HoloPed said:
Hey all.
I'm a software developer (web) with a BA in Computer Science and a US citizenship (but I don't currently live in the USA).
I'm single and 35 years old.
I want to get a work permit in Canada (and eventually a PR).
I know a company in Canada that is willing to give me a job offer.
What are my options?
Would Nafta help me at all?
Thanks.
You have several options available to you. Yes, NAFTA is probably the easiest way to do it. It is called the TN visa. TN visa holders (US citizens or Canadian Citizens) can work in the other country on the TN visa, which is relatively easy process (unlike the H1-B) visa.
Here is some info on the TN visa:
http://www.canadaworkvisa.ca/info/nafta1.php
You can also obtain a work permit. I don't know how that works in Canada as I'm mostly familiar with US laws (H1-B etc.).
That said, the job market for software engineers/developers is 1000x better in the US and SUBSTANTIALLY better paying (my brother is a US citizen, and a software engineer here in Southern California). So, just out of curiosity why would you want to go to Canada and migrate there?
Oh, and if your intention is to immigrate to Canada, then you will have to go through one of the immigration programs. The most common one today is called "Express Entry", where you have to qualify for a certain number of points and submit your application. They then choose, what they consider to be the top scoring candidates, and invite you to formally apply. Since you already have a job offer, you would almost be guaranteed an invitation as that gives you a HUGE number of points!!
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/express/express-entry.asp
