The suspicious behavior of the Canadians has America baffled with disgust...they can work here free and clear, but we can only work there temporarily ?? wow... Canada sure is racist, I suppose.. well we aren't , your welcome Canada..

Canada Temporary Work Permit

Each year, close to 200,000 foreign skilled workers come to work in Canada on Temporary Work Permits.

In order to work in Canada on a temporary basis, foreign skilled workers must have a temporary offer of employmentfrom a Canadian employer and be granted a Temporary Work Permit by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC).  There are several steps to this process.

• Step 1: Employer applies for Labour Market Opinion, if necessary
• Step 2: Employer extends Temporary Job Offer
• Step 3: Foreign Skilled Worker applies for Work Permit
  With these documents, the foreign skilled worker can apply to HRSDC for a Canada Temporary Work Permit.  If the Canadian employer that is hiring is in the province of Quebec, the foreign skilled worker may also need to obtain aCertificat d'acceptation du Québec (CAQ) in order to work temporarily in Quebec.  
• Step 4: Work Permit is issued

Depending upon the foreign worker's country of citizenship, a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) may also need to be obtained in order to enter Canada.

 Do you have a Canadian job offer and need a Work Permit?
 Are you a Canadian Employer who needs to obtain Work Permits for new employees?

• Campbell Cohen's Work Permit Service can take care of the entire Work Permit process for both Canadian employers and foreign workers.

Note that a Canada Temporary Work Permit is for those foreign skilled workers who plan on working in Canada for a finite period of time.  To work and live in Canada on a Permanent basis, foreign workers must undertake the Canadian immigration process.

However, a Temporary Work Permit may be a stepping stone to Canadian Permanent Residency.  Once in Canada on a Temporary Work Permit, a foreign worker may qualify for Canadian immigration (Permanent Residency) under theCanadian Experience Class (CEC), through a Skilled Worker category, or through one of the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP).

Work in Canada – Basic Facts

• For Canadian immigration purposes, "work" is defined as an activity for which remuneration is earned or as an activity that competes directly with activities of Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents in the Canadian labour market.
• Canadian immigration authorities require a Work Permit for a limited number of work related activities in Canada.
• A job offer from a Canadian employer is usually a prerequisite to receiving a Canadian Work Permit.
• In some instances, Canadian immigration regulations allow for "Open" Work Permits, which are not employer specific.
• Work Permits are always temporary in nature, but can often be extended from inside Canada.
• Normally, Work Permits will only be granted by Canadian immigration authorities if supported by a positive "Labour Market Opinion" (LMO) letter issued by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), indicating that the proposed employment will not adversely affect Canadian workers.

listen look how it is easier for canadian to come steal our jobs and not pay taxes....

do canadians go to our colleges? do they take on the loans we have to? they arent skilled, the french suck

Wow so many answers and all of them 10000% incorrect :)

Canadians can work in US legally on a temporary basis if they are skilled and have a degree, just like anyone from anywhere else in the world can. There are basically 2 categories of work visa that you can qualify for as a Canadian citizen:

1) NAFTA TN-1, this visa is pursuant to the free trade agreement between the two countries and allows you to work in the US for periods of 1 year at a time (can be renewed indefinitely). It is only for certain skilled categories though. You can get this visa immediately at the port of entry when you come to US, you just need the job offer, your degree, certifications, transcripts, etc. and pay $50. So I am sorry to shoot you down a-rod, do your homework before misleading people with false information.

2) H-1B visa. This is similar to TN, however this one really does take months becuase your employer has to petition you on April 1. You will sit in a lottery where you only have a 30% chance of getting one (due to the seemingly endless amount of Indian guys petitioning for them and eating up all of the cap). Once selected and approved, you will be able to start work on October 1st. This visa is good for 6 years and is dual-intent, meaning your company has the option of pursuing your permanent residency (aka Green Card) while you are working on H-1B. You should also note that this one will run your company's legal department around $5000 with the filing and legal fees, so you need to be valueable enough to a company for them to be willing to spend that kind of money to bring you in the door.

And just a few comments in response to the above posters, who clearly have not done their homework before shooting off their mouthes with false information:

a-rod: TN-1 does not take months, it can be obtained immediately once you get a job offer.

wihntr: Did you see the word "legally" in the question? This has nothing to do with illegal immigration, so stop making yourself sound like you have some kind of brain deficiency.

rickv835: He is not asking if he can vacation here or immigrate, he is asking whether or not he can work here legally. Read the question properly next time.