I'm being considered by a large, multinational corporation for a position in their Seattle location, and don't have much border-crossing experience.
I also don't have a driver's license, a current passport, or a work visa.
If I do get this position, which should I get and which should be first?
Do I need a passport if I have a work visa?
I suppose I can help here (can't sleep), but it would be good to know a few more details. Is this work permanent or short-term? Are you planning on staying in Surrey or would you be moving permanently to the states if you're accepted, etc, etc. But I'll let you know before the tl;dr that working outside the country is a long and difficult process that may not have the worthy payback.
First off, before we discuss any idea of work outside Canada, yes, you need a passport and government-issued ID (not necessarily a driver's license). Because of recent provisions in the Patriot Act, it's now necessary to present a passport at the US border regardless of your stay there. And because it's dangerous to carry your passport everywhere, you should have a second ID with you as well. Getting a passport is quite easy: just get your picture taken at Wal-Mart and get your documentation from Passport Canada- it's about a 3-6 week process. Getting a government-issued ID is even easier and less time-consuming. Both come with a pretty reasonable price though.
Once you get your identification, you need to consider long and short term, and where you'd be staying. If you move to Seattle, then you can go on a one-year TN Work Visa for a considerable period (or an H1B if you hold a 4-year equivalent in college, allowing about 6 years). These are quite expensive- mine to Australia a couple of years ago for a four-month period was about 400$, so they come with a steady tag. You also need to be a Canadian citizen- not just a permanent resident, though I don't think that's a problem here. Once your Visa is up, then you're allowed to apply for a Green Card (permanent residency) in the states, or you will be forced to move back to Canada and apply for a renewal.
So, that's pretty much the gist of what you would be going through, and boy did I blow way too much hot air there. Is there anything else you want to know?
It sounds like a long-term position so far, with their preference for me to move down there so I don't have to telecommute.
I have a Bachelor of Science in Computing Science, so I could go for a H1B.
(from what you say here, anyway. I know practically nothing about this sort of thing just yet)
Oh coolio, having a BSc will make a world of difference with you getting a work visa. Certainly go for the H1B; I imagine it would be more expensive than a TN, but you won't need to take a break from work after a one year period to renew your visa from back home. You also have the Visa for about 6 years too. I honestly don't know the prices of an American work visa, but that's where I'd call Immigration Canada to get some professional advice :)
If you're being considered for the position, they're likely going to have an immigration lawyer or two on payroll for this sort of situation. But yeah, you'll need a passport first.
: Carl Foxmarten May 25, 2012, 01:25:28 -06:00
I'm being considered by a large, multinational corporation for a position in their Seattle location, and don't have much border-crossing experience.
I also don't have a driver's license, a current passport, or a work visa.
If I do get this position, which should I get and which should be first?
Do I need a passport if I have a work visa?
To cross the border, you need either a passport or an enhanced driver's license.
So, get the passport first. You will need to fill out the passport application form
(available at any post office), get a pair of passport photos taken, and have a
guarantor (someone who knows you well, and has a passport already) fill out part
of the form. Then you take those to a local passport office (there's one in the Surrey
Central shopping mall) along with your birth certificate and the passport fee (about
$100 currently). Your passport should be ready in 2 weeks to a month. Then you go
back to the passport office and pick it up.
You need the passport first, before you can get the work visa.
You may cross the border for a job interview, or to accept a position that has been
offered to you (make sure you take the job offer letter with you to the border).
You may not enter the USA to look for work (unless you are a U.S. citizen already).
The company should be able to advise you on getting the work visa, if they want to
hire you.
Hope this helps.
I've obtained a passport before, and have the forms I need to apply this time around, I just need to find three people that know me well enough to qualify as a Guarantor and two References.
(the hard part is finding someone I know who has a passport for the Guarantor. Just about everybody I know well hasn't had a passport in years...)
