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TN1 is not really a viable option unless for very young out of school kids to try out their luck and gain a few years of experience somewhere else. Anyone that

TN1 is not really a viable option unless for very young out of school kids to try out their luck and gain a few years of experience somewhere else. Anyone that has family or house in Canada would be crazy to uproot their family and go to the USA on TN1. Because the visa is for a limited time and has to be renewed by going back to Canada and re-applying just like you did the first time. And it is at the sole discretion of the person you are talking to at the border to either grant you the visa or not. And they don't have to justify their decision to anyone (there are quite a few horror stories related to this). This pretty much means that someone with experience, making decent money in Canada, with house etc would be crazy to put themselves through that kind of additional stress and uncertainty by living in the USA on TN1. Besides, USA with its out of control gun culture, out of control politics, christian fundamentalism, and horrible health care is not really that attractive.

potatolicious 14y ago
The TN1 is actually not hard to get at all, despite the horror stories that you sometimes hear, especially if your employer is one of the "majors" (e.g., Google, Microsoft, Facebook, etc), who will pull out the stops to ensure your visa works out. For example, if you fail the TN application at the border, it's common for companies to send a lawyer up to accompany you the second time, to ensure success. It's expensive, but the big boys do it. It's also not strictly necessary to renew the TN at the border just like the initial application: I've had TNs processed directly via the USCIS without difficulty, and the whole thing is done by mail, and judged by someone less temperamental than your average CBP officer. Sure, systemically US immigration is really screwed up, but it's really not hard to get the TN, and if you're working for one of the known software companies, they will pull out the stops to guarantee success. > "Besides, USA with its out of control gun culture, out of control politics, christian fundamentalism, and horrible health care is not really that attractive." The vast majority of (desirable) software jobs in the US are in extremely liberal tech hubs like SF/SV, Seattle, New York, etc. This has always been a concern of mine, but it has largely not materialized.

potatolicious 14y ago

The TN1 is actually not hard to get at all, despite the horror stories that you sometimes hear, especially if your employer is one of the "majors" (e.g., Google, Microsoft, Facebook, etc), who will pull out the stops to ensure your visa works out. For example, if you fail the TN application at the border, it's common for companies to send a lawyer up to accompany you the second time, to ensure success. It's expensive, but the big boys do it. It's also not strictly necessary to renew the TN at the border just like the initial application: I've had TNs processed directly via the USCIS without difficulty, and the whole thing is done by mail, and judged by someone less temperamental than your average CBP officer. Sure, systemically US immigration is really screwed up, but it's really not hard to get the TN, and if you're working for one of the known software companies, they will pull out the stops to guarantee success. > "Besides, USA with its out of control gun culture, out of control politics, christian fundamentalism, and horrible health care is not really that attractive." The vast majority of (desirable) software jobs in the US are in extremely liberal tech hubs like SF/SV, Seattle, New York, etc. This has always been a concern of mine, but it has largely not materialized.