Help needed: Canadian working in the US

Hello to all, haven't been around much lately but I've got a question to ask. I've kinda found a job in the US, but I'm trying to figure out what I need to do to get a work visa. My friends who have had co-op jobs stateside told me that all I needed was a letter from the company saying why I was super awesome and why they were hiring me, my resume, and a transcript, and they would grant me my work permit right at the border.

I found this website http://www.workpermit.com/us/employer_tn.htm and it seemed very similar to what I had been hearing. One problem is that I'm an engineering student, not a professional engineer (I didn't know if this would matter or not). So is this the route I should take, and just show this company this website and have them write me up a letter and apply at the border?

bump ?

i'm a canadian and i've worked in US as both an engineering student and as an engineer.

as a student, career services at my school set-up my visa. the requirements were pretty much the same as you listed.

to be honest i can't really remember exactly what i did but i know under the NAFTA (free-trade agreement between US and Canada) you are entilied to work in the US, even as a student.

another thing, DO NOT pay into Social Security or Medicare while working there, you are not required to. I did pay into it and it took literally years to claim back.


sorry, i guess i'm not too helpful, but good luck.

Fridge,

First, think hard about whether you want to leave O Canada to go down south in a land where you cannot vote and have to live with all the consequences anyway. If the opportunity can't be passed up then, by all means, go for it.

I've been on the NAFTA (TN visa) program for 5 years and it has been relatively easy to get approved each time. I am not a student though, so do some homework on that and make sure the TN is applicable for you. If you do pursue a TN, here's some advice:

1) Make sure your job title falls under one of the 30 or so professions on the NAFTA list.
2) Make sure your education and work experience can be related to that profession
3) Get a letter from the employer describing their organization, your proposed role, your salary, etc. They will need to say they will employ you for one year, while reserving the option to extend your employment beyond that.
4) Play nice with US immigration officers. Some will be nice, some not so nice, but either way, your fate is in their arbitrary hands so just smile and be the good Canadian. Bring your fees in US currency, have passport & copies of transcripts ready, and just don't give them any reason to question your credentials.

One of the better TN-related sites I've found out there is www.grasmick.com. It's an immigration law firm site and I think they may even have a forum for you to ask questions for free. Once you are in the US and the time comes to renew, you can either go to the border again or do the renewal by mail (costs ~$50 more).

If you have any other questions or would like a template for your employer's letter, shoot me an email. Good luck with that and hope this helps.

Sorry dude, but Bush signed a new bill, effective 1-1-05 that says no Canadians can work here legally without sending a letter to Canada saying "reciprocate bitches"!!!!

Filipina Thunder?!?

Can I have some pinakbet and adobo? I bet Punani's got some "filipina thunder" stories from the Valley Isle.....