Getting a TN Visa during the Pandemic- Being a Canadian Citizen and Getting a Job in the US under a TN Visa(in a pandemic)

By Les Schafer

In my 10 years here at Germer International I have placed candidates here in the US before who needed help with a H1B Visa transfer.  I have spoken with candidates in the past who were Canadian Citizens and who have shared with me how they work in the US. Although the process seemed pretty simple, I have never helped place a Canadian Citizen in the US before.  My knowledge of this situation was that all they needed was a letter from their new employer so they could present this letter at the border and have it approved. Once approved they were able to work in the US for up to 3 years. At the end of the 3 years, if they intended to continue employment in the US, they would then need to get it approved again for another 3-year term, and so on.

So recently I was able to work with a Canadian Citizen who was given an offer by our client. His situation called for him to move from Canada to the US in 2 weeks.  Oh and by the way, there is a global pandemic happening.  In short, he took the offer letter from the employer, got it approved in Canada at the airport, flew to the Midwest, found a place to live close to the site, rented a car and started work within a 2-week time period.  Some interesting factors surrounding his transition involved him reaching out to local church groups and me trying to connect with people who I knew in city to see if they would be able to offer any insights (i.e., good places to live, possible place to buy a new car, potential restaurants and grocery stores in the area that might be able to cater to his dietary needs).

In short everything moved along very smoothly, contrary to my sometimes pessimistic nature to expect the worst sometimes.

So for folks out there looking to make a career move, who may be from Canada, who are willing to take on a new role in the US under a TN Visa, this is just one success story out there to hopefully provide someone insight on how the process could work for you.

(Note to reader: Please make sure to do your research when looking to learn more about the ins and outs of the TN Visa process under the North American Free Trade Agreement).