US Immigration and Citizenship Planning

In order to live year round or work at any time in the US , you must have a valid visa, hold a Green Card or be a citizen of the US .  If you are not a US citizen, your long-term objectives determine whether you should pursue a temporary work visa, a Green Card or citizenship because there are tax implications, healthcare, cost of living and lifestyle issues to consider.  A thorough analysis of your situation is required to determine the best immigration strategy for your unique situation

 A lack of planning in this area can result in some negative consequences.  One example is becoming a Naturalized US citizen or holding a Green Card for a long period of time when you are planning on returning to Canada . In both of these situations, you will have to continue filing US tax returns for the balance of your life, even if you live in Canada because the IRS taxes based on citizenship (or permanent resident Green Card holders), not residency.

Another situation we often see is the husband gets a job offer and sponsorship for a temporary visa from a US employer.  However, an immigration strategy for the spouse is never addressed.  Once in the US , the husband is working and the wife is left at home in a strange city because she cannot work, and there is no family or support structure in place. 

Another example we heard of recently is when a US educational institution, experiencing a shortage of instructors at the post secondary level, recruited a large number from Canada . These teachers (and their families) were moved to the US and sponsored for TN visas (good for one year and renewed annually). After the shortage of US instructors passed, the educational institution simply did not renew the TN visas of the teachers and they (and their families) were forced to uproot and move back to Canada.

Interesting Links

	US Citizenship & Immigration Service - for visas, "Green Cards"
	US Department of State  - for passports, loss of citizenship, etc.
	Foreign Affairs Canada - if you want to renew your Canadian Passport
	Citizenship and Immigration Canada - for forms, info on immigrating to Canada
	Galbut & Hunter - Shoshana Tancer in Arizona for your move to the US
	Gunderson, Denton - Brent Gunderson in Arizona for your move to the US
	Embarkation Law Group - Joshua Sohn in British Columbia for your move to Canada or the US
	Miller Thomson - Veronica Choy is in Alberta and can help you with both Canadian or US immigration
	Hansen & Co. - Gary Hansen is in Alberta and can help you with both Canadian or US immigration
	Leibl & Kirkwood - Geoff Leibl and Joe Kirkwood are Canadians now living in California and providing immigration help to Canadians
	Law Office of Joseph C Grasmick - Immigration Attorney good information on immigrating to the US , ports of entry, etc.
	Chang & Boos - Henry Chang in Ontario and Greg Boos in Washington state