Licensing is not dependant on where you live. It depends on what regulatory body the firm is registered with.
Hm... I am in maybe a similar situation and need some help. I have just moved to the US with my wife (for her career) and was trading with an Interactive Broker's Canada account. She is on a TN Work Visa, and I am on a TD as her spouse, so I cannot be legally employed in the US. Does anybody know how I can make this work and still trade? I've searched for answers, but have come up with very little. These are the things i'm unsure about: Can I just be an unemployed, stay at home husband in the US with a Canadian trading account whose profits I claim as plain old investment income? Do I have to be legally able to work in the US to have a US based retail trading account (say with genesis securities)? A Prop trading account? Will I need US licensing for any or either of these possibilities. I had been happily trading for myself in Canada for years and now over the past two years it has been all transition and headaches. If anybody can help me out here, it would be greatly GREATLY appreciated. Thank you Don
Can I just be an unemployed, stay at home husband in the US with a Canadian trading account whose profits I claim as plain old investment income? yes you can. Do I have to be legally able to work in the US to have a US based retail trading account (say with genesis securities)? no you don't. US retail trading accounts can be opened by anyone both here in the US and worldwide. on the other hand, if you want to open a US bank account, you may need to show a social security number. A Prop trading account? in order to open a prop trading account you would need to get at least a Series 7 license first. you don't need to have employment authorization as most prop trading setups have you become a member of the firm rather than an employee. so no work authorization needed there. Genesis also offers retail accounts. also see my other post on the matter here http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=1663030#post1663030