Meeting procedure consultant as Management Consultant

[Arnblas]

I'm a Canadian citizen and am currently self-employed in Canada as a consultant in the field of meeting procedure. That is, I help my clients by teaching and/or showing them how to properly and efficiently conduct meetings, especially corporate annual general meetings and board of directors meetings. Sometimes I am hired to chair/moderate/facilitate these meetings myself, but usually I just sit next to the chairman and give him pointers during the meeting. After the meeting, I prepare and deliver a report describing what I observed and making recommendations on how to improve future meetings. I am also sometimes hired to write opinions, propose and draft procedures, critique meeting scripts and other documents, etc. An on-site engagement lasts for only a few days at the most.

I think it would be nice if I could serve clients across North America, and not just in Canada. Does this sound like the sort of work that could be legitimately done under the TN-Management Consultant status as an independent contractor? And if so, how difficult would it be to prepare a solid application? I hold a 3-year bachelor of arts degree, and have several years of related (but only part-time) experience, both as an actual meeting participant and as an outside consultant.

Any thoughts from experienced and knowledgeable members would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[nelsona]

Your TN sponsor would suuply the application. You need to get clients, and they need to sponsor you.

Your experience as a consultant would have to be related. Going to tennis matches doesn't count towards experience as a tennis coach. You would need to have five years of documented experience as a meeting coach.

Otherwise, you could enter on B2 business visitor. The advantage of being TN over B2 is that you can live in US on TN -- and look for clients while in US. You can't do that on B2. Also, not every type of endeavour is allowed on B2; you would need to look into whether what you do is allowed on B2.

But for TN, it looks like you need a little more experience -- or at least documentation as such.

 

[Arnblas]

Thanks for the quick reply; I appreciate your help.

Just to clarify: I have no intention of moving to the US or looking for clients while in the US, so those are not considerations for me. What I would like to be able to do, if possible, is prepare myself so that I can serve clients both in Canada and the US equally, while based in Canada. For US clients, this would mean I would apply for TN status while en route to their location, work for them for a day or two, and then return home to Canada (and hand in my I-94). I would probably never make use of the multiple entry feature. On the other hand, if I were rejected or even significantly delayed at the border, it would be a disaster for the client, so I would need to have a very high degree of confidence.

I do understand that each application for a TN would be based on a particular contract with a particular client. However, I would have thought I would be the one drafting the letter from the client, since I would have a much better understanding of the nature of the job than the client would. And, I would expect this letter would be basically the same from one client to the next. Is there any reason I couldn't just send the draft letter to the client and ask them to review it, print it on their letterhead, sign it, and send it back to me? The rest of my application package (degree, transcripts, details of past experience, evidence of non-immigrant intent, etc.) would remain the same from client to client, would it not? Of course I would also include a copy of the signed contract between me and the client, but again that would normally be drafted by me and would be basically the same from one client to the next.

I currently enter the US occasionally on B1 status to attend conferences and other meetings, but I don't get paid for any of that activity. I think if I were to actually serve a client while in the US I would need something more than B1 status. I understand B1 allows you to "attend meetings, and participate in them fully," but I doubt that includes working at the meeting and getting paid by a US entity for work done at the meeting!

I'm also surprised that it would only be my work as a consultant/coach that would count toward my five years of related work experience, and not any related experience as a participant in meetings. According to what I've read, the Management Consultant requires "five years experience as a management consultant, or five years experience in a field of specialty related to the consulting agreement." Assuming my field of specialty is "meeting procedure," would that not include experience as a meeting chairman or participant, even if I were not acting in the role of a consultant at that meeting?

Lastly, what would you recommend as far as documentation of experience goes? What is normal for a self-employed management consultant? Would it be an enormous bundle of past contracts, meeting minutes, and work product, or a concise summary showing just a list of past clients, positions held, etc? Or both? And what is the best way to judge the "relatedness" of a university degree to something as vague as "management consultant"? Does it just have to be business-related or does it need to relate to the applicant's particular field of specialty?

Thanks again for any help or feedback you can provide.