The client came to our office with a business plan she believed was ready to file.
It was long, polished, and filled with industry language, financial projections, and all the sections someone would expect to see in a professional business plan. On the surface, it looked complete.
However, it did not take long for Marco, our CEO, to realize that something was off.
During a quick review, he identified several fundamental issues. Important points were missing, while other statements could have immediately raised questions with an immigration officer or led to a Request for Evidence.
The client was surprised. She had already spent time and money on the plan and believed that part of the process was behind her. Instead, she was now learning that a document can look complete without truly supporting the case.
After discussing the issues with Marco, she hired Visa Business Plans to redo the work from the beginning.
That was when our team started digging.
One of our team members began reviewing the notes and documents the client had provided. According to the questionnaire, the Company planned to generate revenue through e-commerce, retail sales, and wholesale distribution of an apparel line.
Someone could have easily taken that information, opened a new document, and started writing. Our team member did not.
Before drafting, she reviewed more than 50 pages of contracts, supporting records, product materials, and background information. Her goal was to find the details that would make the business more specific and credible, understand what made the Company different, and confirm whether the documentation supported the business model described by the client.
During that review, she found something no one expected.
Under the terms of one of the client’s agreements, the Company was not authorized to conduct e-commerce activities.
This was not a minor wording issue. E-commerce had been presented as one of the Company’s revenue channels, yet the contract supporting the business did not allow it. The questionnaire said one thing, while the documentation said another.
That first inconsistency was enough to set off the alarms, and we immediately stopped and contacted the client.
Had we simply relied on the questionnaire, the business plan could have described a business model the Company was not contractually permitted to pursue. An immigration officer comparing the plan with the supporting evidence could have noticed the contradiction immediately.
At the very least, the inconsistency could have created confusion during the review of the petition and caused unnecessary delays for both the client and the attorney handling the case. The attorney may have needed to revisit the business model, request additional documentation, revise portions of the filing, and spend valuable time resolving a problem that should have been identified before the petition was prepared.
For the client, those delays could have meant additional professional fees, postponed business plans, and a longer wait before being able to request the visa and move forward with launching the Company’s U.S. operations. A single contradiction, left unnoticed, could have affected everyone involved in the case.
But the review did not end there.
As our team member continued reading through the documentation, more issues began to surface. At that point, the alarm was no longer simply ringing. It was close to exploding.
The questionnaire, the supporting documents, and the proposed business model were not telling the same story. Each new inconsistency reinforced how important it had been to slow down, review the evidence, and avoid drafting from the client’s initial answers alone.
This is the kind of work that happens behind the scenes at Visa Business Plans.
Most people only see the finished document. They do not see the hours spent reading contracts, comparing answers, questioning assumptions, and checking whether the pieces of the case actually fit together. They do not see the moment when a team member notices that one statement in a questionnaire conflicts with a clause buried deep inside an agreement. They also do not see the conversations that follow, the questions we ask, or the changes that have to be made before the plan can move forward.
Yet those are often the moments that matter most.
We raise red flags before an immigration officer does, point out inconsistencies even when doing so makes the process more complicated, and question information that does not match the evidence. We do not do this to challenge the client or create additional work. We do it because small inconsistencies can become large problems in an immigration case.
A business plan cannot simply repeat what a client hopes to do. It has to reflect what the Company can realistically and legally do. The business model, contracts, investment, licenses, financial projections, and supporting documentation all need to tell the same story.
Our role is not simply to make the information sound polished. Before anything is written, we need to understand how the business will actually operate, whether the proposed activities are supported by the documentation, and whether the different parts of the case are consistent with one another. That is why our process begins with questions, document review, and careful comparison rather than drafting.
As part of that work, we look for the details that can strengthen the business plan, but we also pay close attention to the details that may create problems later. In some cases, the business activities described by the client may not align with the limitations reflected in the supporting agreement or describe a service the Company hopes to offer without realizing that additional authorization is required. In others, a proposed revenue stream may not align with the contracts, licenses, investment, or resources available to the business. Sometimes the inconsistency is obvious. Other times, it is buried in a supporting document and can easily be overlooked.
Situations like this are not unusual. They arise frequently, which is why our team does not treat the questionnaire as the final word. Instead, we use it as a starting point and then work through the underlying documentation to determine whether the business model is realistic, supportable, and consistent with the rest of the petition.
This approach is central to the work we do at Visa Business Plans. While the final product is a business plan, much of the value comes from what happens before and during the writing process: reviewing the evidence, identifying risks, resolving inconsistencies, and helping the attorney present a case that is grounded in the actual facts of the business. Behind every plan is a team applying judgment, experience, and strategy to make sure the story being presented is one the documentation can support.
Contact us today to get startedThe information provided in this blog is intended solely for informational purposes. While we strive to offer accurate and up-to-date content, it should not be considered legal advice. Immigration laws and regulations are subject to change, and individual circumstances can vary widely. For personalized guidance and legal advice regarding your specific immigration situation, we strongly recommend consulting with a qualified immigration attorney who can provide you with tailored assistance and ensure compliance with current laws and regulations.
Visa Business Plans is led by Marco Scanu, a certified coach from the University of Miami with a globally-based practice coaching Fortune 1000 company executives, entrepreneurs, as well as professionals in four different continents. Mr. Scanu advises clients on turnaround strategies and crisis management.
Mr. Scanu received a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (Cum Laude) from the University of Florida and an MBA in Management from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. Mr. Scanu was also a Visiting Scholar at Michigan State University under the prestigious H. Humphrey Fellowship (Fulbright program) with a focus on Entrepreneurship, Venture Capital, and high-growth enterprises.
At present, Mr. Scanu is the managing partner and CEO at Visa Business Plans, a Miami-based boutique consulting firm providing attorneys and investors with business planning services in the areas of U.S. and Canadian immigration, SBA loans, and others.
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