Moving to the USA from Canada: TN, E-2, L-1 and Green Cards

No. Canada is not among the 39 countries restricted by Proclamation 10998, and it was not on the 75-country immigrant visa pause from January 2026. Canadian permanent residents who are citizens of a banned country are treated according to their citizenship, not their Canadian status.

Two changes matter for Canadians:

• Since August 25, 2026, the State Department has paused immigrant visa interviews at US embassies and consulates worldwide while consular officers are trained on public charge reviews. Scheduled interviews were moved to later dates, and no restart date has been announced as of September 2026. Visitor, student, and temporary work visas are not part of this pause. Details: immigrant visa pause. Because Canadians rarely need a visa for temporary work, TN, L-1, and H-1B moves continue normally.
• Registration for longer stays. Since April 2025, most foreign nationals aged 14 and older who stay in the US for 30 days or more must be registered with the US government. Canadians who entered by land without a Form I-94 (including many "snowbirds") may need to register online with USCIS. See the USCIS alien registration page.

See TN vs H-1B for how the two main work routes compare.

For an overview of every route, see our guide to US immigration and how US immigration works.

No. Canadian citizens are generally exempt from the visa requirement and do not use ESTA. You show your passport (or another accepted document such as a NEXUS card at certain crossings) at the border or at US preclearance in a Canadian airport. US border officers decide how long you may stay; for visitors this is commonly up to six months.

Canadians do need a visa for a few categories, including the E-1 and E-2 treaty visas and K fiance(e) visas. Canadians with a criminal record may be inadmissible and may need a waiver before crossing; see visa denials and waivers. Permanent residents of Canada who are not Canadian citizens follow the rules for their own citizenship, which may mean an ESTA or a B-2 visa.

TN status. The TN is the fastest US work route for Canadians. You bring a job offer letter describing a USMCA-listed profession, proof of your degree or license, and your passport to a US port of entry or preclearance area, pay the fee, and a CBP officer decides on the spot. No visa and no lottery are needed. TN status is granted for up to 3 years at a time and can be renewed. Spouses and children get TD status but cannot work. Because TN status requires nonimmigrant intent, plan carefully before starting a green card.

L-1. Canadian employees of companies with qualifying offices in both countries can also apply for L-1 status at the border, with a USCIS-approved petition or under a company's blanket L approval.

E-1 and E-2. Canada has had E-1 and E-2 treaty status since 1994. Unlike TN and L-1, E status requires an E visa from a US consulate in Canada before you enter.

H-1B. Since February 27, 2026, the H-1B lottery gives more entries to higher wage levels. A separate $100,000 fee on some new H-1B petitions (from a September 2025 proclamation) is being fought in court, with judges split as of September 2026. See H-1B $100k fee. Canadians with an approved H-1B petition do not need a visa stamp; they present the approval at the border.

Family. Spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents of US citizens have no annual cap. Other relatives wait in the F1 to F4 lines of the Visa Bulletin. Canadians use rest-of-world dates.

Employment. EB-1, EB-2 (including the NIW), and EB-3 use rest-of-world dates. Many TN and L-1 workers move to a green card through their employer, often by filing to adjust status inside the US.

Diversity Visa. Canadian natives were not eligible for DV-2026 because more than 50,000 Canadians immigrated to the US in the previous five years. The Diversity Visa (DV) lottery is paused: visa issuance stopped on December 23, 2025, and DV-2027 registration never opened. See DV lottery paused.

Most Canadians only need a consulate for E visas, K visas, or immigrant visas. TN, L-1, and visitor entries happen at the border or preclearance. See the US Mission to Canada's website.

For immigrant visas, the State Department's Canada page lists:

• Police certificate: a fingerprint-based Certified Criminal Record Check from the RCMP (the national repository search). You submit fingerprints through a local police service or an RCMP-accredited fingerprinting company. Provincial or municipal police checks, and name-based checks, are not accepted.
• Birth certificate: the long-form birth certificate (or certified copy of the registration) from the provincial or territorial vital statistics office. Short-form and commemorative certificates are not accepted.
• Marriage and divorce: a marriage certificate from provincial vital statistics and a divorce certificate or final order from the court.

French documents from Quebec need certified English translations.

Canadians live across the US, with the largest numbers in California (Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area), Florida (a major winter destination for Canadian snowbirds), New York, Texas, Arizona, and Seattle in Washington. Canadian clubs, alumni networks, and Canadian consulates in major US cities help with voting, passports, and tax questions.