“I have a job offer from a different company. I am currently on a TN visa with my existing employer and I want to accept the new offer but I do not want to resign yet without attaining the TN visa for my new job.  Can I apply for a new TN while holding onto my existing one? Or do I have rescind my existing TN in order to apply for a new one?”

This has been a common question lately as TN holders are switching jobs recently as the US job market gains momentum.  The concern is that if the candidate is not successful in obtaining a TN for her new job, will she still have her old job to fall back on?  The answer is Yes.

The way to handle is to apply for the TN visa while holding the existing TN.  If the application is a success, the candidate can quit the existing job and return the old TN back.  That’s it.  Happy Monday!

If you are a celebrity, you probably do not need a TN Visa to gain entry to US for “temporary” work. Here’s how…

Justin Bieber, Immigration And Celebrity Status

“….Take Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. How was it possible for Mayor Ford, a publicly admitted drug user, to gain admission to the United States to appear on Jimmy Kimmel’s show earlier this year? The answer is that apart from the immigration checklist above, I believe that stardom and celebrity status influenced the decision. Would Joe Nobody get across the border after admitting to cocaine use in front of a border guard? The chances are extremely remote…”

Although many entrepreneurs do not use TN visas to gain entry, this is a good read anyway.

I created 7 jobs and the U.S. tried to deport me

It’s been an on-going debate for as long as I can remember (12+ years?) but is Vancouver really the hub of high tech startups and the like? The article poses some pretty good points but I wonder how Vancouver stacks up to Toronto or Montreal.

Anyways, good read & enjoy!
Ps. “Pivot to Canada” = too funny!

Is Vancouver becoming Silicon Valley North?

“Facebook said the employment of up to 150 staff in Vancouver from around the world is only short-term, and points to the obstructive U.S. immigration system that “makes it difficult, and sometimes impossible,” to bring talented engineers to its Menlo Park headquarters, south of San Francisco.

“We’re seeking very deliberately to benefit from the dysfunctional American immigration system,” Jason Kenney said recently, when asked about a year-old campaign that erected giant “Pivot to Canada” billboards in the San Francisco Bay-area advertising directly to foreign nationals blocked from obtaining H-1B visas.”

I like statistics and demographics data always piques my interest so here’s some latest from the US Census Bureau released some stats. Enjoy!

Excerpt from “As the Nation Ages, Seven States Become Younger, Census Bureau Reports“

A More Diverse Nation

Non-Hispanic, single-race whites remained the nation’s largest group with a population of 197.8 million. The total of all other groups was 118.3 million, or 37.4 percent of the population. Non-Hispanic single-race whites made up 52.4 percent of the population under 18.

Asians were the fastest-growing group from 2012 to 2013, though that distinction has alternated between Asians and Hispanics over the years. The Asian population increased by almost 2.9 percent to 19.4 million, an increase of about 554,000 people. Hispanics remained the second largest group overall, growing by 2.1 percent (or more than 1.1 million) to slightly more than 54 million. Hispanics were 17.1 percent of the total population in 2013, up about 0.2 percentage points from 2012. The primary driver of Asian population growth in 2013 was international migration, accounting for 61 percent of the total Asian population change in the last year. Hispanic population growth, on the other hand, was fueled primarily by natural increase (births minus deaths), which accounted for about 78 percent of the total Hispanic population change.

Following Asians in rate of growth were Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders (increasing 2.3 percent to just over 1.4 million), American Indians and Alaska Natives (increasing 1.5 percent to slightly more than 6.4 million) and blacks or African-Americans (increasing 1.2 percent to 45 million).

The non-Hispanic white alone population was the only group to have natural decrease (more deaths than births) from 2012 to 2013. However, due to migration, its population rose 0.1 percent from 2012 to 2013, reaching 197.8 million. Because of its slow rate of growth relative to other groups, its share of the total population declined from 63.0 percent to 62.6 percent over the period.

Highlights for each race group and Hispanics, age groups and both sexes at the national, state and county levels follow. For Hispanics and each of the race groups listed below (except for American Indians and Alaska Natives), their populations rose at a faster rate from 2012 to 2013 in North Dakota than in any other state.

Employment levels in the US has not only reached its peak in 2008, it seems to be on a trajectory to surpass it. Not surprisingly, we noticed an increased download of our TN letters which means this has a positive effect to Canadian professionals seeking employment south of the border.

Here are a couple articles that summarizes the latest employment situation.

NY Times:  217,000 Jobs Added, Nudging Payrolls to Levels Before the Crisis

CNN Money:  Finally! Job market returns to 2008 peak

Happy Monday!

Hope everyone enjoys a great Father’s Day weekend!