DarylWatton
Member
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2013
- Posts
- 21
I thought I'd share my story as a warning to others. I wish I had read one like this before executing my plans.
I am a Canadian citizen who thought it would be a good idea to Workcamp in the US for a while. I easily secured a part-time teaching job and thought I had done enough research online to qualify for a TN visa which listed teachers as a qualifying occupation.
I should have consulted an immigration lawyer like the Border Patrol officer chided me for with a cold sneer.
Apparently, "teachers" doesn't mean teachers. Only college instructors and professors or researchers qualify for a TN visa. High school and elementary teachers do not. I wouldn't be allowed to do any other work for any other employer nor work as a self-employed individual neither.
I had entered the US as a visitor to have the job interview and was given a job offer.
An employer could have then petitioned for my visa status to change but it takes probably a couple of months or more and is an expensive fee (and would have been rejected anyway).
So I decided to drive to the border, leaving my camper behind in Tennessee. I crossed back into Canada then tried to cross the border back into the US to apply for the visa.
When it was denied, I was barred from re-entering the US on the grounds that I might work illegally and so was no longer eligible to enter as a visitor. Separated from my camper and trapped on the Canadian side of the border, I was essentially made homeless.
Now, I am awaiting original and signed documents sent by courier to prove that my American job offer has been withdrawn and that I have significant ties to Canada with respect to residence and employment.
A very expensive lesson learned.
I am a Canadian citizen who thought it would be a good idea to Workcamp in the US for a while. I easily secured a part-time teaching job and thought I had done enough research online to qualify for a TN visa which listed teachers as a qualifying occupation.
I should have consulted an immigration lawyer like the Border Patrol officer chided me for with a cold sneer.
Apparently, "teachers" doesn't mean teachers. Only college instructors and professors or researchers qualify for a TN visa. High school and elementary teachers do not. I wouldn't be allowed to do any other work for any other employer nor work as a self-employed individual neither.
I had entered the US as a visitor to have the job interview and was given a job offer.
An employer could have then petitioned for my visa status to change but it takes probably a couple of months or more and is an expensive fee (and would have been rejected anyway).
So I decided to drive to the border, leaving my camper behind in Tennessee. I crossed back into Canada then tried to cross the border back into the US to apply for the visa.
When it was denied, I was barred from re-entering the US on the grounds that I might work illegally and so was no longer eligible to enter as a visitor. Separated from my camper and trapped on the Canadian side of the border, I was essentially made homeless.
Now, I am awaiting original and signed documents sent by courier to prove that my American job offer has been withdrawn and that I have significant ties to Canada with respect to residence and employment.
A very expensive lesson learned.