Moving from USA(H1B) to Canada(PR)

[mshaikh]

Jobs in Canada as we all know already is not easy to come by. No luck so far.

Fot the person who asked anything to be aware of - Canada is not USA. It's different. Think of it as a very nice city in India. This is just my perspective. Another thing people keep telling me here (although I haven't experienced this yet) is Canada is very expensive in the sense of living expenses. I am crashing with my friend and when I look at apartments they are really not that great and are a on expensive side.

 

[jitrulz]

I am sure many are in following situation like mine :

1. On H1B (2011 -2017) 6 years of H1B are over (this is important for question#3)
2. i140 Approved (EB2). have been extending H1B based on i140
3. H1B i797 extended till May 2019 (this is important too)

Suppose I move to Canada(based on PR) in June 2018(same employer) live there for 1 year(exactly) and plan to come back to US in June 2019 (again same employer. i love my company ).
Question#1 : by now i797(may 2019) as per point#3 would have got expired, and wasn't renewed either, would I be able to come back to US and how?
Question#2: can I apply extension while in Canada? i doubt because i am working for a Canada client, there won't be any SOW, client letter to support H1B extension. isn't it?
Question#3 : if my H1B has expired and there has been no extension, can my employer apply H1B camp-exempt ? (this is why i stressed on point#1)
Question#4 : can i come back and Apply GC in EB1 category? (i fulfill all its conditions. i only need to stay outside US for 1 year for it)

would appreciate your response. Thanks

 

[email.6633]

This is a question you should be asking a lawyer. You can spend some dollars and get a legal opinion before you make the decision.

Again, the rules are changing in US on a daily basis. You may never know what is going to happen in 1 year. But as of now, you dont have to extend the i797 since you have already got till 2019. but not sure what will happen when you go for stamping.

I am sure many are in following situation like mine :

1. On H1B (2011 -2017) 6 years of H1B are over (this is important for question#3)
2. i140 Approved (EB2). have been extending H1B based on i140
3. H1B i797 extended till May 2019 (this is important too)

Suppose I move to Canada(based on PR) in June 2018(same employer) live there for 1 year(exactly) and plan to come back to US in June 2019 (again same employer. i love my company ).
Question#1 : by now i797(may 2019) as per point#3 would have got expired, and wasn't renewed either, would I be able to come back to US and how?
Question#2: can I apply extension while in Canada? i doubt because i am working for a Canada client, there won't be any SOW, client letter to support H1B extension. isn't it?
Question#3 : if my H1B has expired and there has been no extension, can my employer apply H1B camp-exempt ? (this is why i stressed on point#1)
Question#4 : can i come back and Apply GC in EB1 category? (i fulfill all its conditions. i only need to stay outside US for 1 year for it)

would appreciate your response. Thanks

 

[emceemouli]

Hi Friends,

Need some opinion on my situation.

I am on H1b with PD of Nov 2016. My employer who is a Canadian is moving all the IT jobs to Canada, they have given me a option to Intra company transfer to Canada with bit reduces salary than USA. I also got a new job in USA and they are willing to transfer my H1b.

As all these delay in getting GC and more stringent condition for H1b, should i move to Canada and get PR later or should continue in USA.

Please let me know your thoughts on this

My experience is almost the same...got a 10 K drop when I came to Canada and got hiked 15 K in 5 months.....health care cost is free and you have take that into your calculation as well. Just choose between peace of mind and money...I was stressed with all the visa and GC stuff....My wife got a jo aswell once i came here.....so actuall financially it was better off here for me....over there when I was in US....H4 were not allowed to work unlike now.

 

[Superadu]

Hi everyone

Excellent thread and really helpful information.
I too like many others here started contemplating moving to Canada after it seems gc wait time is endless.
I had some questions, would be very grateful for some answers.

I am currently working in semiconductor chip design industry.
Does anyone have any idea how is the job market for Semiconductor jobs in Canada?

