Does a Canadian citizen need a visa to do an unpaid apprenticeship in the States?

May 29, 2010 5:29 PM

I am doing an apprenticeship program at a non-accredited institution (building bikes) in the USA. I am a Canadian citizen. I pay them for this privilege, but will earn no money while I'm down there. I will be in the US for approximately 6 months. Do I need a visa?
posted by seagull.apollo to Travel & Transportation around Canada (5 answers total)

I found the US Consular services for Canadians which seems to suggest the answer is no, though you do need some paperwork from the school. There is of course a student visa available (F-1) which allows you to work on campus but it seems you won't need it. They have an information line you can call if you need to.
posted by PercussivePaul at 5:50 PM on May 29, 2010

Response by poster: Thank you, the suggestion to phone is a good one. It's easy to get caught up using only the internet. I will give them a ring on Monday.

Another question worth asking is whether or not this even counts as school. It's just one shop with about three employees taking on worker/learners for a number of months at a time. The process is not very formal, which leads me to believe that it isn't registered as a learning institution with the Department of Education. I tried to find this out and couldn't, so if anyone knows or has any way of knowing...
posted by seagull.apollo at 6:33 PM on May 29, 2010

If it's a non-accredited institution, I think you would technically be a tourist... Unless you hold dual citizenship, the longest you can stay in the U.S. as a tourist is 6 months... and as long as you don't go over that limit, AFAIK, you should be fine without a visa.

You will probably have to bring a lot of supporting documentation to prove that you have the financial means to be there for 6 months without working... They may also request documentation showing that you have ties to Canada (job, mortgage, lease, whatever...) to show them that you are unlikely to want to stay in the U.S. permanently. It's also a good idea to have proof of out-of-country medical insurance for the period of your stay.
posted by kaudio at 6:37 PM on May 29, 2010

I can't really tell from PercussivePaul's link if that phone number is answered by US or Canadian staff, but be aware that Monday is a Federal holiday in the US, and they light be closed.
posted by rtha at 12:29 PM on May 30, 2010

Might be, that is.
posted by rtha at 12:29 PM on May 30, 2010