Moving to the US from Canada?

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Sid B

Unless you have a green card ( US social security card the equivalent of our Social Insurance Number ) you will not be able to work or own a business in the US.

CanTexan

If you want to work while in the US (I'm assuming you're not wanting to retire to California!), you need to be either a US citizen, a permanent resident (green card holder) of the US, or have another type of work visa.

Since you're indicating you don't want to come in as an entrepreneur (business owner), that leaves a company-sponsored work visa. That means a US-based (or US-owned) company would have to prove - to the US government's satisifaction - that there are no qualified US citizens to take the position they're offering to you.

If they can do that, then they will apply for a work visa in your name. The important thing here is that YOU can't make the application; the company has to do it for you. The visa will have a definite start and end date ... which means it must be renewed for you to continue to be able to work. It also means you're tied to employment with that particular company ... you can't "jump ship" to another firm, unless the new company goes through the same hoops and gets a NEW work visa in your name.

Not all work visas allow you to try for permanent residency either. Read the fine print: it's important! And not all work visas are renewable (or are only renewable a certain number of times).

If I've got it wrong, and you DO intend to retire to California, contact me via my profile and I'll try to help you out with that as well. The official website concerning US immigration is appended.

poohbear_daboy

You might want to rethink that plan, If I were you I would stay in Canada, things aren't all that great here since we got "King George" running the country (if you can call what he is doing running) But if you are determined the process of emmigrating from one country to another is different for each country. Try looking online at one of the sites like
us-immagration.com or just do a broad search from google or yahoo. By the way can I have your citizenship if you do leave canada? I want to leave the U.S. !

Dovekie

What sort of credentials do you have? That is, if you have a professional degree, you could qualify for a fast TN work permit to the US from Canada. See: http://www.usvisa-law.com/nafta160.htm

You can do this yourself at the border, providing you have a job offer (letter) in hand that outlines the professional occupation you will be doing, the tasks, the salary, and that you have the degree qualifications. The US employer does NOT have to prove they can't hire a US citizen if they want to hire a Canadian or Mexican under a TN. This is clear under NAFTA rules. It is a temporary permit though, renewable in one-year increments. So, you can't intend to emigrate. However, there are lots of people who simply renew on a yearly basis for many years. It's also very cheap and easy to get.

It is possible to get a green card from a TN -- you need to time it properly though and probably should get a lawyer to process any green card application from a TN. The employer also must be willing to sponsor you for a green card. This can be costly.

There are also H1 visas for those who don't qualify for the TN but they have experience -- but there is a cap on the number of these -- TNs are unlimited. H1 visas are good for a maximum of 6 years (2, 3-year periods). Green cards are easier to obtain from a H1 than a TN.

You might qualify for some other visa -- use this tool as a guide: http://grasmick.com/discover.htm

NWIP

In order to work you need an Alien Resident card, for that you need a sponsor whether it is a spouse or a business. That process can take months to go through and can be expensive as well. You then have to declare yourself a non resident of Canada so any money you do earn, you do not pay US & Canadian taxes on.

arman_armanov

Just stay in Canada

Brenda H

Poohbear - Welcome to Canada! Things aren't perfect here but still pretty good overall and we have lots of room for you - if you ever decide!

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