Working in the US while my wife goes to school?

[London]

Hello everyone,

Here is my situation: I am a Canadian citizen. Next fall, my wife will be attending graduate school in Boston. Naturally, I will be moving to Boston with her. I can live with her on a F2 visa, but this visa does not permit me to work. As I don't want to spend two years being unemployed, I need to figure out my options. I have a bachelors degree (in political science and psych), and a master's degree (in political science).

I think the best chance would be to try to get a TN visa. The occupations on the TN list that are most relevant to what I can do are Research Assistant and University/College Teacher (I have some experience in both). But is it even possible/permissible to enter on an F2, look for a job, then re-enter on a TN? Presumably I can't hold two types of visa at once, so will I need to apply for a change of status?

Are there options that might apply to my situation that I should be aware of?

Also, if I do unpaid work for, say, a non-for-profit organization, does this require some kind of authorization? And if so, what kind?

Any and all help you can provide would be appreciated.

[Reba]

If you enter the US on a non-immigrant status, no it is not legal to look for work while you're there. It may be prudent for you to secure a job before you go if at all possible.

And if you volunteer with a non-profit, you have to be sure that hte job you're doing would not otherwise be a paid position should an authorized LPR or American be doing it. If the job *could* be paid, then no, technically you cannot volunteer for it.

[Steven]

Any kind of work that would be paid requires work authorization. No you can't look for work as F-2 (although there is no enforcement mechanism) and no you can't hold two categories at once.

If you want to be a college teacher you're not limited to TN-1 (although it's the fastest to get) you can do H-1B pretty easily too as there is no quota for people working for academic institutions.

You can apply for AOS on I-539 from F-2 to TN-1 or H-1B but it's cheaper and quicker to go to the border usually to change to TN-1 as it only costs $50 (plus travel costs obviously).