Currently my plan is to in to apply for Canadian PR and after getting that interview for jobs in Canada from US remotely via Skype or phone.
After two-and-a-half years of searching if I get a decent enough job in Canada and I will contemplate moving.
Is that a practical thought to have?
I read a lot off articles online about the difficulty in finding jobs in Canada and their demand for Canadian experience.
But these articles were old , is the situation better now?
Can anyone help with that experience?

I contacted a law firm in Canada for handling the express entry.
They are asking me to sign up for their services asap and do ielts and Eca after that.
How time consuming are both of these processes?
Is it recommended to complete these things before you contact the lawyer?

 

[DEEPCUR]

Hi everyone

Excellent thread and really helpful information.
I too like many others here started contemplating moving to Canada after it seems gc wait time is endless.
I had some questions, would be very grateful for some answers.

I am currently working in semiconductor chip design industry.
Does anyone have any idea how is the job market for Semiconductor jobs in Canada?

Currently my plan is to in to apply for Canadian PR and after getting that interview for jobs in Canada from US remotely via Skype or phone.
After two-and-a-half years of searching if I get a decent enough job in Canada and I will contemplate moving.
Is that a practical thought to have?
I read a lot off articles online about the difficulty in finding jobs in Canada and their demand for Canadian experience.
But these articles were old , is the situation better now?
Can anyone help with that experience?

I contacted a law firm in Canada for handling the express entry.
They are asking me to sign up for their services asap and do ielts and Eca after that.
How time consuming are both of these processes?
Is it recommended to complete these things before you contact the lawyer?

Have you tested websites like indeed to see how much jobs are available for your skillset? I have read somewhere that Canada was once good for semiconductor industry, but things aren't great now as it used to be.. but still second best after US.

Your plan sounds reasonable, but do your homework and see about job prospects so that you don't waste your time, energy and $$ in PR which would be of no use to you.

 

[Superadu]

Have you tested websites like indeed to see how much jobs are available for your skillset? I have read somewhere that Canada was once good for semiconductor industry, but things aren't great now as it used to be.. but still second best after US.

Your plan sounds reasonable, but do your homework and see about job prospects so that you don't waste your time, energy and $$ in PR which would be of no use to you.

Thanks for the advice
If I search on job boards I find decent number of openings.
Do they stress a lot on presence of Canadian experience?

I contacted a law firm in Canada for handling the express entry.
They are asking me to sign up for their services asap and do ielts and Eca after that.
How time consuming are both of these processes?
Is it recommended to complete these things before you contact the lawyer?

 

[canuck78]

Thanks for the advice
If I search on job boards I find decent number of openings.
Do they stress a lot on presence of Canadian experience?

I contacted a law firm in Canada for handling the express entry.
They are asking me to sign up for their services asap and do ielts and Eca after that.
How time consuming are both of these processes?
Is it recommended to complete these things before you contact the lawyer?

US experience. especially in larger companies, is basically interchangeable with Canadian experience.
You could actually complete your PR application yourself if you have a bit of time. I would get the ielts done now. ECA/WES will require you to get copies of you transcripts and mail them so might as well do that as well.

 

[DEEPCUR]

Thanks for the advice
If I search on job boards I find decent number of openings.
Do they stress a lot on presence of Canadian experience?

I contacted a law firm in Canada for handling the express entry.
They are asking me to sign up for their services asap and do ielts and Eca after that.
How time consuming are both of these processes?
Is it recommended to complete these things before you contact the lawyer?

As per my understanding, it is basically due to credibility factor. Other country experiences are hard to verify for Canadian employers and hence they have that Canadian experience tool to screen resumes. If you have worked for good companies, I don't think there would be any issues. But yeah, first job is definitely a extremely tough nut to crack. Geographically closer gives slight advantage for US residents for searching jobs I hope.

And big no for any lawyers or consultants. This forum has answer for every single query of yours. The process is also straight forward to do it by self, nothing like green card processing.

