Canadians/Internationals Applying for US Investment Banking

Currently attending a Canadian University and am a citizen. Want to make sure I am doing this right, when application asks "are you currently authorized to work in the country in which you are applying" I answer no, and when asked "Will you in the future need a sponsorshp to work at Bank X" I answer yes. This is the way to do it right? Have netwroked extensively and hoping I do not get dinged because of these questions.

 
makerbayfield:
Wrong. You don’t need a visa for TN Status but you still need the company to sponsor/endorse you. This is for Canadians btw.

Others feel free to chime and correct me if I’m mistaken.

Wrong. It does not require sponsorship. It requires an offer letter.

https://legalservicesincorporated.com/does-my-employer-have-to-sponsor-… https://www.lawtrades.com/answers/is-sponsorship-required-for-a-tn-visa/

 
Most Helpful

A lot of misinformation going on in this thread. Will try to provide some value as I've been on various TN1's for a while.

10000

10000:
are you currently authorized to work in the country in which you are applying" I answer no

Correct. You are not authorized.

10000:
Will you in the future need a sponsorshp to work at Bank X" I answer yes. This is the way to do it right? Have netwroked extensively and hoping I do not get dinged because of these questions.

Ethical answer or the one that maximizes your chances? As you are afraid of, you will get auto-rejected from many screenings for answering "yes" to this question but not necessarily all of them. You can also answer "no" and then if you get past the initial screening you can try to claim ignorance and set the record straight. No harm in trying other than losing some time and it's nice to know that people are interested in you and you would have been okay if not for a few company policies. I used to tell people "TN1's aren't really a big deal - they get approved within 15 minutes at the border and cost $50" to ease their worries (which is true). This raises eyebrows but still small chance of getting through - might be worth it to you to swing that bat though.

To those saying TN1's don't need sponsorship you just need an offer letter & a TN1 is not a visa - good luck explaining that to anyone. While technically correct, you are speaking to people that are not knowledgeable about the whole process and are assuming you are trying to hustle your way into a job (which, you are). Type "TN1" into Google and see what Google pre-fills your search with. Hint: it's TN1 visa. I've had this conversation with HR/hiring managers more times than I'd like and it never works the way you'd hope.

makerbayfield:
Cool. However, IB/S&T does not directly fall under Economist, so no guarantee that the TN will work right?

There is never a guarantee with visas working. CBP have complete discretion. So, quite reasonably, you are deemed a riskier hire than people not requiring TN1's.

Riskier hire + lack of knowledge around the process + visa paranoia = you quickly appear not worth the time.

makerbayfield:
If the Economist status works all the time, then technically all Canadians have "unrestricted work authorization in the US" as long as they have an offer in finance?
No, TN1's are not unrestricted. Every time you get a TN1 it grants you the ability to work only for X company in X role. Any time there is a change in company or role, you need a new TN1.

Good luck navigating the minefield, monkeys. Working in the US is daunting at first but it's absolutely worth it.

Just had my trade dispute rejected by Schwab for a loss of 35k. This single issue alone should be a gigantic red flag to anyone who trades on their platform. If they have a system error, and you do not video record your trading (they actually said this), they will not honour their fuck up. Switching everything away from them. Fuck this company.
 

Here are my two cents and message me if you want more colour.

You are right with what you are saying on forms. If you mislead you won’t get anywhere.

Worth it? Depends. If you land in a major market or with a top tier firm then yes. Also, it’s a much larger market in the US for banking. On the other hand, depending on what province you could end up in, your cost of living after taxes and health care costs could be much less in Canada (e.g. Alberta, but that’s a crappy market now anyways). Ultimately it boils down to training. Go where you will learn the most.

I’ve been on TN Status then eventually moved to H1B and now Green Card. As other have said it’s a Status not a visa. It’s under NAFTA (or whatever it is called now) and has very specific requirements such as educational background and job opportunity. When I came to the US it was a perfect fit under TN. If a firm is willing to sponsor you for TN you want to make sure they will sponsor you for an H1B after a year (to make sure it works out), and try as many times as needed to get it. As another person said, TN isn’t portable but H1B is. Actually so many reasons why you want to get off TN as quickly as possible. But you need sponsor support and this means a larger firm or one with lots of expats already.

USCIS posted a notice a few years ago reminding its officers of the requirements. This is a program that has(d) been abused for years as unqualified people came in under TN into inappropriate roles (e.g. business school grad coming in as an analyst). I know one person that lost TN because of this and others that took advice of their firms counsel and didn’t travel until they secured H1B. Be realistic not all firms will take a risk with this anymore. Don’t mess around with immigration since the consequences can be significant.

Sponsorship is a must. The idea of unsponsored is misleading, that more a case of you are a consultant (e.g. Economist) working in both countries with your own company.

Also on sponsorship. You want a firm that sponsors you. They will hire an outside firm to prepare the documents that are needed at the boarder. You don’t do this yourself.

By now you get the idea, one last time sponsorship is a must.

 

Rising sophomore here. I would answer truthfully to the question, and if you get auto-dinged on any applications, just reach out to HR or analysts at the firm. You mentioned that you networked, so I assume that the people you talked to have skin in the game. That's what I did for some BB's this cycle.

 

I recently tried the get the foot in the door then clarify approach... the recruiter cut the interview short as soon as I mentioned the visa situation. They passed on me and I saw their posting is up again a few weeks later.

For me it was a few mins of my time, but I do feel that if I keep doing this it will build a bad reputation... I will likely use the straight answer approach next time.

 

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