By Sonja Hakala, AIRS Strategist

For the first time in its history, the United States is competing with other countries to attract immigrants, especially those with IT or healthcare skills. Along with companies in the U.S., businesses in other developed nations are publicly wringing their hands about the shortage of technology talent. On some level, everyone is trying not only to avoid a brain drain, but also to create a brain gain.

"The Internet is the third economy and it's growing so fast, we need to import 40,000 people a month just to keep up with it," said Ted Daywalt, president of TAMB Associates in Atlanta. "Historically, the U.S. has had a major wave of immigration every 20 years from either Europe or Asia, and we've benefited from the influx of new ideas that came with that. But now we're behind because the last wave that happened was from Cuba in 1963."

NAFTA Removes Obstacles to Canadian Immigration

While immigration remains a controversial subject in some quarters, the need for technical prowess in the U.S. is sweeping some traditional barriers aside. And since the passage of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), there are really no obstacles at all for skilled Canadians who want to work in the U.S.

Although the economy of Western Canada took a big hit because of its close association with the depressed Asian economies of the 1990s, our northern neighbor is now in good financial shape overall. Ordinarily, this would make recruiting difficult because there are plenty of good opportunities at home. But "the healthcare system in Canada has been in crisis for a while," reports Liisa Janelle, a former recruiter for the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, NH. "Facilities are consolidating so medical professionals are looking down here for jobs. And the TN Visa is the most simple immigration process we have."

Skills Allowed Under TN Visa Limitations Are Broad

TN (Trade NAFTA) visas for Canadian workers were part and parcel of the three-way trade agreement among the United States, Canada and Mexico. Though limited to workers with particular talents and experience, the list of allowable skills (available at Grasmick's) is long and includes specialties such as accountants, mathematicians, nurses, technicians, computer systems analysts and technical writers.

And Processing Is Quick...

And, better yet, the processing time for a TN visa is but a few minutes. "You present the necessary documents at the point of entry and it's done right on the spot," Janelle said.

Once a U.S. employer hires a candidate, the employer must furnish a detailed letter outlining the nature of the work involved. In most cases, the TN acceptance list not only sets out the skills an employee must have, it also sets out the required educational credentials. For example, a nurse emigrating from Canada to the U.S. must be licensed to practice nursing in the state where he/she will be working.

The single drawback to the TN visa is that it's available for only a year at a time. But it can be infinitely renewed at any point of entry along the U.S. border.

"It's a well-educated workforce," Janelle points out. "And, at least for Canadians who work in the Northern U.S., there are few cultural problems."

Canadian Recruiters Are Looking to Turn the Talent Tide

Even though recruiting healthcare personnel from Canada has been relatively easy for the past few years, Janelle does see a change on the horizon. "The Canadian government has been putting money back into its healthcare system so we're starting to see Canadian recruiters come down to lure their talent back home," she said.

The scramble for skilled workers continues.