Take this low-paying TN offer now and switch to big tech later, or wait for a direct TN role? (Canadian citizen, Indian-born, PM background)
Hi everyone, looking for some guidance on the best path into the US on a TN visa. Background:
- Indian-born Canadian citizen, currently in Canada
- Undergrad in Electrical & Communication Engineering; MBA in Finance and Operations (though my degree certificate doesn't list the specialization, so I'm not sure how verifiable that is). Both degrees from india
- Current profile is Product Manager, and I want to move to California to get into the tech world
- A remote company is offering me a role and is willing to sponsor my TN visa — but the salary is low, and my real goal is to move to a better company (ideally big tech) once I'm there
My questions:
1. Take this job now, or wait?
Should I take this lower-paying offer as a foot in the door, move to California, and then switch to a better-paying company on a new TN visa after building a network? Or is it smarter to hold out and apply directly for TN-eligible roles at companies I'm actually targeting? How painful is switching employers on TN in practice?
2. The Product Manager problem.
PM isn't on the TN professions list. I know people work around this with categories like Management Consultant(I have the past experience to back it up), or an analyst role — and this company says they're willing to write the offer letter to fit a qualifying category. How much scrutiny should I expect here? Does my ECE degree + MBA (specialization not verifiable) create problems matching a category?
3. What if the TN gets denied?
If my TN application is refused at the port of entry, does that have any implications down the road — e.g., if I later apply for an L-1, or for a green card through marriage? Does a denial stay on my record in a way that hurts future applications
Appreciate any experience or advice. Thanks