Author Topic: Very short term work visa - Canada -> US  (Read 1129 times)

daverobev

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Very short term work visa - Canada -> US
« on: November 06, 2015, 01:09:09 PM »
Not sure how this works, if it does work at all.

For a self employed/sole proprietor with.. I won't say unique, but quite specific skills, how do you go about getting a permit to work in the US for very short jobs?

Think a three day conference - show up, do some work, go home. The kicker is, at least as far as I know, you're not going to the conference to have meetings and so on, to go back home to do the work - the work is done *at the conference* (with any other follow up work done back home).

You'd be a contractor not an employee. You could presumably do exactly the same work remotely (over skype) and it wouldn't be a problem because the work would be performed in your home country.

I mean, I get if you were a plumber with Ontario certification, you can't just pop over to New York and work. Say there was a flood and they wanted plumbers - you get offered contracts - how do you clear it all so you can work cross border?

It doesn't seem to fall into any of the categories. How do you hire a foreign company to perform work in your country?

Goldielocks

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Re: Very short term work visa - Canada -> US
« Reply #1 on: November 06, 2015, 07:56:52 PM »
You can travel to the us for internal business meetings,  (but will get the stink eye if it starts to add up, or if your work type is under scrutiny, like IT workers were in then 90's...and then a strong 'suggestion' to get a visa before coming back), and to negotiate a contract, like to interview / hire a US candidate, negotiate business terms, buy a firm.

You can also go as a participant in a conference for your own education / benefit.  BUT not to sell goods, collect a speaker's fee, or other work.

TN is the best visa to get, and it is limited to NAFTA resident / citizens, and certain professions... but the list of professions is growing and is more than I would have thought.   Definitely need a 4 year degree for the ones on the list, and not all degreed professions are included.. 

Also, My TN is tied to a specific employer in the US, for specific type of tasks performed (as listed on the application)....I don't know if TN's can be generated for a general use / non specific employer (for a specified type of work)...