Majj

Does anybody know if Canadian citizens are allowed to work in the USA, i.e. take up paid employment?

Thanks

orazone

Yes, Canadian Citizen (Canadian Passport Holder, not Permanent Resident) can work in US using TN Visa option ,if they secure an offer letter from some US employer. One of my ex-colleague was Canadian Citizen and he was working here in US. According to him, TN visa is issued for 1 year period and after that you have to go back to border and show your employment contract/letter to immigration and they will issue a new TN visa to you. My information is atleast 3-4 years old so you might want to check some immigration website for latest information.

I also remember an other Canadian guy and according to him , after 9/11, some of his Canadian friends had problems getting TN Visa and after getting frustrated they convinced their employers to file H1B work visa.

If you are serious about working in US as Canadian Citizen , i suggest you should consult some lawyer for reliable advice.

Andrew Miller

Canadian citizens, just like nationals of every other country need proper visa to work in US. There is a NAFTA (North American Trade Agreement) provision allowing certain professionals to obtain TN work visa valid for up to 1 year without going through the process of labour certification needed for H1 visa.

But TN visa holders cannot apply for Green Card.

If you are thinking of immigrating to Canada just so you can work in US then forget it - it will take you few years just to get PR status in Canada and then you need to accumulate 3 years (out of 4) of being in Canada before applying for citizenship and then another year or so for citizenship application process. And finally after you become Canadian citizen about 8 years from now (if you apply now for PR visa) you will still need job offer from US employer to get work visa. So, if your goal is to get to US then don't waste time and concentrate on finding employer in US willing to sponsor you for H1 visa.

Note that most participants in this forum don't like those who use Canadian immigration as a stepping stone or backdoor to US, while those who really want to move to Canada and stay here forever must wait longer and longer for their Canadian visas.

Majj

Thanks for the response.
My enquiry was purely in connection with exploring a future for my children later on in life. (I guess the laws might change by then). I have already waited patiently to obtain an immigrant visa for Canada just over 18 months, and have a job offer to that effect which I intend to take. I've no intention of going to the US via back doors or front doors, so your last two paragraphs do not apply to my case and are largely irrelevant. If I loved the US that much I would have stayed there. Whilst I like Canada very much there is no guarantee my children will.

JAJ

The lack of a 'dual intent' concession on TN is a problem but as far as I know many Canadians have successfully switched from TN to Green Card, in some cases going through the H1-B.

Jeremy