Working for a month in California

Hi,

I am currently unemployed (or a consultant) in the IT field (web developer/computer programmer). A relative said he could get me temporary work (about a month) in California. What are my options? I was born and live in Canada and had been working in IT for 5 years. I have a BA in an unrelated field and 1 year degree from a computer college.

Thanks,

Monica.

What job does he/she have for you?

Probably some computer software administration/tech support.

Thanks.

Unless you can get a work visa of some sort, you can't just go to California for a month and start working. Not legally anyway.

Your options would be to see if the temporary work can be extended for more than a month. You are well qualified anyway and you have experience. I would say to get your friend to extend the time frame for the work as along as it falls under the TN visa or H1B. Going to California for a month to work doesn't really make much sense. I would really explore my options if I were in your position and use your qualifications to your advantage.

Thanks for the info. How long would I need to work for to be eligible to get a TN visa? I tried looking it up, but I could only find the maximum time frame (3 years).

Well, although the TN has a maximum 3 year period, you can renew it (technically applying for a new one) for another 3 years. However, the employer may only need you for 1 year which would mean you would be granted a TN for one year based on the time alloted by the employer.

Basically, you are eligible for a TN for three years permitting the employer start and end date falls into a 3 year period.

So if a month is too short for a TN visa, what is the minimum time required?

Thanks.

I think this is a bit of an academic discussion because there is no NAFTA category for these jobs, the closest is systems analyst but the field manual warns against allowing programmers to enter in that category.

The regs say for systems analyst a four year degree or "post-secondary diploma" which means a two-year degree essentially. And because they use the OOH definition the degree needs to be something related (at least vaguely) to the occupation.

Without a bachelor's degree (or higher) and a job offer that requires it, it's usually very tricky to get work authorization in the US, the main exception being an intracompany transfer.