U.S. Immigration Lawyers for Canadians
Moving to the U.S. from Canada? Get the Right Visa Strategy Before You File Anything.
Work, business, family, or a green card — there are a dozen routes from Canada into the U.S., and picking the wrong one costs months. Faragalla Law's practice is built around Canadian cases: we map your situation to the route that actually works.
- Work visas: TN, H-1B, O-1 — matched to your job and credentials
- Business routes: E-2 investor and L-1 company transfers
- Family and green cards: marriage, K-1, EB-2 NIW self-petitions
Request Your U.S. Immigration Strategy Review
Tell us your goal. We'll identify the strongest route from Canada and reply with concrete next steps.
What decides these cases
The route you pick first decides everything after it
Canadians have shortcuts — if you use them
Canadian citizens can get TN and L-1 status adjudicated the same day at the border, skip visa stamps most nationalities need, and apply for E-2 visas through the consulate in Toronto. A strategy that ignores these advantages wastes the strongest passport in the U.S. immigration system.
The wrong first filing follows you
A border refusal, a denied petition, or an inconsistent answer becomes part of your permanent record and surfaces at every future application. The cheapest legal advice you'll ever buy is the advice you get before the first filing.
Temporary status and green card goals can conflict
TN and E-2 require non-immigrant intent; filing for permanent residence at the wrong moment can strand you outside the country. If a green card is the real goal, the sequencing — which status first, when to file, how to travel — is the whole game.
Qualify yourself in 30 seconds
Which Canadians we help
This service is likely a fit if…
- Professionals with (or expecting) a U.S. job offer — TN, H-1B, O-1
- Entrepreneurs and investors buying, starting, or relocating a business — E-2, L-1
- Partners of U.S. citizens and residents — K-1, marriage green cards
- High-achievers seeking self-petitioned green cards — EB-2 NIW, EB-1
- Canadians already in the U.S. who need to change, extend, or fix status
It's probably not the right fit if…
- You're immigrating to Canada, not from it — we handle U.S. immigration only
- You want a U.S. passive-investment residence program — the U.S. requires an active business (E-2) or the EB-5 investor program; we'll tell you which, if either, fits
- You need same-week travel with no legal basis — we'll tell you honestly when there's no viable route
Why Faragalla Law
Counsel that pressure-tests your case before the government does
Canadian cases are the core of the practice
The firm's business immigration work centers on Canadians — E-2 investors, TN professionals, and cross-border companies — including consular filings prepared for Toronto and border applications prepared for CBP.
Big-firm training, boutique attention
Founding attorney Sam Faragalla trained at Fragomen, one of the world's largest corporate immigration firms, before founding a practice serving individuals and businesses directly.
Every route weighed, not just the one we like
Because the firm handles work, business, family, and green card cases, your consultation compares routes honestly — including the ones that mean less legal work for us.
Flat-fee clarity
Once we've mapped your route, you get a flat fee for the work. You'll know the full cost before you commit.
How it works
A defined process — you always know the next step
Strategy review
Submit the form. We review your goal, timeline, and situation, then reply within one business day with consultation options.
Route mapping consultation
We compare every viable route — eligibility, timeline, cost, and risk — and recommend the strongest one, with the green card sequencing planned from the start.
Case preparation
We prepare the filing for your chosen route — petition, evidence, employer or business documents — to the standard a border officer or consular officer expects.
Filing, interview, and landing
We file or prepare you for the border, coach you for the interview, and stay on the case through approval — with the next stage already calendared.
Costs, addressed head-on
What does this cost?
The strategy consultation carries a flat rate, and every route we recommend comes with a flat fee quoted before you commit — TN preparation costs far less than an E-2 or NIW case, and we'll tell you exactly where your situation lands. Government fees are itemized separately so you can budget the whole move.
Client reviews
What clients say
[PASTE VERBATIM GOOGLE REVIEW — pick one about this visa type. See README launch checklist.]
[PASTE VERBATIM GOOGLE REVIEW — second review for this practice area.]
Reviews shown are from the firm's public Google Business Profile, reproduced verbatim with permission. Individual results vary; prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
(assets/img/sam-faragalla.jpg — see README launch checklist; use a real photograph)
Your attorney
Sam Faragalla
Founder & Lead Immigration Attorney
Sam Faragalla trained at Fragomen, one of the world's largest corporate immigration firms, before founding Faragalla Law. The firm represents entrepreneurs, investors, professionals, and families in U.S. immigration matters nationwide.
Licensed to practice law in New York. Immigration is federal law, which allows the firm to represent clients in all 50 states and abroad.
Common questions
Questions we answer every week
What's the fastest way for a Canadian to work in the U.S.?
For most professionals with a job offer, TN status — Canadian citizens can apply at a port of entry or pre-clearance airport and receive a decision the same day, no petition or lottery required. If your occupation isn't on the USMCA list, O-1, H-1B, or L-1 are the usual alternatives, each with different timelines. The consultation identifies which door your credentials actually open.
Do Canadians need a visa to visit or work in the U.S.?
For visits, no visa is required for most Canadians — but visiting is not working. Any productive work for a U.S. entity requires proper status (TN, L-1, E-2, O-1, H-1B, and so on), and 'working remotely while visiting' is a gray zone that has caught many people at the border. If you're doing anything beyond tourism or meetings, get the status question answered before you cross.
Can I just move to the U.S. if I buy a business there?
Buying a business doesn't itself grant status — but it can qualify you for an E-2 treaty investor visa if the investment is substantial, at risk, and you'll actively run the company. The E-2 is renewable indefinitely but is not a green card. This is the firm's core specialty; see the eligibility review for the specifics.
How do Canadians get a U.S. green card?
The main routes: marriage or close family, employer sponsorship (often after TN or L-1 time), self-petitions for high-achievers (EB-2 NIW, EB-1), and the EB-5 investment program. Canada has no country backlog, so most categories are 'current' — the route choice, not the queue, usually decides your timeline.
Can I apply for a green card while on TN status?
Yes, but carefully. TN is a non-immigrant-intent status, so a pending green card case can cause problems at the border if the timing and travel aren't managed. The standard play is sequencing — moving to a dual-intent status like H-1B or L-1, or timing the filing and travel windows correctly. This is exactly the kind of trap the strategy consultation exists to prevent.
Do I need a U.S. lawyer or a Canadian one?
U.S. immigration is exclusively U.S. federal law, so you need a U.S.-licensed immigration attorney — where in the U.S. they sit doesn't matter, and everything can be handled remotely from Canada. Beware of unlicensed 'consultants': only a licensed attorney (or accredited representative) can lawfully represent you before U.S. immigration agencies.
Ready when you are
Map your route before you spend a dollar on the wrong one
One form. One business day. The strongest path from Canada for your specific situation.
Request Your U.S. Immigration Strategy Review
Tell us your goal. We'll identify the strongest route from Canada and reply with concrete next steps.
Prefer to talk? Call (866) 655-3729 — tell us you're calling about the US Immigration Lawyer — Canadians (catch-all) page.