Green Card Sponsorship

Question:

I have obtained an offer to start working for a US company. They want me immediatelly on a TN1 (NAFTA) work visa, since I am a Canadian citizen.

In the interview process I have asked them whether they'd be willing to sponsor a green card for me and they seemed interested; however before I accept the offer I would like them to put this in writing.

Can you let me know what kind of costs are incurred and what's the typical process for company green card sponsorship?

Answer:

A GC application is completely independent from any other status a person is in. Of course, a person could not enter on TN if a GC application is in progress, but there is nothing that would prevent somebody to go for a GC while in the US in TN status.

I didn't think TN-->Green Card was possible. In fact, isn't TN specifically *not* dual-intent?

Maybe apply for H1B and then greencard from that?

http://www.grasmick.com/nafta.htm

That site explains nafta quite well, I cant' be arsed going through it all myself though, but that might help.

Very often, Canadians will enter on a TN, and then if the employer wants to sponsor them, they'll convert to H1B.

I talked to the company today and they said this is their plan: TN to H1B...

My goal is to get LC and green card/residence eventually so I can work in some defense jobs (well hopefully)...how is that done from H1B, can it be done very quickly after the H1B???

Don't a lot of defense jobs require citizenship?

Yes, vast majority of them. Also, security clearance, and although a permanent resident can obtain some type of security clearance, I am not sure that clearence required for many defense job can be granted to non-citizens.

The employment-based permanent resident process is generally the same regardless of whether the person holds a job with the employer, or what temporary status the person holds. If the person is abroad, there are some differences in the strategy for the end of the process.

Your basic questions are what kinds of employment-based permanent resident processing are you eligible for, and how long will each take. The answer is likely to be variable depending on several factors. To get a really useful answer, you should consult with a competent immigration attorney.