Use accurate citizenship and ownership records and obtain review of the applicable nationality rules for the real enterprise.
Avoid assumptions from residence
A Canadian address or shared business name is not proof of citizenship. Preserve the actual documents rather than assigning nationality by convenience.
Several years of financial statements and tax filings, payroll records showing real employees, the equipment list with titles and valuations, the customer contracts, the lease, and any licences the business holds. A signed purchase agreement with an escrow that releases the funds to the seller upon E-2 approval and binds the buyer to close, together with bank records showing the money has left the buyer's control and entered escrow or the business. Incorporation documents and the share register, the shareholders' agreement, yard or premises documents, equipment and material invoices, licences, bonding and insurance certificates, employment records and every contract or bid. Build a dated review file around bank statements, transfer trail, signed purchase terms, escrow conditions, invoices, ownership agreements, and operating projections. Bring title or share documents, the entity's formation papers, any management or service agreements, income and expense records, and tax filings showing how the holding has been treated until now. The fact that a seller’s records are credible does not show where the investor obtained the purchase money, and a clean personal bank trail does not prove that the acquired enterprise will satisfy the non-marginality analysis.