Work it Girl, or How NAFTA Became My Favourite Trade Agreement

Whenever I share with anyone that we are moving to Canada, there are always many questions or comments that arise. Isn't it more expensive there? Trudeau vs. Trump. Snow: how are you going to handle that? Free health care sounds awesome.

For the record, it is more expensive, but no more so than moving to a major urban area in the U.S., I'm pro Trudeau, it's called a snowblower, and yes, yes it is. 

Prime Minister Trudeau with Jia Panpan & Jia Yueyue of the Toronto Zoo.
Image from https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau.

While these are all relatively simple, one question that comes up often, but has a more complex answer is this: How do you get a job in Canada anyway?

The short answer, in my case, is NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement.

So, what did the process of finding a job in Canada look like and why has NAFTA become so important to me? Here is what the process looked like:

1. Apply for a job in Canada. Most librarian jobs in both the U.S. and Canada are posted on the American Library Association's Joblist. This is especially true of academic library positions as such advertising is typically required by human resources procedures. 
2. Wait for contact. Normally this takes several months for academic positions. My wait time was around six weeks.
3. Phone interview.
4. Campus interview - about a month later. 
5. Job offer, kind of - takes two weeks. Note, when they say two weeks, they actually mean exactly that amount of time. This is not the "we will call in two weeks" but you hear in two days if you are the top candidate, like in the U.S. This is a job offer, kind of, because you will know if you are the top candidate, but they leave the job offer up to you. Did you like Canada? Will your family like it? Do you want to go through the hassle of immigrating? i.e. The "do you like us, do you really, really like us???" phase.
6. Actual job offer.
7. Salary negotiation. Under no circumstances should you take their first offer. And pay attention to the exchange rate; right now, Canadian dollars are worth less than U.S. dollars. 
8. Sign contract.

If that basically sounds like the academic hiring process for all librarian jobs, it totally is. However, throughout the process in small, but meaningful ways, NAFTA has been stepping in to help with the job search. The real story of the search looks like this:

1. Apply for a job in Canada. Most librarian jobs in both the U.S. and Canada are posted on the American Library Association's Joblist. This is especially true of academic library positions as such advertising is typically required by human resources procedures. 
2. NAFTA allows individuals in certain positions, including librarians, to seek professional positions in the other NAFTA countries and be considered in the same manner as citizens of those countries. For a complete listing of these professions, see Sec. 214.6 of the USCIS.
3. Wait for contact. Normally this takes several months for academic positions. My wait time was around six weeks.
4. Phone interview.
5. Phone interviews are easy - Canada uses the same basic phone number structure and country code (1) as the U.S. The area codes in the Waterloo/Kitchener area are generally 519. NAFTA has made inter-country telecommunications across North America easier and cheaper since implementation.
6. Campus interview - about a month later. 
7. Job offer, kind of - takes two weeks. Note, when they say two weeks, they actually mean exactly that amount of time. This is not the "we will call in two weeks" but you hear in two days if you are the top candidate like in the U.S. This is a job offer, kind of, because you will know if you are the top candidate, but they leave the job offer up to you. Did you like Canada? Will your family like it? Do you want to go through the hassle of immigrating? i.e. The do you like us, do you really, really like us phase.
8. Actual job offer.
9. Once again, because of your specialized profession, you were able to be offered the position, even if there were qualified applicants from Canada. Thanks, NAFTA!
10. Salary negotiation. Under no circumstances should you take their first offer. Remember, Canadian dollars are worth less than U.S. dollars. 
11. Sign contract.
12. The institution you work for will then have to file for a Labour Market Impact Exemption, again based on Sec. 214.6, stating you are an exempt professional with needed skills. 
13. Congratulations, you now have all you need to apply for your Canadian work permit and move to Canada. 

Throughout my life, I have heard significant amounts of grumbling about NAFTA and the impact it has had on American workers. What I did not realize was a trade agreement forged in North America long before I knew librarianship was my calling would make it possible for me to pursue my dream job and become an American worker abroad. The next time you hear a politician railing on about how NAFTA has hurt Americans, remember that it also helps many others, like me, pursue amazing professional opportunities. I know I, for one, will never again take NAFTA for granted.