Wanting to in the USA only hold BA

[Canuckbound]

Hello everyone,

I am a 30 year old Canadian who has been living here all my life, however, I am looking to see how I can work in the States. Alot of the websites I have been too have either been tedious or discouraging and frustrating. I will be finishing my BA in Public Admin from Ryerson this coming summer. I also have been working all my life and currently work with the Government of Ontario.

Could someone please provide some easy understanding information on what I can do to prepare myself to work in the States? I have no idea if I would classify as a TN or some other visa? These are all questions I would like answered.

Thanks,

RM

[Reba]

Why do you want to go to the States?

There's a sticky thread at the top of the forum that'll lead you to a website called TN Visa Experts. Check them out, they'll have the info you need to figure out whether you're qualified or not. Then all you have to do is find an employer willing to sponsor you.

[Steven]

tedious or discouraging and frustrating

That pretty much sums up the US immigration system, I'm afraid.

If you've got a BA and a fair bit of experience you may be able to get in using TN-1 depending on your job, which is by far the simplest method. But obviously you need an employer, which is no mean trick in this economy.

[Reba]

Considering hundreds of thousands of people are losing their jobs every month down here, I'm thinking it'll be more and more difficult for people to be getting TN1s in the next year or 2. And with no job stability, IMO, a temporary TN is too much of a risk. As evidenced by a few other members here who've recently been laid off and had to return to Canada, just a few months after going down to the US.

I just can't figure out why anyone would think this is a good market to move to. Yeah, its a change, but Canada's a big country. Pick a province.

[Steven]

Frankly based on my own experience I have no idea why anyone would ever move anywhere on a work permit, unless you have a 100% surefire method of it leading to permanent residence or you are 100% certain you're okay with staying temporarily.

Too many people move to places on work permits and think they'll meet someone and get married or the employer will sponsor them for permanent residency, or they're okay with renewing it endlessly and doing the same job forever and most of the time it just doesn't work out that way.

TN-1 is so easy to get (if you qualify) and relatively easy to switch employers that I have some sympathy with people who stay in the US on it, but at the end of the day your spouse can't work, your kids can't work and you can't live there if you lose your job.

Unless of course you get married to an American, but then you have the question whizzing around in your mind: "Am I getting married to this person just so I can stay?"

My own experience is that the company went bust, so in that situation you're completely screwed, which I was. Even if they want to sponsor you for permanent residence, who says the company is going to survive that long?

I could have married my girlfriend, but in retrospect, I'm glad I didn't.

[MC]

The U.S. economy is really, really bad right now. The economy has lost well over a million jobs this year and the projected unemployment rate is projected to go as high as 9% by some sources. It has not been at 8 or 9% for a very long time. Meanwhile, thousands of Americans are losing their jobs. When the economy is good, the United States can easily create 200,000 or more jobs each month, now it is the opposite.

Your BA should open up a few options as far as work authorization goes. However, I believe Canada is better suited to weather a downturn than the U.S. as the Canadian economy is still creating jobs. I suspect that is changing now and we will likely contraction up here as well.

I suspect it might be a better idea to hunker down in Canada and wait for some signs of positive job creation in the U.S. before making any kind of move.

[Steven]

Don't worry! The LibNDPBloc Party will save us!

[MC]

They have to bail out the auto industry first. Do you have a few billion handy?