Need advice: have been stucked in TN for past 3 years...

[dannykool]

Well both suck but they give someone valuable experience. One does not need permanent residence so being booted out after 6 years or less or not being able to apply for PR is not necessarily a bad thing. It is mostly some work permit holders of a specific nationality who are absolutely ready to do anything for the 'green card' ot whatever it is called now, at least in 1998 they called it that. Most Canadians would be happy to get the experience and move back if they need to.

The main downside is that you cannot do anything else ie work on the side etc. The second being that no unemployment benefits if the job is gone. The UK offers a better deal I think, no ?

All over the world, work permits are temporary and do not necessarily lead to permanent residence. For some strange cultural reason, I see a few nationalities desperate for PR in the US.

[Steven]

It's not a strange cultural reason, it's just the US system is far harder to go from work permit to permanent residency, because the US system is biased towards family rather than employment-based immigration. Plus the work permits have all kinds of weird quotas and time limits on them, whereas most work permits in most countries can be renewed ad infinitum. Plus the US is a large country so there's more people in the same situation immigration-wise.

If you want to see people who are desperate for permanent residency, do a search on "Cayman Islands", as all work permits there expire after six years. They never tell you that in their glossy job ads.

You get this fantastic high-paying job with no income tax - but there is a rather large catch!

[dannykool]

I see your point but my point is that you do not need to seek US PR but valuable US work experience. So no need to worry about the easiest path to PR or the system etc. as you have to look at it as experience. Don't link the two is what I say.

Look at a work permit for what it is.opportunity to work for a while in a country. Be it US or any other country. Do not link that with permanent residence as each country has its own requirements and issues surrounding that.

So there is no catch really if you go forward and approach it as a temporary stay.

[kaif]

To join the debate. Well for those of us with college-going TD dependants it is a big economic disincentive to be on TN as our dependants are charged out of state tuition. However, H-1 dependants are allowed in-state tuition. So this is also one reason to seek H-1 or permanent residency status but I think there are some states that allow in-state fee to TD folks.

[Steven]

Make more sense to do F-1 than TD for college students, they can work on F-1 but not TD. Doesn't solve the tuition problem though. Presumably they would have to go to F-1 when they reach 21 anyway.

[Steven]

However, H-1 dependants are allowed in-state tuition. So this is also one reason to seek H-1 or permanent residency status but I think there are some states that allow in-state fee to TD folks.

I looked into this, the answer is "no" for TD and usually "no" for H-4. A few States (the big ones) do allow it for H-4 based on a court case in California but the vast majority do not, although I suppose you have caselaw there you could use to challenge it.