TN to GC - What is the best approach to take this up with your employer?

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smr_us

Registered Users (C)
The company I work for (among fortune 20), has a very laid back kind of environment and everyone is too relaxed -from the people I report to the law firm it deals with. All that matters for them is that if you are in status RIGHT NOW and TN renewals are happening without any issues, they probably won't bother about going through the pain of TN to GC processing/paperwork (for them, if it ain't broke, don't fix it) In fact I don't think my direct boss even knows/cares to know that I am a Canadian citizen on TN1. All the hiring/processing of TN etc was/is done by HR/Law Firm.

I think it won't be in the interest of law firm to submit/start TN to GC processing because that way they won't be making money every year from my employer (every three years now). The HR folks also won't see any issues with me just renewing TN every 3 yrs.. Just wondering who should I start with? 1) my direct boss (who doesn't even know what TN is, he (and my team) probably thinks that I am just another American citizen) OR 2) with HR folks (who just delegate everything to law firm other than formatting/printing TN letter) OR 3) ask law firm directly (who think they own the company and I haven't really found them very friendly or easy to work with)

I know I can ask anyone of the above however I strongly believe that it is all about how I present my case and to WHO that matters most. The first response (positive/negative) from whoever is crucial because if one says 'no' it will be no all across the board. Any input from someone who has gone through this would be wonderful.. Thanks.
 
Make sure you have a back up job you can go to. From what you've described, we have seen this discussion quite a bit before, and it usually starts to get nasty as time goes on. They will be apathetic and you will start to get angry.
 
This discussion is definitely more difficult once you are employed by your anticipated sponsor. I realized that and then started looking for a new job, and brought up the discussion at the hiring table with my interviewer(s). That way it goes a lot smoother, its easier for them to say no, and you can plitely walk out, and if they commit to something you have a better chance of them actually following through.
This, of course, does not help you in your current situation, but if you hit a brick wall, keep this in mind when looking for a new job.
 
Update- good news..

-Talked to HR and they said yes after doing their own research on TN>GC processing.
-Talked to boss (and I was right, my boss didn't even know that I was Canadian) Anyway, he very enthusiastically agreed and gave HR his go ahead and his approval to pay whatever fee company has to pay to law firm.
-Have followup meeting with HR in a few days, probably about the documents they will need..
-Haven't come in contact with law firm so far..

Let's see how it goes :cool:
 
Everything 'status' related is handled by HR in my company so there really isn't a need to disclose this to your boss/team. Also I guess I intentionally didn't want to give some backstabber a reason to stereotype me into some other category that I don't really belong to. I learned a little bit about area, sports, language before my move and pretend to be local with team and I have been successful at it so far. I make sure to avoid 'eh' and pop etc. (they call it soda here) Since I am non-Caucasian Canadian that makes me more vulnerable to stereotyping by someone who can't find anything else to backstab or call me foriegner :)
 
You just reminded me of Molson commercials!! Lol!
I am a caucasian Canadian and I still get treated like other foreigners! Lol! Well, I work for a big company that's known for being a slavehouse for foreigners at least until they get their GCs. My boss is communicated for each email regarding my immigration stuff. So he knows I aint American. And I keep telling him I can work in the US as long as there is NAFTA. But he is used to stereotyping!!
 
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