Bank statements tracing the closing funds from the buyer's savings or a personally secured loan, the executed purchase agreement, proof of payment to the seller, and the corporate records showing the shares issued to the buyer.
Trace every dollar from where it started to the seller's account
Hypothetical example: the closing payment comes from three places, a savings account, the sale of a rental property in Saskatchewan and a line of credit secured on the family home. Each has a paper path: statements showing the savings accumulating, the property sale agreement and lawyer's statement of adjustments, and the credit agreement showing the security is personal real estate rather than the plumbing company's assets. Then the transfer to the escrow agent or seller, and the share certificates or membership interest issued in return. The seller note, if any, should be shown honestly and its security described; it will likely not be counted as investment, and pretending otherwise is worse than acknowledging it. Add the business's own records: financial statements, tax filings, payroll, contractor licence, lease and vehicle titles. The consular officer wants to see a real business changing hands, with the buyer's own money exposed if it fails.
Hypothetical example: a regional bicycle-logistics company is being acquired through an asset purchase, and the buyer has paid a deposit without documenting where it came from. Begin with the money trail: bank statements before the transfer, the sale agreement or loan documents that created the funds, and statements showing each movement into escrow or the business account. Add the purchase agreement, lease, invoices, operating licences, and a credible plan explaining staffing and revenue. An opening file audit should assemble an exhibit index that ties every dollar to a lawful source and every promised expense to a signed commitment. Problems arise when a seller's informal email replaces a contract, or when enterprise records show the buyer can recover money at will despite calling it at risk.