If they don’t have either of those options, you can work for them as a contractor (on paper), get paid USD, and tax-wise, you file as self-employed.

maybe @calvinzheng can share some insight on this too?

Ahhh amazing thank you!! Wondering if you would have any insight on when your degree doesn’t match your field? For context, I have a degree in chem eng but transitioned to product design - most online resources state the degree needs to be related from what I’ve found :((

not sure if this is relevant to your q but as you progress through your career, i’ve seen remote distributed companies that can pay you in USD while you still live in canada. the downside is having to convert your salary every single paycheque either through (1/2)

Yeah anytime! There are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches, but I feel like at the end of the day you just go where the opportunity is :)

Hi! You’ll need a company to sponsor you. Canadians can relatively easily start working in the US under a TN. From there, you can apply to a H1B or a green card. Larger companies will have immigration firms to help out with this process

Ooooof good to know, thank you~ Seems like hard pros and cons with moving to the states in general, esp as a more junior designer with a non-design degree :(

You won’t have to pay or file US taxes because you don’t live in the US. You’ll sign a W8-BEN which basically confirms your tax exempt status so when you get paid, no taxes are withheld. So you’d have to set aside $ for taxes and pay instalments

Omg thank you!!! This is great to know, and also hello from another Toronto designer hehe

Haaaaahaha feels like never being able to find UX or product designer in any government form ever and putting graphic designer or web developer instead 😅 Sketchy indeed

I am not an immigration attorney, but there’s a lot of info online for Canadians and TN visas. Most recruiters at larger companies will be able to talk to you about that process

Also depends on your level of education. If you have college or university education, it’s an easier path. I don’t know, I guess I’m glad I did this in my 20s when I didn’t have much to lose. But felt like 6 months of paper work for 2 years of work permit. Not great.

Can’t wait till dms are built out here so we don’t need to blast ppls feeds BUT is this another small world moment 🤯👀

🇨🇦👋 Have any of my fellow Canadian designers found success moving to the states for work? What was the process like? I feel like everyone I know who did this is a dev and using visa paths not as viable for us 🥲

Lol sorry I just got the chance to dive deeper into this app after Novia introduced it to me this afternoon, and saw this and I got excited to see familiar names interacting😭

Also I do have friends who did non-design degrees and got a TN just fine. So don’t worry! You have a lot of options.

Wow that’d be amazing!! I’ll reach out soon for sure for a chat if possible, would love to hear more about your O-1 journey

Hi! If you’re living in Canada full-time working remote for a US-based company, they can either pay you through an Employer of Record, or through their Canadian subsidiary.

I don’t even know if I was allowed to call myself a designer on a TN now that I think of it. My job title was like “Scientific Technologist” or some nonsense. It all felt super sketchy, like it wouldn’t last. 😆

Have a ton of experience (I’ve had three separate O-1 visas), and explored lots of pathways. Lmk if you still need help! Can also recommend a law firm if needed.

Great to hear, thank you so much for the insights!!! Helps a lot to hear that :)

norbert’s gambit or wise and when it’s tax time you need to file a US tax return and for canada you have to declare your salary as foreign income. wanted to add this if you still want to stay in canada! (2/2)

I’m on a TN but I also have an investor visa so my experience is rather specific. My TN has been fine tho, nothing wrong at the border every time I go back home

not canadian but i know many, many canadian designers in the states like @matt

To be clear some of the best times of my life were had in the US on a TN visa haha. It’s just hard. You make friends young but you may not get your visa renewed so you’ll have to leave. Not sure I’d do it differently. Part of risk taking when young I guess!

Mostly TN visas. They are… not great. You are bound to company, like most temp work visas. They are usually reserved for very different purposes, like contractors for mining companies. So I have been questioned many times at customs. They don’t like us using TNs, to say the least

Super inspiring to see another designer from Vancouver make it through that process! Will defs ask more questions soon, thanks Andy :)

There are other paths like an O1, but those are atypical

Lots of good information in here already but have done the TN visa > H1B > green card route personally, and am now sponsoring @mehdi’s TN visa. Happy to answer any questions!

Posts