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What exactly are they required to carry in AZ? Most people I know generally just carry their I-94, if anything, since it's generally assumed to be sufficient proof of legal residence. And it's just a piece of paper that looks ridiculously easy to forge to me.

• you can make more money
• you can benefit from the exchange rate (if you need to send money back to Canada)
• lower taxes (in Canada, once you surpass the threshold of about $75k (I forget what it is exactly) the combined Federal and Provincial taxes (at least in Ontario) works out to about 47%, which is quite a bit higher than in the US)
• depending on how and where you like to live, you might experience higher property taxes and a generally higher cost of living
• plan on paying a non-trivial amount per paycheque to join the company health insurance plan (say bye-bye to gov't health care), and plan on paying a co-pay fee (essentially an insurance deductible) each time you use it
• unless you don't mind being on a loooong waiting list, you can pretty much forget about coming down on an H1-B; do the TN permit instead
• see www.grasmick.com for helpful immigration info
• it's one thing if you're a sysadmin, but if you're a programmer, the TN category of Computer Systems Analyst might not work for you (refer to www.grasmick.com, above)
• you'll need to have a job offer first; check out www.monster.com and www.dice.com for a good head start
• bacon and sausages taste quite a bit better down here (I'm being serious), and if you end up in the Midwest, get set for some wicked BBQ!

If you do decide to make the jump, welcome to the Canadian Brain Drain! :-) Drop me a note privately if you like.

I used to work in Toronto for many years, so I feel your pain. Since making the jump, the first thing I noticed was that my peers were brilliant. Not to say that those in Toronto weren't, but rather more of a difference between "just doing what's necessary" compared to "breaking new ground". When I was working for a Very Large Bank in Toronto, there was an overriding theme of "don't change anything because something might break." Compare that to "let's bite the bullet and change this so we can fix nuisance issues today and plan for tomorrow." In Toronto, I usually found that innovation wasn't actively encouraged, and at times discouraged.

If this is starting to sound interesting, start reading up on what it takes to get your TN visa, here: www.grasmick.com

Best of luck. :)

Just another Canuck in the states (Florida)

Lots of talk about the H1-B, but let's not forget our trusty TN-1, the "gift" from NAFTA. Any Canadian sweating their way through an H1-B is probably barking up the wrong tree. Unfortunately U.S. employers' legal beagles are so used to working with H1-Bs that they aren't familiar with the trusty TN-1*. Why wait months when 20 minutes at the border will do ya?

I've always liked this quote from Grasmick's site: "If you're Canadian and have an H-1, you're probably on the wrong visa."

_________
* Yes, I've been through this and fought it. I had to educate the U.S. lawyers, but they finally saw the light. In the end, though, I got fed up with trying to educate both the employer and his legal team and decided to spend my time elsewhere. Any employer (and their legal team) too thick-skulled to understand simple details like the difference between an H-1B and a TN-1 are probably not the kind of people you want to work for.

Lots of talk about the H1-B, but let's not forget our trusty TN-1, the "gift" from NAFTA. Any Canadian sweating their way through an H1-B is probably barking up the wrong tree. Unfortunately U.S. employers' legal beagles are so used to working with H1-Bs that they aren't familiar with the trusty TN-1*. Why wait months when 20 minutes at the border will do ya?

I've always liked this quote from Grasmick's site: "If you're Canadian and have an H-1, you're probably on the wrong visa."

_________
* Yes, I've been through this and fought it. I had to educate the U.S. lawyers, but they finally saw the light. In the end, though, I got fed up with trying to educate both the employer and his legal team and decided to spend my time elsewhere. Any employer (and their legal team) too thick-skulled to understand simple details like the difference between an H-1B and a TN-1 are probably not the kind of people you want to work for.

Lots of talk about the H1-B, but let's not forget our trusty TN-1, the "gift" from NAFTA. Any Canadian sweating their way through an H1-B is probably barking up the wrong tree. Unfortunately U.S. employers' legal beagles are so used to working with H1-Bs that they aren't familiar with the trusty TN-1*. Why wait months when 20 minutes at the border will do ya?

I've always liked this quote from Grasmick's site: "If you're Canadian and have an H-1, you're probably on the wrong visa."

_________
* Yes, I've been through this and fought it. I had to educate the U.S. lawyers, but they finally saw the light. In the end, though, I got fed up with trying to educate both the employer and his legal team and decided to spend my time elsewhere. Any employer (and their legal team) too thick-skulled to understand simple details like the difference between an H-1B and a TN-1 are probably not the kind of people you want to work for.

I believe that Mexicans also qualify to receive it, but I'm not sure if there are additional restrictions there.

There's lots and lots of professions that are eligible for TN-1's. Note that Programmer/Analyst positions are not eligible, although some HR departments are willing to phrase their requirements in the form of a Systems Analyst position in order to get a good candidate down from Canada.

There's some more information at www.grasmick.com

zo.

You'll get conflicting advice on this. The doctrine of dual intent currently doesn't preclude going from TN to green card, but it doesn't actively endorse it. Check out Grasmick.com for lots of good info.