Not OP, but I’d imagine because there’s no path for greencard on TN

Common misconception but not true at all. It's just slightly riskier.

You can apply for a Green Card on a TN visa you just can't renew your TN if you do.

That’s not correct. TN visa is a non-immigrant intent visa. The path from TN to green card (which I’ve done) is TN -> H1B (dual intent) -> green card.

Nope. You can apply for a Green Card when on a TN visa. One of my coworkers is doing so right now.

https://legalservicesincorporated.com/can-i-apply-for-a-gree...

That is interesting, though it seems pretty tenuous. When I started down the path to a GC, TNs we’re indeed 1 year and H1Bs were under quota, so different conditions.

I would guess the route you outlined is the typical route for Canadians, but one can go from TN -> GC.

You have to show up at the border day of to get a TN visa and there's no guarantee you'll get it. H1B is a much more reliable and safer path which is why it's prefered.

It’s much easier to get a TN because there is no quota. Because the H1B is subject to lottery because more people apply than the quota, you have to apply in April to start a job in October. That’s generally not welcome by most employers.

You can apply and get a TN-1 without doing so crossing a border [1]. If you have a straightforward application though there's no reason to which is why so many people just apply on their way though.

[1] https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/978/~/how-to-ob...

Who cares? For most Canadians, the goal would be to make some money then go back. The US is a downgrade from Canada in most metrics.

Please do not cross into nationalistic flamewar in HN threads.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

My bad. At the time I thought the statement was somewhat more innocuous than how it apparently came across.

> The US is a downgrade from Canada in most metrics.

As a Canadian who worked in the US for 4.5 years I'd say it's exactly the opposite. The only disadvantage I found working in the US compared to Canada was the absurd process for getting a green card whilst on an H1-B, which is why I now live in Australia.

Otherwise the US was better in every way to Canada: - weather (SoCal) - salary - job opportunities - cost of living - health care (granted provided as part of the package by my employers)

There's a reason most of the top CS graduates in Canada end up in the US.

> Otherwise the US was better... health care (granted provided as part of the package by my employers)

I'd be fascinated to hear more if you're open. It's a very common (populist) framing in the US that we have Literally The Worst Healthcare System Ever and every other developed country has a better one- I'd love to hear your perspective as a dual

The US healthcare system is probably the best in the world if you're rich.

I had the usual PPO plan when I worked as a SW engineer in the US. It was fine given that my wife and I were young and healthy. We still paid a couple of thousand dollars out of pocket when our son was born after a perfectly normal delivery which was a bit annoying, but again I could afford it so no big deal.

However, our next door neighbour, who was an American citizen and worked as a courier, did not have health insurance provided through his employer which was almost certainly a contributing factor to him dropping dead of a heart attack in his mid 40s leaving behind a wife and young son. I think it's safe to assume that his life expectancy would have been higher if he'd lived in a country like Canada or Australia where there is universal healthcare, especially for potentially life threatening conditions.

I think it's unfortunate that Canada is used as the most common comparison in the universal healthcare debate in the US since (even as a Canadian) I think the Canadian healthcare system is worse than pretty much any other developed country except the US!

I'm currently living in Australia where I think the healthcare system is excellent since it combines a base universal healthcare system with a parallel private system with relatively affordable private insurance (which I pay for myself, it's totally separate from your employer). This model is similar in most other West countries (e.g., UK, Germany, France, Sweden (!)), the notable exception being Canada where there is no meaningful private healthcare option, unless you can afford to pay cash in the US, which e.g. a former boss of Vancouver did. So it makes it more difficult for Americans to claim the Canadian system is better when the fact is that many (albeit relatively wealthy) Canadians jump the public queue in Canada by going to the US.

Too late to edit: "former boss of Vancouver" should be "former boss of mine in Vancouver".

Won't argue this point but will only say that the experience of living anywhere is better when you have a high paying job.

Good point.

Spouses can't work when their partner is on a TN. A Green Card allows the spouse to work.

Typically the spouse or partner will have their own TN.

I'd say this is more atypical than typical. Your spouse would also need to qualify for their own TN which may or may not be the case depending on their profession.

It also depends on their nationality. Only Canadians can obtain a TN.