Working In and Around the US of A?

jackda asks: "Like many out there I (an Engineer from Canada now in Massachusetts) am working in the US on the TN-1 visa. It has and continues to be a frustrating process both obtaining the visa, as well as obtaining information on working as a visa holder, in the US. I have received a very mixed bag of info from the US/CDN Consolate down to the border cross/INS people. I am just wondering if the collective minds of Slashdot could offer any tips, sources or info on anything from SSNs, to taxes, to resident/employment status, to any useful knowledge about living for a TN visa holder."

Comments

Two words

[Johnny Mnemonic]

Here's some free advice, which is going to sound like flamebait: GO HOME.

The economy is bad in the US; even though some indicators are up, jobs continue to not be created. Plus, it's an election year, wherein a Democrat hopes to unseat an incumbent Republican. To that end, Kerry is going to do everything he can to rally the unworking swing voters to his cause, and that includes making it very uncomfortable and difficult for non-voting workers to keep jobs in lieu of voting out-of-work workers. And Bush, in counter-attack, will also make things difficult, just maybe not as much.

So I predict a tough year ahead for you, and it'll only get tougher until many many more Americans are working in jobs that they like--probably a few years off, if ever to return. Good luck, but I think you should pack your bags.

Re:I've had 6 TNs since 1999

[CanSpice]

One thing to keep in mind is that if you leave on an international flight, clueless airline personnel may try to remove your I-94 (even though it's plainly stamped "Multiple Entry"). You can try to argue with them on this, but it may come down to not boarding the flight unless you give up the I-94. It's a good idea to make a copy of the I-94 and put it in your luggage so that if this happens, you can show customs the copy when you re-enter. They'll just give you a new I-94.

Amen to that. A year and a half ago I was on a TN-1 and I flew down to Australia on Qantas. The guy at the Qantas ticket counter took my I-94. When I came back into the country the guy at US Immigration asked for my I-94, so I had to explain that it got taken away by the Qantas guy. Luckily the immigration official was a nice guy, he just gave me a new one (my passport was stamped with my original entry date and a note that said "TN-1"). He said I could have filed to get a replacement, but that'd cost $125 that I didn't have, or I could have applied for a whole new one, but that'd cost $50 and I'd need all of my documents that I didn't have.