Local government agencies in the United States often hire urban planners who are Canadian citizens. On the Canadian Institute of Planners page, there’s a list of handy tips for Canadian urban planners who are seeking work in the United States.
Unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible for American planners to find work in Canada. Almost every local government in Canada has, as a requirement for employment, “Must be a Canadian citizen.”
So … why can Canadians seem to have unlimited access to job opportunities in the United States, including local governments, while Canadian employers probibit the hiring of United States citizens?
I’m not sure what you are thinking of, but Canadians don’t wake up and say “I’m moving to the US and getting a job there, tomorrow”. It isn’t that easy and I doubt that it ever was.
To get a work visa (H1-B or the likes), you have to prove that you are qualified for the job that you have been offered, and that there is a shortage of Americans who are qualified for the job.
That is not quite the same as
Government is not private or public company, and it may be in their best interests to hire Canadians when the unemployment rate is hovering around 7.5%.
Lets face it, with the value of the Canadian dollar, the high taxes and a few other factors, in general Americans aren’t looking for jobs in Canada. Also, NAFTA makes it quite easy for a company to transfer employees between countries.
Canadian employers do not prohibit the hiring of americans. I worked with several US citizens (all engineers) who where in canada on NAFTA visas, which is what I am on working down in the states. It all depends on the employer and the job. Any goverment office will want a canadian first, since its in their best interest to hire canadians. I’m pretty sure its the same for US governments, you have to hire your own citizens first. I’m sure if no canadian was qualified for the job, they would hire a US citizen as getting a Visa through NAFTA is very easy now as long as you qualify under one of the job classifications. You’ll probably have better luck looking with a private firm though.
Actually, Canada treats the US visa holders a bit better, since if you are working in Canada under a NAFTA visa, your spouse can also work under that same visa, but in the US they can’t, they have to have their own work visa, they can just enter on yours.
A great site for US Canada visas et al is http://www.grasmick.com/index.html
It mainly a Canada to US page but i have seen questions discussed about going the other way.