Quote:
Originally Posted by Gerbs
You're changing my mind on America. I was always told how hard it was to get a TN visa even for software engineers so I never looked at it. Wow, that'd be so sick if I could move to Cali / Washington / NY with like 5-8years of experience + CPA.
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Nah, getting the TN visa itself is easy.
The TN visa (FYI technically a status not a visa, but practically referred to as a visa anyway) is granted at the US port of entry just like your typical B1/B2. You bring:
- Offer letter, with additional supporting details that corroborate the link between your qualifications and the job role.
- Degree & professional designation support documents.
That offer / supporting letter needs to follow a specific set of criteria, and if it's too big a stretch btwn your / TN allowable qualifications vs the job role, then I suppose that could be grounds for denial. But I wouldn't worry about this if you're applying to any medium+ size firm because they retain legal teams that are super experienced preparing these kinds of letters, and know all the nuances around how to make it work.
The other reason you could be denied is if you get a real jerk at the border and they refuse you on the grounds that it seems like you have immigration intent (the TN status is strictly non-immigration intent (your work will sponsor your application for an immigration-intent H1B visa immediately afterwards)). But the legal folks will advise you on what to say, and what kind of additional supporting documents to bring if any.
As for applying to jobs and getting an offer, I suppose YMMV based on macroeconomic conditions and your industry's specifics. But I personally didn't find my ratio of job application : phone interview : on-site interview : job offer to be lower than in Canada.
- SF Bay Area / LA / San Diego / Seattle in aggregate was like 200:20:8:3?
- Toronto was maybe 20:1:1:1.
- Vancouver I think like 100:5:2:1.
I think at 5-8 years experience you're in a pretty good sweet spot. You're experienced enough to differentiate yourself (imo especially if you're applying to a niche company that you can exude genuine enthusiasm for during an interview), and not so settled in your life that it's hard to leave and start on a new adventure.