US Immigration Sucks

Yesterday, at around 6pm I get a text from HR, “Do you have a second? This is urgent.”

I gave her a call, and she said, “I know this is going to sound crazy but are you able to fly to the Canadian border tomorrow

“What? Why!?” I asked.

“Because of the acquisition, your TN Visa is invalid and we’ll need to renew it immediately.” She responded.

After a short discussion, I realized there was no alternatives. I’ll have to fly back to Canada asap.

Shortly after, I receive an email from our immigration lawyers about all the paperwork I need to submit. They walked me through the process and answered all my questions. After talking with them, I booked a flight the next morning from NYC to Toronto and a return flight later in the afternoon.

Graciously, our immigration lawyers worked overtime that evening, expediting a two week process in half a day.

Fortunately, my TN Visa was renewed fairly smoothly at the US Customs and Border Patrol office at Torontos airport.

I’m writing this post on my return flight back to NYC. While I’m grateful that everything worked out and I got it resolved pretty quickly, it’s ridiculous that I had to fly back to Canada just to get a stamp on my passport.

Anyone who’s not a US citizen and living in the US can relate, the US immigration process is a nightmare.