Is it really worth it?

[fr72]

Thanks you huya for all youe imputs. Everything you guys said is correct.
One new thing I learned recently is TN is non-immigrant visa. So your approved I140 may not do you any good unless your employer is ready for consular processing.
I also heard approved I140 may hurt your chances to get TN. Not a 100% sure on that though. But for sure TN is not like H1 as in dual intent.

I also noticed apartments are not easy to get. There seems to be waitg list for good ones.

A question for people who have some experience, how is southern Ontario like Cambridge, kitchener, burlington etc? I have been to Pickering- I liked that place .

I heard some sections of scarborough has crime and thefts?

Will explore northern Ontario. Ohh one morr thing I have so many friends back in US in most states, here it seems to be hard to make friends

Dont worry about i140 and TN. There is a USCIS memo clearly stating that mere i140 is not immigrant intent for TN (only a filed i485 is). Google it. Anyway, thats 3-4 years from now. There are other concerns with TN. You can get H1B even if you did Mechanical engineering but job in IT. I heard thats not the case for TN...

Apartments are not like US. Very few purpose built rental complexes. You directly deal with landlords here, makes it a pain. But with new rent control laws, rents wont rise more than 3% at end of lease + there are some other tenant friendly laws compared to US. If staying for 3-4 years, dont bother buying. And rents are actually reasonable compared to similar size US cities. I disagree that housing is more expensive than US. Its only if you want to buy.

 

[fr72]

Well if you compare it this way then yes, Canada is expensive....Car and gas is nothing as compared to buying a house....housing is expensive here...way more expensive than US.....and you have to live in a big city to get a better job and good money....so if this is how we compare things then yes, one would want to go back to US as soon as he/she lands here...

Housing is expensive only for buying not renting. Also, it is possible to avoid car and only use public transport unlike all of US except NYC. Plus the traffic is so slow and bad in big cities, you wont feel like buying a car anyway...

Bottomline is, you can save the same %ge of money, just dont expect same lifestyle.

 

[email.6633]

Have been reading this thread. One advantage I see is that in Canada, your spouse will also be able to work. With H1B in USA, there is a restriction for spouses to work. So, if your spouse is skilled, then you will earn more than what you earned alone in USA.

 

[mshaikh]

Have been reading this thread. One advantage I see is that in Canada, your spouse will also be able to work. With H1B in USA, there is a restriction for spouses to work. So, if your spouse is skilled, then you will earn more than what you earned alone in USA.

My spouse has EAD in USA. She can work, that's not an issue.

 

[DEEPCUR]

My spouse has EAD in USA. She can work, that's not an issue.

Any luck with your job search ?

 

[mshaikh]

No luck with the job. I tried finding a lot but my particular field has very few opportunities here. I got tired and applied in USA and I got a job in USA - applying H1b amendment right now - not sure how it'll go . I am gonna see how it goes.

By the way, I applied for my wife's visit visa for Canada but they denied saying "other" in the reason.

 

[DEEPCUR]

I do notice that indeed returns very little jobs for sql server dba jobs. Why not move as sql or sql server (t sql) developer itself ? That gives plenty of jobs and sql development isn't that difficult for a dba.

You meant h1b amendment or transfer? For new jobs it's transfer right.

 

[Miles Lee]

Could someone maybe give some advise No sugar coating respond is much appreciate it. That's right US is not what it used to.
I am planning to move to Canada. I am now currently a PR in MI. I am Indonesian lives here since 2003. I have a job and own a property. Is that possible to keep my job here until I find a job in Canada. any suggestion what best province for me to live in. Is this hard?

 

[mshaikh]

My employer remains the same - only client change so it's amendment.

I will try developer jobs - thanks for the suggestion. Appreciate it.

I do notice that indeed returns very little jobs for sql server dba jobs. Why not move as sql or sql server (t sql) developer itself ? That gives plenty of jobs and sql development isn't that difficult for a dba.

You meant h1b amendment or transfer? For new jobs it's transfer right.

 

[thisworks]

Why Brampton? That place is mini India like Edison, NJ. What else do you expect there except mini India?

lol

 

[thisworks]

All these WITCHES ruined h1b and EB perm.
Before that it was great.
Now thee WITCHES are getting kicked in the butt, but because
Of them there has been a bad rap for H1B, hence we suffer.
Every mofo is coming here from India and screwing the system up.
It's not DHS fault, its the abuse and not the best and the brightest are coming here, since WITCHES keep hiring them from India, for less price.
gotta blame the Indians for ruining the chances for other indias,
Knowingly or unknowingly.

