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.
Sylvan Lake TN guide: reconcile the proposal with the work actually agreed
A consulting proposal may describe a broader project than the individual will perform. Build the TN documents around the genuine professional engagement and explain material differences between the proposal, contract and support letter.
TN requires a Canadian or Mexican citizen performing qualifying temporary work in a listed profession with that profession’s prescribed qualifications. Identify the applicant’s actual tasks and the real contracting and employing parties. Experience substitutes for a degree only where the profession permits it. A commercial consultant label does not itself establish the profession.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Start with the person’s tasks, not the project’s label
- Resolve credential and ownership questions explicitly
- Check what the permission will cover
Sylvan Lake citizenship guide: do not let a Canadian contract choose the visa category
A contract signed in Canada can establish a business arrangement without establishing citizenship. Identify the applicant’s nationality and the real U.S. activity before selecting a citizenship-dependent route.
Canadian permanent residence is not Canadian citizenship and does not itself qualify a person for TN. TN requires Canadian or Mexican citizenship, a listed profession, prescribed qualifications and qualifying temporary professional work. A Canadian company registration or client address cannot supply the missing citizenship condition.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Separate citizenship from residence and incorporation
- Assess alternatives using their actual conditions
- Keep every family member’s records individual
Sylvan Lake E-2 guide: unpack the franchise price before treating it as invested capital
An advertised franchise price combines commercial items without resolving their immigration treatment. Read the final rights, payment conditions and operating plan to determine what the applicant actually commits.
There is no universal E-2 minimum. Lawful capital must be substantial in relation to the business and committed at risk. Identify what is paid, what remains optional and what contractual event can release funds. Properly structured visa-contingent escrow may qualify; a freely reversible reservation should not be described as the same commitment.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Connect the commitment to the business being acquired
- Read borrowing and control alongside the price
- Test the forecast for this enterprise
Sylvan Lake L-1 new-office guide: a branded launch still needs a qualifying transfer
A brand may supply a launch manual, but L-1 examines the real companies and transferred employee. Identify what the U.S. operation has actually done and which resources support the proposed role.
Commercial licensing alone does not establish a qualifying parent, branch, subsidiary or affiliate. Trace actual ownership and control. A U.S. organization doing business for less than one year is a new office; incorporation age alone is not the test. The qualifying group must maintain regular, systematic and continuous business in the United States and at least one other country during the stay.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Establish the relationship and operating stage
- Choose the role before building the launch evidence
- Keep a specialist launch distinct from the management case
Sylvan Lake business guide: shared branding does not choose between L-1 and E-2
A U.S. commercial agreement can involve a brand used by a Canadian business without creating a qualifying transfer relationship. Compare the actual ownership, employee history and investment rights before relying on either route.
L-1 needs qualifying related entities and continuing business in the United States and at least one other country. Generally the employee needs a continuous full-time foreign year within the relevant preceding three years in managerial, executive or specialized-knowledge work; U.S. days do not count. The U.S. role separately must qualify as primarily managerial or executive for L-1A, or specialized knowledge for L-1B. Brand affiliation is not enough.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Ask whether the proposed transfer has the L foundation
- Ask whether the investor has the E-2 foundation
- Let the actual launch stage shape the next evidence
Sylvan Lake family guide: separate a relocation package from each person’s status
A company or franchisor may offer practical help with a household move. Identify which promises concern logistics and which activities require immigration authorization before relying on the package.
For the temporary dependent routes, a qualifying spouse and unmarried child under 21 need their own eligibility and status assessment. TD provides no work permission, including remote services performed in the United States for a foreign employer. A qualifying E or L spouse may work incident to valid status with appropriate evidence; an EAD is not universally required. Children do not receive that spousal work benefit.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Name the family members and proposed activities
- Do not equate school or employer onboarding with admission
- Read the investor residence arrangements separately
Sylvan Lake investor guide: distinguish a project contract from a corporate sponsorship offer
A project investment and an employer-sponsored government gift create different obligations. Compare what is actually paid, what rights remain and which people are included before treating either offer as a residence plan.
EB-5 currently requires US$1,050,000 or a qualifying US$800,000 targeted employment area or infrastructure investment, with statutory adjustments beginning January 1, 2027 under filing-date rules. Lawful capital must be committed at risk, with management or policy participation and at least ten qualifying permanent full-time jobs per investor under the applicable framework. Contractual repayment rights and guaranteed rates of return are excluded. The enterprise-only discretionary buyback exception is limited: exercise requires petition withdrawal unless applicable sustainment and other requirements are fulfilled. A project sales contract does not waive those rules.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS
- Read the investment rights and job explanation together
- Identify what the corporate sponsorship pays for
- Separate the commercial milestone from residence