Consulting work in the US; tips?

[Christopher Browne]

On 7/24/07, Madison Kelly <linux-5ZoueyuiTZhBDgjK7y7TUQ at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> Evan Leibovitch wrote:
> > Dave Cramer wrote:
> >> Be warned that if you are flying to the west coast you will likely
> >> have to fly to Vancouver and then apply there (been there done that,
> >> you have to apply at the border where you cross, you can't pre-qualify
> >> here in Toronto) and candidly it's easier in Vancouver.
> > The lineups may be less in Vancouver but you most certainly can get the
> > TN visa in Toronto (speaking from first-hand experience).
>
> First, thanks to everyone for your replies!
>
> My biggest concerns are two-fold;
>
> 1) I am self-taught. I have plenty of work experience, but no degrees to
> back that up. I read on the US gov't website that work experience is
> okay for a TN Visa, but how does one document this?

With considerable difficulty, because you need to have considerably
more relevant experience, and it needs to be well-documented.

One of my coworkers is in final stages on Green Card; he, too, has no
degrees.  He had to be interviewed by a US-based university professor
who (happily) was prepared to certify to the government that he had
the knowledge equivalent to an advanced degree.  Arranging for this
was troublesome.

> 2) I also read that "self-employed" people are specifically excluded.
> Does this mean that I, as the owner of a sole-proprietorship, am
> excluded? How do they define "a business" then?

That would indeed seem to nicely describe you.  I don't think you can
use a TN visa for this purpose - the TN is specifically used for US
companies to hire Canadian employees.  Which doesn't smell all that
much like a consulting engagement.

There are other sorts of visas out there; probably something more
suitable.  I don't know the business visas very well; having had both
a TN and an H1B, I'm quite familiar with those.

> I was wondering; my mother is an American citizen and is working for the
> US Military as a civilian microbiology technician. I will be traveling
> to Knoxville, TN by Greyhound, working from Monday to Wednesday in
> Knoxville, then traveling to Buffalo, NY to meet her. We'll then be
> driving to a few places in the US where she will catch a flight back to
> Patrick AFB in Florida and I will be returning the rental car to Buffalo
> and catching another Greyhound back up to Toronto.
>
> How much will this complicate/help things?

Shouldn't be particularly germane to the matter...

> I am not interested in lying, as the risks out weigh the benefits. I
> just want to know what options and angles I can use before reaching the
> American officials.

Saying things they might later conclude were lies is something Not To
Do; that could haunt you for years...
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