What an unhappy person!

I've been reading this thread for a while, and I am quite amused by rants like these and more

When I read the rants here's what it looks to my head : "We are from good colleges in India , or we worked at great jobs in US, and so we 'deserve' to be treated better than some others on H1b or other kinds of visa. We deserve citizenship in US, or if we go to Canada, we deserve great jobs and respect"

for what? was the game fair in India for everyone? We went to good colleges in India/US mostly because we came from educated families. I can bet not even 1% of people on this forum had uneducated parents. We started from a huge advantage, and we were happy when it worked to our advantage in India. When the game was unfair and worked to our advantage we didnt think about those on the other side of the spectrum... why should we complain now when we didnt admit the disadvantage then?

 

[Tanni123]

Is it worth it, leaving the life of 14 years in US and moving to Canada
Move to Canada only if you have job lined up or you are facing some visa issue in the US
Not sure when GC will come, but definitely don't want to move to India.
a lot of Indians are in the same boat, have some patience and follow the facebook.com/ImmigrationVoice/ and make some noise where it counts.
Also if the wife is pregnant, would she get any benefits right away or have to wait for few months.
Yes, some provinces offer medical from day one to new residents.
I forgot to mention we have Canadian PR.
Great its always good to have a backup.
When we landed we did not fill out goods to follow form, we actually did but did not include any details.
If you are returning after a year outside Canada, then you can take all your goods including your car duty-free to Canada as returning resident.
Like what we were going to bring to Canada when we come back the next time.
So we got a car after we did the landing, do you think they will ask us to pay any tax while importing to canada and a lot of other taxes, for which we did not report. (Tv, laptops, furniture)...If you are returning after a year outside Canada, then you can take all your goods including your car duty-free to Canada as returning resident. No taxes for returning residents.
Canada has lot of bloody and unnecessary taxes, so just wanna make sure, before I take the step...
Not sure about Bloody , but yes Taxes are over the nose in Canada to give Free healthcare, Everything is costly here if you compare to the US.
It really hurts to leave something u dreamt of since u were a kid.
If you have a job there then stick to it, it will be hard to find a comparable job in Canada unless you have some Business plan ready or something lined up.
Is it really worth it?...

Depends upon person to person and situation to situation, You cannot compare US to Canada

Cheers, and enjoy the weather in Kansas.
TJ
Dealsofcanada.ca

 

[nirvana555]

I agree with a lot of other posters here that it really varies and every individual experience is not same, just like not every US immigration story is a success. I did my masters in US and worked for 5 years before moving to Canada. When I first considered doing my masters abroad US was my only option and I never gave Canada any consideration throughout my stay in US untill due to H1-B issues I had no choice but to move to Canada and I am so glad that I did. Yes as many have said it takes time to adjust and your worst enemy is comparison, you can't fight it but try to minimize it. Personally for me it has been a great ride since then and every other person I know who moved from US to GTA has been happy. I am in tech sector and I make much more (as a contractor) than my friends who are still on H1b in US. Here are my other plus points:
1) Not to deal with any immigration relates stress. I think a lot of immigrants in US underestimate the value of this as they are so used to this stress but when you realize there is no immigration stress, you truly appreciate it and can't even think of taking that stress again.
2) After a couple of years of Canadian experience you see decent salary growth (atleast in tech)
3) Tech sector is booming in GTA area
4) You have time to think about other ideas and business ventures now that you are not bound by H1b
5) Your spouse can work in any field
6) Health care system is great. I still can't forget that feeling when I had a procedure done at a hospital and walked out without paying a cent.
7) You can travel to India freely right away and any part of the world in 4 yrs rather than just going to Vegas and Florida every year.
8) People are very friendly and diversity in GTA is another level; never once I have ever felt out of place. And Indian food is much better here.

I hope it helps.

 

[mshaikh]

Do you mind sharing which tech field you're in please? Thanks..

I still think "tech" field is very general term. And opportunities vary depending on your specific concentration. Unless of course, someone is able and willing to diversify.

 

[nirvana555]

Do you mind sharing which tech field you're in please? Thanks..

I still think "tech" field is very general term. And opportunities vary depending on your specific concentration. Unless of course, someone is able and willing to diversify.

Yes opportunities varies in tech sector and a lot depends on your skill set and what is currently hot in the market. I know skilled developers making over $100 per hour and average ones that make between $60~$75 range. Currently any big data experience will land you a high rate project very easily.