So, you want to move to the States eh?

hii .. my name is angel.. i am from ontario.. i was wonderin if i can plz have some information about movin to the states .. i been doing some research on that .. but i seen to not be able to answear my quetsion... i wanted to move to LA with my bf.. while he goes to school there.. i am a canadian citizen .. i have family livin in the states .. and i love it there better then here .. i wanna be able to move up in life .. and not always have somethin come in my wayy .. the states is cheaper ill agree with anyone who says that ... soo i was wonderin if u can plz help me out here .. wats the quickest safest wayy to do this ??? i was plannin to do all this in january .. soo will it be possible to be done by this time ??

LA certainly is not cheaper than Canada! I'll disagree with you there!

How old are you? Is your boyfriend American or Canadian? What relationship are your relatives to you who live in the States?


There's all sorts of information right here in this thread about moving to the States. You just have to read it.

Hello Everyone! Newbie on the board.

Here is my little situation:

I am a Canadian working in US under TN Visa for the 3rd year.
Now I would like to apply for USA PR, and what would be the less hassle approch for the application.

Thanks!

There really isn't a less hassle approah from a TN to a GC as you would now be relinquishing your non-immigrant intent. Depending on what field you're in, your company would need to file a labor certification form for you followed by an I-140 to I-485 AOS... This may take years to obtain again depending on your situation. If your TN expires before a visa number comes up again, you would not be able to apply for another TN as you have already shown you intend to migrate permanently in the U.S.

Unless you marry an American, there hardly is a quick way to the GC from a TN.

Like Dremani said, there isn't a no hassle approach to applying for permanent residency in the US. You can either have your current employer petition for you, which they would have to prove that there are no Americans qualified for the job (in this current job market, that's rather difficult), and then IF the petition is approved, you have to wait for a visa number to be available, which could take up to 10 years. By which time, your TN has expired, and they're unlikely to renew it, given your immigrant intent. Which would then make your application null and void pretty much, because your employer is unlikely to wait 10 years until you're able to return to the US.

Or you can marry an American and adjust status. Which I wouldn't advise, unless you're actually in love with an American currently and already planned to be married.

Canadians moving to the US MUST research the tax implications as well. i made the dreadful mistake of NOT doing this before filing for (and getting) my Green Card. THEN found out about all the capital gains taxes/exit taxes/deemed disposition of property etc. - IF you own property, or a corporation, or shares in a corporation, RRSPs, etc - there are some major tax implications if you become a non-resident of Canada and still have these holdings. VERY IMPORTANT to research this - I wish I had before getting Green Card - I would have thought twice about it. !!!

-- Fri Aug 07, 2009 1:31 pm --

Hello Everyone! Newbie on the board.

Here is my little situation:

I am a Canadian working in US under TN Visa for the 3rd year.
Now I would like to apply for USA PR, and what would be the less hassle approch for the application.

Thanks!

Newbie: Unless you are planning to marry an American and are prepared financially to switch your entire tax picture/bank accounts/etc over to the US, I would think carefully about this. If your job in US is secure and provides you with healthcare benefits etc maybe it would be best to have the security of US PR - but I personally am finding it much more hassle than it's worth. To be US PR you must totally give up all ties to Canada. You will start over in the US with your credit history etc. Any Canadian income you make will be subject to withholding taxes, any Canadian assets you have will be subject to capital gains taxes, there will be myriad, expensive forms to fill out - and the green card is a gamble. Definitely get a lawyer AND talk to a financial advisor about this before making any decisions. It's a major, major decision and the consequences, as I am finding out, are many. Make sure you arm yourself with as much knowledge as you can before leaping.
Good luck!!

wow, big thanks for everyone who answered my question in such detail and concern.

Looks like I would have to plan ahead and do more research before I leap into the GR application.

Thanks everyone once again!

Hi Reba,

I am a Canadian citizen that is currently in California because of a girl. So far I have been here for 2 months. I have a degree in Civil Engineering so my plan was to come to California, get a job offer for a Civil Engineering job, and then get a TN Visa. So far I haven't found a job but I am wondering if what I am doing is illegal and can I get into any trouble? Also if I do find a job do I just have to leave the country and then come back in to get the TN Visa? Another thing is I am planning on going back to Canada in September with my girlfriend for a week and then coming back. At that point I will have been in the US for 11 weeks. Do you think I will have a problem getting back in?

Thanks

You cannot legally look for work in the US while here on tourist status.

You have to apply/receive TNs at a border crossing, you cannot apply for them within the US.

Unless you have ties to Canada (job, home etc) it is unlikely that they will let you back in after you leave in September. Especially if you are travelling with your US citizen partner.

Are you allowed to work in the US for free? Ie. if I'm Canadian but want to work at a company for 6-12 months WITHOUT them paying me ANYTHING.