Canadian expat living in HK thinking of moving to US

[Teresa]

Hi,
I'm a Canadian who has been working in Hong Kong for 15 years and am now looking for jobs in US to move my family to US. We don't want to face the winters in Canada but would like to be closer to home, parents are getting old, and have our 3 kids (10,9 and 6) enjoy the North American upbringing before it becomes to hard to adjust at school. My husband and I are both Professional Engineers, qualified in Canada, and now Hong Kong and UK. We have 20 years working experience and think we could qualify for the NAFTA TN-1 visa. Our understanding is that all you need is a letter from the employer saying they will employ you as an Engineer to carry out duties that require an Engineer and then you can get the Visa at the border. Has anyone applied for a NAFTA Visa at the Canadian border?

We see that Texas has an agreement that will recognize Canadian Engineering qualifications with a few sponsers signatures.
Location wise we are thinking of the Dallas / Fort Worth Area as there was a potential job but the salary seemed low or Mid Atlantic, warm and closer to home.

Any advise would be appreciated.

[Bevdeforges]

Hadn't heard of the TN-1 visa (but then again, I'm a US citizen and don't really need these things <g>), but be sure to check the information on the US State Dept. website: Mexican and Canadian NAFTA Professional Worker

Other sites recommend having quite a bit more documentation (including information about the employer, job contracts, documentation of your Canadian qualifications and equivalence to US ones, etc.) and that's probably a good idea, as the border officials have the right to reject you on the spot if they have any doubts or suspicions at all.

[JohnSoCal]

I don't know the details personally as I am a US citizen. However, my nephew is a Canadian Software engineer and frequently works in the US with the type of visa you have described. If you don't like cold weather then I would not move to the mid-west. What type of engineers are you? The Dallas region would be OK and the cost of housing is relatively cheap there. If you are a hi tech worker then Silicon Valley is the place to be. The cost of living is high but salaries are high also. As high as the cost of living is in California, it is still lower than Vancouver or Toronto.

I am an independent Software design consultant and do all my business in the San Francisco Bay area though I live in Southern California. The high tech industry is booming with a severe shortage of engineers.

[synthia]

Welcome to the forum, Teresa. What constitutes the Mid-Atlantic area seems to vary according to what map you use. Winters in the states I think of as Mid-Atlantic (Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Delaware) are not as mild as those in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Even Atlanta, which is far south of that are, gets snow.

Unless you are planning to drive to Canada for visits, it makes more sense to look at whether there are convenient flights and budget airlines in locations you are considering. If you have to change planes twice to get there, you lose a lot of the advantages of being close. If you are planning to drive, then you'll end up living in wintry climates anyway.

[jwesleycdn]

HI there...I am actually a Canadian living in Dallas under a TN visa. I've been doing this for 7 years and its the easiest visa to get.
You're right about the letter of intent from your future employer, but you also must bring documentation on how you're qualified. The only document they stipulate are your university degrees.
On the employers letter, make sure that it states that you're here temporarily and list the one year employment timeline. IE: 03/15/07 - 03/14/08.
I can forward an example that I've used for a long time.

OH...and it only costs $56!

By the way, I organize a local Canadian Expat group here in Dallas as well! Check my profile for the link. It won't allow me to post it here till I do 20 posts or more.

Cheers!

James