This article assists you in weighing the benefits and drawbacks of TN work visa applications.
A unique category of U.S. visas was established as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) including the United States, Canada, and Mexico: the TN NAFTA Professionals visa. Qualified citizens of Canada and Mexico are permitted to enter the United States temporarily for professional business operations under the TN status.
If you meet the requirements for TN status, you will be able to work and remain in the country for a maximum of three years, with the possibility to stay longer. You can also sponsor your family to immigrate to the US and live with you, depending on your specific situation. For more details, you should consult a professional TN Visa Attorney to make your understanding better and avoid making mistakes when filing.
Are there any disadvantages to applying for the TN visa, and does it make sense to do so? You can learn more about the benefits and drawbacks of applying for a TN visa with this guide.
Benefits of the TN visa
It is not necessary to apply for a TN visa at a consulate or embassy if you are a citizen of Canada. By providing the necessary papers to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at certain U.S. ports of entry or at a designated pre-clearance/pre-flight inspection station, you can apply for TN classification at the time you seek entrance to the country. Learn more about the qualifications for TN status.
The TN visa is applicable to a wide variety of occupations. These include, among others, nutritionists, hotel managers, forestry professionals, and economists. To be eligible, you must provide documentation of your training, credentials, or membership in a professional association.
Prior to traveling to the country, you have the option to select your U.S. employer, including their location. The sole need is that the full-time or part-time employment relate to a NAFTA-eligible occupation.
Your spouse and kids may travel to the US with you under your sponsorship, and they may remain with you for the period of your visa. There are, however, certain restrictions, which are outlined in the section that follows.
Drawbacks of the TN visa
Only citizens of Canada and Mexico are eligible for TN status. The equivalent E-3 visa is available to Australian citizens as well; however, it is a separate application process.
Being a nonimmigrant visa, it is only valid for a short period of time and does not offer a route to green card or U.S. citizenship. The TN visa is not a “dual purpose” visa, in actuality. This implies that you may be subject to sanctions if you use it to enter the country and work while applying for permanent residency.
Mexican nationals are not able to apply for TN status at a U.S. port of entry right away, in contrast to Canadian nationals. The first step is to visit the U.S. port of entry after submitting an application for a TN visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate. Visit the Mexican and Canadian NAFTA Professional Worker webpage of the U.S. Department of State for further information.
Despite the wide range of occupations that may be pursued with a TN visa, baccalaureate degree is a prerequisite for admittance into every single one of them. If a baccalaureate degree is needed, experience cannot be used in lieu of it. There are alternatives to a bachelor’s degree offered for some occupations.
Additionally, before submitting an application for a TN visa, you must have work. It is not possible to apply for a visa and then decide on an employment.
You are allowed to go to the United States with your family, however this is limited to your spouse and any minor children under the age of 21. The qualifications and eligibility differ according on the nationality of your spouse or dependents, and you are unable to sponsor more family members. See the spouse and dependent table on the USCIS website’s TN NAFTA Professionals page for further details.
Crucially, upon the expiration of your TN visa status, your spouse and children will be unable to work and will need to leave the country. Nonetheless, they are permitted to further their education while in the US.
A New Report Shows That the U.S. Undocumented Immigrant Population is Changing in Demographics
The population of unauthorized immigrants fell by 14% overall between 2007 and 2021. Where illegal immigrants choose to settle in the United States and where they come from have changed significantly in recent years. What is known about the number of illegal immigrants in the United States and the changing patterns of migration is clarified by a recent Pew Research Center research.
According to the research, the number of illegal immigrants fell to 10.5 million in 2021, accounting for around 3% of the entire population of the United States and one of the lowest numbers since the 1990s. The population of unauthorized immigrants fell by 14% overall between 2007 and 2021.
Apart from variations in the overall count of undocumented immigrants, there has also been a shift in the origins and residence locations of these persons within the United States. Although 900,000 fewer Mexican immigrants were illegal in 2017 than in 2021, the majority of undocumented immigrants in the United States are native to Mexico. Experts blame a number of things for the decline in migration from Mexico, including the recent expansion of legal immigration paths, particularly for temporary agricultural laborers.
While the number of illegal immigrants from Mexico has declined, migration to the United States has steadily increased from practically every other part of the world, with the biggest increases coming from South and East Asia and Central America. El Salvador, India, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico have the most numbers of illegal immigrants in the United States as of 2021.
The Pew survey claims that in 2021, there were some minor shifts in the areas where illegal immigrants chose to dwell in the United States. Only two states in the union saw an increase in the number of illegal immigrants: Washington and Florida. All other states had constant populations of illegal immigrants, with the exception of California and Nevada, which witnessed decreases. It is also better to keep an eye on law and business news websites to stay updated.
