How to Work in the US as a Canadian: TN, H-1B, and L-1 Visas

As a Canadian citizen, you have more ways to work in the United States than nationals of almost any other country. The most common route is TN status under the USMCA trade agreement, which lets qualifying professionals apply at the border and start work the same day. If your job isn’t on the TN list or you need a category that leads more directly to a green card, the H-1B, L-1, O-1, and E-2 visas cover most other situations. Which one fits depends on your profession, whether you already work for a company with U.S. offices, and how quickly you need to start.

TN Status: The Fastest Route for Most Professionals

TN nonimmigrant status was created by the trade agreement between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico and is codified in federal regulations.¹ Unlike every other work visa Canadians can use, TN doesn’t require your employer to file a petition in advance, and Canadian citizens don’t need a visa stamp in the passport. You apply directly at a U.S. port of entry or preclearance station and, if approved, walk out authorized to work.²

The catch is the profession list. TN status is only available if your job matches one of roughly 60 professions spelled out in the agreement.¹ If your title and duties don’t line up, TN is off the table no matter how well qualified you are. Common categories on the list include:

General professions like accountant, architect, computer systems analyst, economist, engineer, graphic designer, management consultant, and urban planner
Medical and allied professions including dentist, pharmacist, registered nurse, physical therapist, psychologist, and veterinarian
Scientists in fields such as biology, chemistry, geology, meteorology, physics, and agriculture
Teachers, but only at the college, seminary, or university level

Most listed professions require at least a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent professional license. Management consultants can qualify with five years of relevant experience in place of a degree. Each admission lasts up to three years, and there’s no cap on renewals, so TN status can be held indefinitely as long as you continue to meet the requirements.¹

Applying at the Border

Gather your Canadian passport, a formal offer letter from the U.S. employer, and proof of your qualifications (degree, license, credential evaluation if applicable). Drive or fly to a U.S. port of entry or preclearance station and present everything to a Customs and Border Protection officer. The officer reviews your documents, interviews you briefly, collects a processing fee and I-94 issuance fee (historically around $50 to $60 combined at land borders, though the amount is adjusted periodically), and issues your I-94 arrival record on the spot. The whole process can take under an hour. Once inside the U.S., you can download your electronic I-94 from the CBP website and should print a copy for your employer, your Social Security application, and your own records.³

H-1B: When Your Job Isn’t on the TN List

The H-1B covers roles that require at least a bachelor’s degree in a specific specialty. Federal law defines a specialty occupation as one requiring the practical application of highly specialized knowledge, and a degree in the specific field is mandatory.⁴ This picks up technology workers, financial analysts, research scientists, and many other jobs where the position itself demands a particular academic background but doesn’t map onto the TN list.

The main obstacle is the lottery. Congress caps regular H-1B visas at 65,000 per fiscal year, with another 20,000 reserved for workers who earned a master’s or higher degree from a U.S. institution.⁴ Demand routinely exceeds supply. USCIS runs an electronic registration and random selection each spring; for fiscal year 2026, registration ran from March 7 through March 24, 2025, with a $215 registration fee per candidate.⁵ Only selected registrants can file a full petition.

Before filing, the employer must submit a Labor Condition Application to the Department of Labor, attesting that you’ll be paid at least the prevailing wage for the position and location.⁶ The maximum H-1B stay is six years, with extensions beyond that available if your employer has started the green card process on your behalf.⁴

L-1: Transferring Within Your Current Employer

The L-1 moves employees from a Canadian office to a U.S. branch, subsidiary, affiliate, or parent company. You must have worked for the company abroad for at least one continuous year within the three years before applying.⁷ There are two subcategories:

L-1A for managers and executives, with a maximum stay of seven years.⁸
L-1B for specialized knowledge workers, with a maximum stay of five years.⁸

A big practical advantage: the L-1 isn’t subject to the H-1B lottery or annual cap, and your employer can file at any time. The employer does need to show that the U.S. and Canadian entities share a qualifying corporate relationship.⁹ Once you hit the maximum stay, you must spend at least one year physically outside the United States before returning in L or H status.⁸

O-1: For People at the Top of Their Field

The O-1 is for people with extraordinary ability in science, arts, education, business, or athletics. You need to show sustained national or international recognition through evidence such as major awards, published research, high-salary contracts, or significant original contributions to your field. There’s no annual cap and no lottery, which makes it attractive when you qualify, but the evidence bar is high and petitions are complex to prepare.

