Canadian Studying in the US, Summer Positions Forum

[kovolev]

I'm a Canadian who is going to be going to the US next year, and have every intent on sticking around once I get my JD for work. I recently started wondering if anyone had any idea whether the fact I'm not American will cripple my employability for summer positions, or would I be on a relatively equal level with everyone else? I know all the visa issues in play for staying around after I graduate, but the summer work information is impossibly vague.

The school's career services people say I have nothing to be worried about for unpaid internships/externships but I haven't spoken to them about paid SA work (everything is very hypothetical at this point). Anyone done this/have any idea of the implications of it? Is this career suicide? Thanks

[AntipodeanPhil]

Will you be on an F1 student visa? If so, you should able to get CPT authorization for law-related summer work without any problem. Employers shouldn't care - all they have to do is sign a form.

Here, for example, is HLS's CPT form:

http://www.law.harvard.edu/academics/wr ... ptform.pdf

Your school should have some kind office that deals with international students. Talk to those people - they will be able to give you more information, confirm that you will be eligible for the CPT program, et cetera.

[alexanderhamilton]

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[kovolev]

The CPT stuff is exactly what I was hoping it would be, I read about it before but nearly all sources of information on immigration issues are painfully vague, it's a huge relief to know its applicable to legal work too. Thanks for showing me that!

And yes, I know the Canadian legal market is safer since it controls supply a lot more responsibly, but I have a variety of personal reasons for wanting to make the move. Canadian winters don't get along well with me.

[AntipodeanPhil]

The CPT stuff is exactly what I was hoping it would be, I read about it before but nearly all sources of information on immigration issues are painfully vague, it's a huge relief to know its applicable to legal work too. Thanks for showing me that!

And yes, I know the Canadian legal market is safer since it controls supply a lot more responsibly, but I have a variety of personal reasons for wanting to make the move. Canadian winters don't get along well with me.

Yeah, the midwest is too much for me.

Do make sure you check with your school. It doesn't surprise me that career services are no help - look for some kind of 'international office,' or something similar. They will probably be the ones that sign the forms and know all the details. At my school, they were always very helpful and non-vague.