The part that bugs me the most is that I thought I'd be staying in Canada to work, so I never kept up my forms of ID... =>.<=
http://www.ppt.gc.ca/cdn/132.aspx?lang=eng (http://www.ppt.gc.ca/cdn/132.aspx?lang=eng) ;)
You can do a statutory declaration in lieu of a guarantor, but you'll need to find somebody that's lawfully allowed to take oaths. I think this includes a notary public.
Took me just about all morning, but I finally found a list of requirements for the H1B work visa:
http://canada.usembassy.gov/visas/visas/categories-and-requirements/temporary-worker-distinguished-merit-other-than-nurses.html (http://canada.usembassy.gov/visas/visas/categories-and-requirements/temporary-worker-distinguished-merit-other-than-nurses.html)
Looks like I need the passport first.
I think my sister might still have one, so I'm checking with her first.
FYI, be prepared to wait months for an H1-B visa to be processed. They are not quick to get at all. There is a quota of only so many per year that can be issued, and if that is reached you have to wait until the next year before applying.
You would stand a better chance of getting a TN visa at the border, and then once you are in the US, talking with a legal representative for your company that you work for to get you going with the H1-B process.
You should not try to do an H1-B visa without legal representation.
Oh no, I'm not launching the process myself.
I'm just trying to educate myself a bit so I can help the process along a bit.
The company is large enough that they should know this process inside-out, and will probably start the process themselves.
(after, of course, they fully decide they want to hire me)
Congratulations on being considered for a job in Seattle, I lived there last year.
At the same token I also informed myself on the H1B visa, which can be an extensive process. When you are considered for the position it is the employer who applies for the H1B visa. Every year starting April 1st about 60'000 visas are being issued and you can apply for one until they run out, though this changes every year. There is an application fee of up to 2,400 for this visa, though the company is allowed to cover up to 1,800. For this type of visa it is best to have an immigration lawyer at hand, though most likely your company will have one to contact (if you need an immigration lawyer based in Seattle I can give you names).
If the company considers a H1B visa you are golden and taken care of. For Canadian citizens there seems to be alternate work permit in the US for you to look into.
You mean the company can't necessarily pay for the whole thing? =o.0;=
To my understanding it does not, or the law even sets it this way. Just went through my notes but failed to find that piece of information. But as far as I remember there is that piece.
Before considering the H1B visa, every lawyer will ask you whether you have a job offer.
EDIT: I wish you will receive the offer.
This has just become a moot point for the moment.
They're not interested in hiring me at this point. =>.<=
Sorry to hear about this disappointment. Though keep the line open with HR, there might be opportunities in the future for which they would consider you.
: Carl Foxmarten May 30, 2012, 07:22:18 -06:00
This has just become a moot point for the moment.
They're not interested in hiring me at this point. =>.<=
Not just that, but the H1-B visa cap for this year has been reached.
http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_20839929/high-skilled-h-1b-work-visas-run-out (http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_20839929/high-skilled-h-1b-work-visas-run-out)
: Wereman June 09, 2012, 11:08:06 -06:00
Sorry to hear about this disappointment. Though keep the line open with HR, there might be opportunities in the future for which they would consider you.
Thanks. I'm feeling a bit better about it now. As now I don't have to be concerned about all the tax laws I'd have to figure out...
They apparently do have a location in Vancouver, so I
might be able to find a job there, though I'm not sure just how much info they share back and forth.
: frysco June 12, 2012, 12:44:29 -06:00
Not just that, but the H1-B visa cap for this year has been reached.
http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_20839929/high-skilled-h-1b-work-visas-run-out (http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_20839929/high-skilled-h-1b-work-visas-run-out)
Hmm, that
might explain it, though not why the response came so quickly after the skills interview.
(personally, I think it was my five minute rant against Microsoft that did it. Probably not the best thing to do during an interview)
If they have an office in Vancouver, suggest you ask Seattle HR if they can introduce you to an HR rep in Van. The worst thing they may do is say no but keep the contact up.
Interesting to know what tax implications working in the US this has for you.