Every O-1 petition requires an advisory opinion from a relevant labor union or peer group in the field. If no appropriate organization exists, the petitioner can substitute recommendation letters from recognized experts who can speak to your standing.

E-2: For Investors and Entrepreneurs

Canadian entrepreneurs and investors can use the E-2 treaty investor visa because Canada maintains a bilateral investment treaty with the United States. The E-2 lets you enter the U.S. to develop and direct a business in which you’ve made a substantial investment.¹⁰ Federal regulations don’t specify a minimum dollar amount. The investment must be large enough to ensure the business is viable and not “marginal,” and in practice the threshold varies by industry.

The E-2 has no annual cap and can be renewed indefinitely in two-year increments. It works for Canadians starting a business, buying into an existing one, or opening a U.S. franchise. Key employees of the same nationality as the treaty investor can also qualify for E-2 status if they’ll serve in a supervisory role or bring essential skills.¹⁰ One important limit: the E-2 does not directly lead to a green card the way the H-1B or L-1 can.

Documents You’ll Need

Whichever category you pursue, some documents are constant. A valid Canadian passport establishes both your identity and your eligibility for USMCA-based benefits. You’ll need a formal offer letter from your U.S. employer stating the job title, duties, anticipated duration, and salary. This letter is the primary proof that you have a real position waiting, and both border officers and immigration adjudicators will check whether its details match the requirements of your chosen category.

Educational credentials come next. Bring original diplomas, degrees, or professional licenses along with official transcripts. If your degree was earned outside Canada or the United States, you’ll likely need a formal credential evaluation to show equivalence to a U.S. degree. Standard evaluations typically cost between $110 and $200, with higher fees for course-by-course reports, and most are completed within about a week. Experience letters from previous employers help too, especially for TN categories that accept work experience in place of a degree.

What It Costs

Costs vary widely by category. Employers usually pay the government filing fees.

For an H-1B petition, the base I-129 filing fee is $780, plus several mandatory add-ons: a $500 fraud prevention fee, a workforce training fee of either $750 (for employers with 25 or fewer full-time employees) or $1,500 (for larger employers), and an Asylum Program fee of $600 ($300 for small employers, waived for nonprofits).¹¹ A large employer filing a single H-1B petition will spend at least $3,380 in government fees before legal costs.

For an L-1 petition, the base fee is $1,385, and the $500 fraud prevention fee also applies. For an O-1, the base fee is $1,055.¹² Both are also subject to the Asylum Program fee.

Premium processing is available for most petition-based categories and guarantees USCIS will take action within 15 calendar days. As of March 1, 2026, the premium processing fee for H-1B, L-1, O-1, and TN petitions filed on Form I-129 is $2,965.¹³ “Take action” means USCIS will issue an approval, a denial, or a request for evidence, not necessarily an approval. For straightforward cases, though, this fee is almost always worth it when timing matters.

If Your Spouse Wants to Work

Each work visa has a corresponding dependent visa for a spouse and unmarried children under 21, but whether the spouse can work varies significantly by category. This is the detail most families overlook until it becomes a problem.

TN dependents enter in TD (Trade Dependent) status. Canadian citizens can apply at the border alongside the TN worker without a separate visa. TD dependents cannot work in the United States.
H-1B dependents enter in H-4 status. H-4 spouses generally cannot work unless the H-1B worker has an approved immigrant petition (Form I-140) or an H-1B extension under certain provisions of the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act. Even then, the spouse must apply for and receive a separate work permit.¹⁴
L-1 dependents enter in L-2 status and are authorized to work automatically. No separate work permit application is required, though they can apply for an Employment Authorization Document as proof of eligibility. This is a major advantage over the H-1B for two-career families.¹⁵

Children in any dependent category can attend school but cannot accept employment.