 

[Superadu]

As per my understanding, it is basically due to credibility factor. Other country experiences are hard to verify for Canadian employers and hence they have that Canadian experience tool to screen resumes. If you have worked for good companies, I don't think there would be any issues. But yeah, first job is definitely a extremely tough nut to crack. Geographically closer gives slight advantage for US residents for searching jobs I hope.

And big no for any lawyers or consultants. This forum has answer for every single query of yours. The process is also straight forward to do it by self, nothing like green card processing.

Thank you champion members for your replies

Might I ask if there is a thread somewhere on this website here which breaks down the entire process of Canadian pr application chronologically?

Something like these are the things someone applying for express entry did in so and such order and the time lines for completion.

 

[DEEPCUR]

Thank you champion members for your replies

Might I ask if there is a thread somewhere on this website here which breaks down the entire process of Canadian pr application chronologically?

Something like these are the things someone applying for express entry did in so and such order and the time lines for completion.

Here you go..

https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/express-entry-step-by-step-instructions.273928/

You can also for power threads for every single thing like ECA, IELTS, FBI PCC, Indian PCC etc etc mainly under Express entry, skilled worker etc and other forums.

 

[yodheydhara]

As per my understanding, it is basically due to credibility factor. Other country experiences are hard to verify for Canadian employers and hence they have that Canadian experience tool to screen resumes. If you have worked for good companies, I don't think there would be any issues. But yeah, first job is definitely a extremely tough nut to crack. Geographically closer gives slight advantage for US residents for searching jobs I hope.

And big no for any lawyers or consultants. This forum has answer for every single query of yours. The process is also straight forward to do it by self, nothing like green card processing.

Very rightly said! Finding first job is very difficult. I am still looking for a job even after physically moving here. I admit I have not been very rigorous in my job hunt in past two months since I have been working remotely for my US employer. However, starting last year while I was still in US, I was rigorously searching for a job, and I even got to first round interviews for two openings out of approximately over 80 job openings. For some unknown reason, they never came back.
However, it is my observation that using the right keywords in your LinkedIn profile, your resume definitely helps you land more interview calls. Moreover, once you have physically moved to Canada, you will start appearing the search results of the recruiters who are looking for candidates as the recruiters tend to start their search within the zip codes of job location and then gradually expand the area based on their results. Also, being in Canada, you will have a Canadian phone number and a Canadian address that can be rightfully updated in your linked and other job board profiles. This should boost up your chances to land more interviews and thereby jobs.

 

[DEEPCUR]

Very rightly said! Finding first job is very difficult. I am still looking for a job even after physically moving here. I admit I have not been very rigorous in my job hunt in past two months since I have been working remotely for my US employer. However, starting last year while I was still in US, I was rigorously searching for a job, and I even got to first round interviews for two openings out of approximately over 80 job openings. For some unknown reason, they never came back.
However, it is my observation that using the right keywords in your LinkedIn profile, your resume definitely helps you land more interview calls. Moreover, once you have physically moved to Canada, you will start appearing the search results of the recruiters who are looking for candidates as the recruiters tend to start their search within the zip codes of job location and then gradually expand the area based on their results. Also, being in Canada, you will have a Canadian phone number and a Canadian address that can be rightfully updated in your linked and other job board profiles. This should boost up your chances to land more interviews and thereby jobs.

Nice that you were able to work this set up with your employer!

What is your skill set?

 

[yodheydhara]

Nice that you were able to work this set up with your employer!

What is your skill set?

My experience is in implementing java based enterprise applications, specifically in manufacturing sector, in product development (Product Lifecycle Management). This actually makes my skill set pretty niche. While I have had many opportunities in the US on the this skill set, it is very difficult for me to find options here in Canada. Hence, re-skilling myself is the best option in my opinion.

Also, on setting up the work with my US employer, my suggestion to anyone trying to go for this approach would be to ensure that proper transfer is done as soon as possible, to avoid any tax hassles.

 

[sarhadpaar]

Hello Everyone,

Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Does anyone know, how is the job market for SAP and Salesforce technologies?