

YC: Canadian experiences with TN status for startup? - aheilbut

Can anyone comment on experiences with obtaining TN status to work on their startups?<p>Did you put your own new company as the sponsoring entity?  Any suggestions of lawyers to work with?
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mrtron
Do you require TN status? It is relatively easy to get, however I understand
you can only receive it once. Getting legal status after that year is
considerably harder, so be careful when you use it!

Offtopic: Why do you need to leave Canada to start it?

There are a few good entrepreneurial hubs in Canada, like Ottawa for telecom
and Waterloo for Engineering/Software.

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aheilbut
It's actually possible to renew TN status indefinitely, as long as one
maintains temporary intent. I've been living in Boston a few years, working on
a TN for a slightly larger company, and haven't had problems at the border.

However, the situation potentially gets a little trickier when a start-up is
involved, as one is not supposed to be self-supporting - you need to have a
paying job. However, I believe that in principle, there isn't any reason that
one can't hold an equity stake in a company that employs you.

I am already in Boston and working with a co-founder here, which is the
biggest reason I need to be in the US. Moreover, the access to smart capital
and to our target market is significantly greater here (Boston, SF, and NYC).
Personally, I have found the opportunities for inspiration, advice, and
serendipity are much richer in Cambridge than they were in Toronto. That isn't
to say it can't be done in Canada, but at this stage, my bets are best in the
US.

