Which VISA?

I searched the forum and have not found a clear answer to my situation. I live in Windsor, ON am a Canadian citizen and have been applying to teaching/professor positions at Colleges/Universities in and around Detroit, MI. Most positions do not require me to obtain a VISA to apply. I know should I get an offer of employment I will apply for a TN VISA, as I would qualify for one. However, there are some positions, particularly at private colleges that require me to obtain a VISA prior to application. I do not intend to reside in the US. I plan to commute. Which Visa would I apply for to work in the US but not live there without having a job offer??

Thanks for your help!

There are no US work visas (at least, for professionals) that do not require you to have a job offer to apply. You can try to apply for those jobs, even if they say you must have a work visa to apply, and maybe say in your cover letter that, although you are a Canadian citizen, you are eligible for a TN visa which you can easily obtain at a POE without them having to sponsor you (like with an H-1B).

Thanks for you reply. That explains why I couldn't find any information about obtaining a US work Visa without a job offer. I will include your suggestion in my cover letters.

They will however need to supply you with a letter of intended employment, and length of your contract, in order for you to get a TN.

However, there are some positions, particularly at private colleges that require me to obtain a VISA prior to application.

It's illegal for them to discriminate on that basis, they cannot require you to get work authorization prior to applying, if you would qualify for the job with work authorization they could apply for. Have a look at www.eeoc.gov If they offer you the job and then you cannot get work authorization, then they can withdraw the job offer.

I do not intend to reside in the US. I plan to commute. Which Visa would I apply for to work in the US but not live there without having a job offer??

TN-1 was expressly designed for this purpose. It's not a visa, it's an immigration category, there is no visa required.