Relocating advice & employer sponsorship question

[Violla]

Hi, I'm new here. I've lurked around a bit and read what I can, but all this information about VISAs is making my head spin. I'm in need of some advice for my situation.

I want to move to the US preferably within the next coming year. I want to do it legally (altho I've been told I wouldn't have many problems if I went the illegal route). From what I can see and understand the only working VISA (I'll need to be able to work there) I could go for is if a company sponsored me there. I'm wondering if anyone knows if that would be difficult? And if they've had any experience with that?

I suppose I'm a bit naive with all of this. I didn't expect I could just waltz on down, but I didn't expect it to be so difficult to come from Canada. I'm in my early 20s and the main reasons I want to live in the US is because I have friends down there that I would like to be closer to, I'm looking for a change of scenary and to search for new oppourtunities. I suppose my reasons aren't much different than most. I unfortunately don't have a lot of education or experience to back me up.

Also, right now I don't plan to stay permanently. Just for 3-5 years. If it comes to staying there indefinately, I can worry about that when it happens. My main concern is just getting there.

I'd appreciate any advice you could give me and I would love to hear from anyone who was/is in a similiar situation.

[Reba]

It certainly will be difficult if you have no formal education with a degree, nor any experience. Read the sticky thread regarding TN visas, and maybe have a poke around at http://www.tnvisaexpert.com That'll give you an idea of what you'd need to qualify for a TN.

There are litterally dozens of people here with experience getting TN visas, if you'd already been reading threads here, you'd know that, and you'd know what the qualifications are.

Given the economy here in the US, its going to be more and more difficult for Canadians to get TNs I'm guessing, regardless of qualifications. For every 1 Canadian who wants to get an employer to sponsor them, there are thousands of Americans already here and willing to work for same job, no paperwork required.

And what makes you think you could immigrate illegally with no problems? Whoever told you that is a (insert expletive here). If you want to make a life for yourself here, doing it illegally is not the way to do it. How do you propose to support yourself if you can't get a job? What do you do if you get caught and deported? OR tossed in jail? They can do that you know. Lots of immigrants sitting in holding cells for years even, just because they're here illegally. And they don't notify your home country authorities anymore. They just lock you in there and forget about you. Bad advice that.

[Violla]

It certainly will be difficult if you have no formal education with a degree, nor any experience. Read the sticky thread regarding TN visas, and maybe have a poke around at That'll give you an idea of what you'd need to qualify for a TN.

There are litterally dozens of people here with experience getting TN visas, if you'd already been reading threads here, you'd know that, and you'd know what the qualifications are.

I have read around and taken a gander at TN VISAs. They seem to mostly be occupations that require a BA. I had thought about a student visa and studying down there, but then I wouldn't be able to work.

Given the economy here in the US, its going to be more and more difficult for Canadians to get TNs I'm guessing, regardless of qualifications. For every 1 Canadian who wants to get an employer to sponsor them, there are thousands of Americans already here and willing to work for same job, no paperwork required.

Right. I'm aware of that too. I had looked at the fees and wondered if I told the employer they could deduct them from my paycheck if that would make sponsoring more likely.

And what makes you think you could immigrate illegally with no problems? Whoever told you that is a (insert expletive here). If you want to make a life for yourself here, doing it illegally is not the way to do it. How do you propose to support yourself if you can't get a job? What do you do if you get caught and deported? OR tossed in jail? They can do that you know. Lots of immigrants sitting in holding cells for years even, just because they're here illegally. And they don't notify your home country authorities anymore. They just lock you in there and forget about you. Bad advice that.

Of course I was told the consequences and I know of them, hence why I want to obtain legal status.

Thank you for replying.

[Reba]

Some student visas will allow you to work part time on campus.

And yes, TN visas require that you have a degree of some sort that matches your job offer in some way.

Alternatively, you could get a job in Canada with a company that has US offices, and then after a year or two of outstanding work, you can get them to transfer you on an L1B. But you have to prove special knowledge of the company in order to qualify for that usually. And you have to work for the Canadian branch for a while first.

[Violla]

I guess the main problem I'm running into is that I want to live there now and not in a few years. I want to know if I'll like the place I plan to move to before committing myself to it, except in order to do that I'll need to be able to work. Yet, it looks like my only option is to save money here and go down there on a visiting visa for up to half a year. It just sucks because I'll have to live off my own expenses and can't do anything about it when they start to deplete.

[Steven]

Your plan sounds flaky to me, assuming you could even find someone to sponsor a person in their twenties with no experience in this economy, the mistake you're making is one I often see on here: "oh, I'm only going for a few years" then you want to stay longer and you can't. Assuming you got into the country in the first place.

It's always hard to get sponsorship anyway, so my advice would be to get work experience in Canada and beef up your qualifications first (like Reba says, best idea is to get a job with a US company who can transfer you).

And whomever told you it's easy to work illegally in the US is wrong, it's pretty difficult without a social security number. Unless you want some under-the-counter job, and if you do that you will then have a gap in your employment history which you can't tell USCIS about if and when you ever figure out a way legally to do it. Plus you may get banned from entry, and there have been several horror stories on here about people who live illegally in the US and their kids go home to visit gran and then they can't get back in. Or they get married and can't get get residency because of their illegal presence.

You also won't be able to change your DL over to a US one in the vast majority of States without some proof of legal presence (the main exceptions being New Mexico and Florida).