa procedure.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Record the actual nationality and residence facts
- Assess other categories using their own evidence
- Explain the earlier classification without assuming continuity
North Dumfries E-2 guide: separate seller financing from cash committed
An acquisition price can include cash, deferred obligations and secured borrowing. An investor should identify those components before assuming the entire price is qualifying E-2 capital.
Hypothetical example: a seller accepts part of the price over time. Identify the borrower, creditor, collateral and conditions. Enterprise-secured debt is not qualifying investment capital; personally secured or unsecured arrangements need their own lawful-source and security assessment. Adding personal collateral does not make a loan secured by enterprise assets qualifying capital.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Read the actual financing structure
- Explain investment and commercial commitment
- Keep the enterprise conditions in view
North Dumfries L-1 guide: distinguish future reporting support from resources already secured
A new-office plan may include people who report across teams. Describe the actual support for the proposed U.S. role and label future arrangements as plans rather than present operations.
Hypothetical example: a launch plan anticipates support from a foreign team and future U.S. staff. Identify the real responsibilities and available resources. A chart does not establish that proposed personnel are already hired or that premises are sufficient.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Explain what exists and what is proposed
- Apply the correct role-specific requirements
- Use the actual business and employment history
North Dumfries guide: company authority and investor control need different evidence
An applicant comparing a company transfer with treaty investment should explain the authority involved in each actual arrangement. An employment reporting line and ownership-based direction are not the same evidence.
Hypothetical example: a manager reports through a matrix structure while considering an acquisition. L-1 needs qualifying organizations, relevant foreign employment and an eligible managerial, executive or specialized-knowledge assignment. A complex chart does not itself establish the role.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Describe the proposed company role
- Describe the investment arrangement independently
- Keep the alternatives factually complete
North Dumfries family guide: compare each person’s intended work before choosing a route
Household members may have different plans for employment, study and accompaniment. Identify those activities individually instead of choosing a principal category on the assumption that every dependent receives the same work benefit.
Give each proposed activity its own row: the spouse’s outside job, the child’s paid holiday role and any course of study. Beside it, identify the person’s relationship, age and intended status. TD, E and L accompaniment generally requires a spouse or an unmarried child younger than 21, rather than any financially dependent relative.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Compare real household needs on one worksheet
- Test the employment assumptions before choosing a principal route
- Price a residence alternative using the correct family unit
- Resolve sequencing before committing to the outside job
North Dumfries guide: policy rights and government gift terms are different commitments
An EB-5 enterprise agreement and a Gold Card payment instruction serve different purposes. Read the actual obligations before treating a commercial investment and a government gift as interchangeable ways to use the same funds.
Hypothetical example: an investor reviews limited-partner voting rights alongside a residence proposal. Participation may involve management or policy formulation, and qualifying limited-partner rights can satisfy the requirement without universal daily operation. The label passive does not decide the actual rights.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Read the EB-5 participation provisions
- Preserve the investment’s other conditions
- Read official Gold Card obligations separately
- Read the agreement beside a dated capital checklist