America Bound

Many Canadians struggle with the decision to move to the States. The much reported 'Brain Drain' was all over the news at the time (at least in Canada...in the US was it the Brain Fill?). At the end of the day for us, it was a matter of trying something new in a place that was (seemingly) familiar and, more importantly, accessible by U-Haul van.

My partner had an offer of employment and a Masters degree in a field on the NAFTA Professional Job Series list which, we discovered, made the relocation and visa issues far more straightforward than we had anticipated. She was able to apply for a TN Visa at the US/Canada border with an offer of employment, a valid passport, and $50 US fee. The last requirement was no small point, as in 2002 the Canadian Dollar was trading at 0.65 cents US! Of course if one converts the other way it is obvious what much of the Brain Drain was about.

The main warning we were told when going to the states for the initial job interview was DO NOT say you are going for a job interview when at the border. Nobody every expanded on what would happen, but needless to say anything out of the ordinary at the border may be frowned upon by the good men and women who guard the 49^th parallel.

The main sticking point for the entire relocation was that in 2002 a Canadian spouse or common-law partner was not able to work in the US without a visa of their own. Which meant my daydreams of maxin' and relaxin' on the sofa with Comedy Central (not available in Canada) were quickly dashed. Long story short, I was able to find a job quickly and present my offer of employment for my own TN Visa at the border. I would have been allowed to travel to the US and stay, but again our financial situation at that time would not have smiled upon this.

As of 2005 I don't think Canadians are even required to apply for the TN Visa if on 'the list'. To be sure, further (and more importantly constantly updated information) can be found at the following website:

http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1274.html