

Ask HN: Advice for Canadian looking to move to US for IT work - canadiancreed

In a nutshell, I&#x27;ve decided to see just how hard it would be to obtain work south of the border, but I have absolutely no idea where to start. I keep getting told that it&#x27;s both easy (because of NAFTA), and yet quite difficult (from personal experience trying to obtain work in the US) to be sponsored for employment. So I&#x27;m wondering if anyone has any advice for how I should proceed, and if it basically boils down to &quot;no job offer, no chance&quot;.<p>Thanks for any response to my inquiry.
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Spoom
My first advice as a Canada to US immigrant is, don't attempt to come down on
a visitor visa or visa waiver (i.e. visa-less entry) and get work. It sounds
like this would be obvious to you based on your question, but so many people
think they can just adjust their status later once they're in the country, and
by and large they are very mistaken.

As a Canadian, you can, however, apply for TN (NAFTA) status at the
border.[1][2] You need a prearranged job to do this, though, and it has to fit
one of several categories defined by NAFTA[3]. Typically, you must have at
least a Bachelor's degree.

I'm a family-based immigrant so I don't know how hard it is to get prearranged
work on a visa basis. I do see a lot of postings that require permanent
residency or citizenship, though I believe such immigration classification
discrimination is illegal.

[1]
[http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1274.html](http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1274.html)

[2]
[http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b...](http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=bac00b89284a3210VgnVCM100000b92ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=bac00b89284a3210VgnVCM100000b92ca60aRCRD)

[3] [http://canada.usembassy.gov/visas/doing-business-in-
america/...](http://canada.usembassy.gov/visas/doing-business-in-
america/professions-covered-by-nafta.html)

~~~
canadiancreed
Thanks for the links, they're pretty much what I was after. Although this line
here...

"Typically, you must have at least a Bachelor's degree."

...has me concerned that I'm pretty much screwed (one of those self taught
programmers, no college....silly me). I'll see with the consulate this week if
computer based positions fall into that requirement this week.

~~~
memracom
This is silly. Why would you go ask a consulate when this info has been on the
web for ages. When I got a TN visa in 1997, all the info needed was on the US
embassy's website including detailed lists of requirements for the different
classes of jobs covered under NAFTA. Many countries including Canada,
discourage people from going to the consulate or embassy just to ask
questions. The guards won't let you in, and they refer you to a 900 number
where you pay a few dollars per minute to talk. Do your research online. In
general, the embassy will publish an application form (PDF), a guide to
filling it out, a FAQ and often a tool for determining eligibility.

~~~
canadiancreed
"Why would you go ask a consulate when this info has been on the web for
ages."

Well my thinking at the time was because I found their website (at the time)
to be a maze of legaleze and the consulate was two blocks away from my current
workplace, while the closest embassy is a five hour drive away.

------
throwaway1979
If you have a bachelors degree, TN for Canadians is easy. If not, I don't have
any good suggestions. If you are rolling in money, you can get an investor
visa. I'm not sure but the requirements for that are steep - million bucks
invested, perhaps. There is also the H1B visa but the lack of a degree will
hurt. Finally, there is this thing called the green card lottery. I've met two
people who actually won that thing - while the odds aren't something to bank
on, they are definitely far better than winning the lotto. It does matter
where you are born for the purposes of the lottery so do your research.

One final note: if you have significant family/friends in Canada and are close
to them, think very hard about moving south. I put career first when I was
younger ... wish someone had told me that nearness to the people you love
should be a critical factor in the place where you live.

~~~
canadiancreed
Ya the H1B has pretty much been crossed off my list for those reasons. I think
I looked into the Green card lotto, and if I recall right being from Canada,
I'm at the back of the bus on that, but I'll have to look into it again.

As for family/friends, I get where your'e coming from on that. I learned it
quickly when I lived out in Charlottetown, PEI for a few years. That being
said, I have a decent base of friends in the US, mainly in the Philadelphia
area which is where I've been mostly looking for work (most PA companies
usually find my resume in their inbox soon after posting if I have the
qualifications).

------
gesman
What's your passion? \- south-ness of the border? \- great job? \- nice pay?

Pick ONE (not two or three)

~~~
canadiancreed
If I had to pick just one, this posting wouldn't have been made, because I can
already get that here.

------
lifeisstillgood
Why not work remotely?

~~~
canadiancreed
Tried that for the last few years. Most remote places are A) Based in the US
and b) have the cavaet of "Remote....if you're in the US" as part of their job
ad. There are exceptions (deviantart instantly comes to mind), but they are
uncommon, and remote positions from Canadian based companies are as rare as
hen's teeth.

~~~
lifeisstillgood
Flat out ridiculous for an industry dealing in 1's and 0's isn't it?

~~~
canadiancreed
Your'e preaching to the choir on that one. The amount of companies I've seen
posting the same job over and over again up here because they aren't in a
major market and won't accept remote developers makes you wonder about their
business processes....or if they're still thinking business computing is stuck
in the 1980's.

~~~
lifeisstillgood
I have actually managed to find some remote contracts - it's hard and I have
not got a pipeline yet. But it is possible - don't think that jobs that are
advertised on jobsites are the only thing. Try this: set up canadiancreed.com,
put that you make Canadian xxx software for Canadian businesses.

Attack chambers of commerce, other digital agencies. The work is out there.

(In not sure what xxx is for your line of work or experience - pick something
you like:-)