After You Arrive: Social Security Number and Taxes

You need a Social Security Number before your employer can run payroll. Once you have your I-94 on file, visit a local Social Security Administration office with your unexpired passport, your I-94 showing an admission class that permits work, and proof of age (your passport usually covers this too).¹⁶ All documents must be originals or certified copies; photocopies and notarized copies aren’t accepted. You’ll complete Form SS-5 at the office, and cards generally arrive by mail within two to three weeks. Your employer can start you on payroll using the application receipt, so you don’t need to wait for the physical card.

On taxes, if you hold TN, H-1B, or O-1 status you owe Social Security and Medicare taxes from your first day of work. There’s no grace period and no exemption.¹⁷ Your employer withholds 6.2% for Social Security and 1.45% for Medicare, matching those amounts on their side.

The U.S.–Canada totalization agreement prevents you from paying into both countries’ social security systems at once. If your Canadian employer sends you to the U.S. on a temporary assignment of five years or less, you generally keep paying into the Canadian system and skip U.S. Social Security taxes, but you need a Certificate of Coverage from Canada to prove the exemption to your U.S. employer.¹⁸ Without that certificate, your wages could be taxed by both countries. Workers hired directly by a U.S. company pay into the U.S. system.

Staying Long Term: The Green Card Question

Every category above is temporary. If you plan to stay long term, you’ll eventually need a green card. The most common employer-sponsored route runs in three steps: the employer files a PERM labor certification with the Department of Labor showing no qualified U.S. worker is available, then files Form I-140 with USCIS, and once your priority date is current under the visa bulletin, you file Form I-485 to adjust to permanent resident status.

Canadians generally face shorter backlogs than applicants from countries like India and China, where demand far exceeds per-country visa limits. The process still takes years in most cases and must be started while your temporary work status is valid. This is one reason many Canadians on TN eventually switch to H-1B: the H-1B’s six-year clock creates a natural framework for pursuing the green card, and extensions beyond six years are available while the process is pending.⁴ TN status is officially a temporary nonimmigrant category, and officers can technically deny renewal if they believe you’ve abandoned the intent to return to Canada, though in practice this is more theoretical than real for most applicants.

The L-1A category offers a particularly clean path. Managers and executives can file under the EB-1C immigrant category, which skips the PERM step entirely and often moves faster than the EB-2 or EB-3 routes available to H-1B holders.

1
eCFR. 8 CFR 214.6 – Citizens of Canada or Mexico Seeking Temporary Entry Under USMCA to Engage in Business Activities at a Professional Level
2
U.S. Department of State. Visas for Canadian and Mexican USMCA Professional Workers
3
United States Flag Official DHS Website. I-94/I-95 Website – Travel Record for U.S. Visitors
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1184 – Admission of Nonimmigrants
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. FY 2026 H-1B Cap Initial Registration Period Opens on March 7
6
eCFR. 20 CFR Part 655 Subpart H – Labor Condition Applications and Requirements for Employers Using Nonimmigrants on H-1B Visas
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 1 – Purpose and Background
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 10 – Period of Stay
9
Department of State. 9 FAM 402.12 – Intracompany Transferees – L Visas
10
U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Canada. Treaty Trader and Investor Visas – FAQs
11
eCFR. 8 CFR Part 106 – USCIS Fee Schedule
12
Federal Register. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Fee Schedule and Changes to Certain Other Immigration Benefit Request Requirements
13
Federal Register. Adjustment to Premium Processing Fees
14
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Employment Authorization for Certain H-4 Dependent Spouses
15
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 2 – General Eligibility
16
SSA.gov. Learn What Documents You Will Need to Get a Social Security Card
17
Internal Revenue Service. Alien Liability for Social Security and Medicare Taxes of Foreign Teachers, Foreign Researchers and Other Foreign Professionals
18
Social Security Administration. Agreement Between The United States And Canada