Can Americans go to LS and work in Canada?

[ElMismoPandejo]

I am just curious about Canada because it's a cool place.  Can an American with no ties to Canada go to law school in Canada and then become authorized to work there?  Don't you need to become a citizen or something?  It is possible to become a dual citizen if you go to law school up there?  I have no relatives in Canada and no special talents.

[dswrdr]

Yes, you can.  Canadians make the jump to American law schools and working in the US all the time, and the reverse is certainly possible.  I've heard the NAFTA rules will allow you to work in Canada after graduation without needing a visa or permanent residency.  After working a certain number of years in Canada you can get permanent residency, and a few years after that you can become a citizen.  You should probably Google around to get the details, or maybe try posting a question at Yahoo Answers.  A Canadian law school would probably try very hard to give you a more complete answer, and now is a good time to ask before the applications start pouring in.  Good luck!

[ElMismoPandejo]

Thanks!  I guess I figured it would be really hard for some reason.

I probably don't qualify to get into any Canadian law schools anyway.  I have an incredibly crappy GPA (like sub 3.0) and a LSAT over 170, but it doesn't seem like they care as much about the LSAT in Canada.  No US News breathing down their necks.  It's weird, people with my #s can get into T1 schools in the US but I don't know about Canada.

Thanks for the info though.

[dswrdr]

Thanks!  I guess I figured it would be really hard for some reason.

I probably don't qualify to get into any Canadian law schools anyway.  I have an incredibly crappy GPA (like sub 3.0) and a LSAT over 170, but it doesn't seem like they care as much about the LSAT in Canada.  No US News breathing down their necks.  It's weird, people with my #s can get into T1 schools in the US but I don't know about Canada.

Thanks for the info though.

A sub 3.0 CGPA is a problem but it won't keep you out of every Canadian school when coupled with your high LSAT.  There's about 15 english-language law schools up here and you've still got a decent chance at more than half of them.  Most schools will allow you to drop a certain number of courses, or will look at your best/last two or three years, and the grade conversion forumulas they use may result in your CGPA going up.  If you applied to all of them it will cost you about $1500 CAD in application fees.

Schools like UWindsor, UCalgary, and OttawaU take "holistic" approaches to admissions, meaning they don't just go by your numbers.  Craft up a personal statement saying how you've always been interested in Canadian constitutional law or how you prefer the parliamentary system over the republic, anything that might make you stand out.  Places like UAlberta and UVictoria (among others) seem to be good for splitters, ie people with a high LSAT/low CGPA or vice versa.

There's two big Canadian law school forums that can help you.  www.lawstudents.ca is the most helpful, geared towards pre-law and new law students looking for help.  www.lawbuzz.ca is less helpful and a bit more sarcastic, geared towards current law students and lawyers with too much time on their hands.  The former is a good place to post your stats and ask about your chances, the latter is better for asking specific questions about schools, types of law, or employers.

HTH (and also hope this buys me some karma in the upcoming admission cycle

[ElMismoPandejo]

Thanks for your help.  If you have any questions about the upcoming admissions cycle, for the US at least, ask away and I might be able to help you.

[raxel]

Hello,
I am strongly considering applying to Canadian schools next year with the purpose of eventually practicing in Canada. My Q is, what about my American husband? Will he have trouble obtaining a work visa while I am in school? Probably a question for admissions, but curious if anyone has experience with such a situation.
Thanks.
R

[->Soon]

hmmmmm, I LOVE BC!!!

[erinl]

Hello,
I am strongly considering applying to Canadian schools next year with the purpose of eventually practicing in Canada. My Q is, what about my American husband? Will he have trouble obtaining a work visa while I am in school? Probably a question for admissions, but curious if anyone has experience with such a situation.
Thanks.
R

I know two people who attempted to do this and neither was successful. If you're on a student visa to attend law school, your spouse is not automatically granted a work visa. If, however, he is able to find a job in Canada, or be transferred from his current job to a Canadian city, and this is all arranged prior to arriving, then it's possible that his employer can arrange this for him. Generally speaking, however, unless something has changed in the last year, this isn't going to be easy to accomplish.

[->Soon]

not fair!

we let tons of y'all come down here!!!

[Astro]

Whatever you guys do, don't go to the University of Alberta.

bad place.  Average school. 

Did I mention it's a bad place?  @#!* Edmonton.