Immigration lawyers for US and Canadian matters

Business immigration covers the legal pathways for foreign nationals to live and work in another country for business purposes — including work visas (L-1, H-1B, TN, O-1), investor visas (E-2, EB-5), employment-based green cards (EB-1, EB-2, EB-3), and the compliance work that US employers must do to legally hire foreign workers (I-9 audits, LCAs, employer sponsorship).

It is distinct from family-based immigration, which is based on relationship to a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.

We handle the full range of US employment-based visas — including L-1A and L-1B intra-company transfers, H-1B specialty occupation visas, TN visas under USMCA for Canadian and Mexican professionals, O-1 extraordinary ability visas, E-3 visas for Australian specialty professionals, and the E-2 Treaty Investor Visa for treaty-country nationals investing in a US business.

We also handle the green card side: EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, EB-5, PERM, and National Interest Waivers.

Yes, but Canadians need an appropriate visa.

The most common pathways for Canadians are the TN visa (for USMCA-listed professions like engineers, accountants, scientists), the L-1 visa (for transferring within a multinational company), the H-1B visa (specialty occupation requiring a U.S. employer sponsor), the E-2 visa (for entrepreneurs investing in a U.S. business), and employment-based green cards through EB-2 or EB-3 sponsorship.

Each pathway has its own eligibility criteria, processing time, and limitations — choosing the right one is the strategy work.

Timing depends on the visa type, the consulate or service center, and whether premium processing is available.

TN visas can sometimes be issued at the port of entry the same day for Canadians. L-1 and H-1B petitions with premium processing typically receive a decision within 15 business days of filing.

E-2 visas processed at a U.S. consulate abroad typically take 2 to 4 months from the start of preparation through interview. Green card timelines vary widely — from under a year for EB-1 to many years for backlogged EB-3 categories.

It depends on the visa. H-1B, L-1, TN, and most employment-based green cards (EB-2 and EB-3 via PERM) require a U.S. employer to sponsor you.

Some visas do not require employer sponsorship — including the E-2 visa (you invest in or own a U.S. business), the EB-5 investor green card, the O-1 visa (which can be filed through an agent or the beneficiary’s own U.S. company rather than a traditional employer), and the National Interest Waiver under EB-2 (which waives the labor certification requirement).

A Request for Evidence (RFE) is not a denial — it is the adjudicator asking for additional documentation before making a decision.

We handle RFE responses by analyzing the specific deficiencies cited, gathering the supporting evidence, and submitting a structured legal response. For outright denials, options depend on the visa type and the reason for denial: refiling with stronger evidence, motion to reopen or reconsider, administrative appeal to the AAO, or reconfiguring the strategy with a different visa pathway.

Yes. We advise US employers on I-9 compliance, LCA filings and wage compliance, worksite audits, employer sponsorship programs, ICE investigation defense, and cross-border hiring strategy. Many employers come to us proactively to build compliance programs that prevent issues; others come to us reactively when ICE or USCIS has already initiated an audit. Both are work we handle.

Cross-border work normally runs through two firms — one in each country — with handoffs, duplicate intake, and coordination gaps. Mayo Law operates on both sides of the border as one firm, with offices in Toronto and New York. That means tax planning, immigration filings, and corporate structuring for clients moving between Canada and the U.S. happen inside one team rather than across three firms.