Canadian citizen wanted to work in USA (IT- S/w Dev)

[Jim_J]

Good day,

I am a Indian born Canadian citizen looking to move to US. I am a software developer with 15 years experience in Canada ; I came here as a student long back studied here as well. Got two PGs and excellent working experience under sleeve.

As you all may know, Salary in Canada is less compared to US. Advise required how I should proceed for :

1) What visa might be ideal for me to work in US (TN or H1B) and why?
2) Which will be the best state to try out if I am moving alone leaving family back here?
3) Which will be the best state to try out if I am moving along with family ? (Wife 3 kids).

My wife is also a software engineer (QA) with 10 years of Canadian software testing experience, which visa she should take if she wants to come along?

I am bit lost, I appreciate your thoughts. Thank you.

 

[DEEPCUR]

1) H1b is better because it is dual intent, but it is difficult to get one sponsored. Plus there is lottery for the visa which makes very hard to get. Best might be enter on TN, and then convince employer to sponsor H1.
2) US has opportunities in every state unlike confined cities in Canada. Wherever you get job, you can choose to move.
3) Same as 2, just pick a neighborhood with good school ratings.

Point 1) is applicable for your wife too.

But be prepared to live in visa for life as you are Indian born. Green cards are not like Canadian PRs, they are handed out based on country of birth (note not citizenship). There is a huge backlog because of high Indian population in US, and the wait times are projected to be someone's lifetime (60+ years). Your kids will have to convert to student visa once become 21, find an employer, get H1 sponsorship overcoming lottery, find an employer to sponsor green card, and then settle. Your kids would green cards faster than you because they are Canadian born (Rest of the world category for Green cards).

Two main drawbacks of US are healthcare and guns. A portion of the additional income at US will go to health insurance. You are looking at $1000 - $1500 per month just for for health insurance, deductibles etc for a family of 5. You must be knowing what is happening with guns.

One surface, it might seem okay that you oversee the aspect of living in H1 visa for the additional money, but it is way more troublesome than you think. There is enormous amount of scrutiny with these visas, and there is plenty of rejections that is happening. The extension time frame of the visa is generally till the contract with client exists which is generally in one year increments. An extension denial means you need to uproot everything including kids' schools and move back to Canada. Your kids will have borderline identity issues because of your delay in green cards. They cannot be Americans because they will be on visa till they reach jobs, and they may not be full fledged Canadians as they have lived in US for a decade, and done all the schooling there.

With TN visa, although grey area, many companies might be hesitant to start your green card as it is not dual intent. Also, I have heard that CBP may not give a third third year extension with TN visa. Given that you are from India, you will need to keep extending it for your life. So it is not an ideal visa for long term prospects.

 

[Jim_J]

1) H1b is better because it is dual intent, but it is difficult to get one sponsored. Plus there is lottery for the visa which makes very hard to get. Best might be enter on TN, and then convince employer to sponsor H1.
.............<I am truncating it>..............

If you were near by, I could've took you for a coffee for your post 60 years in queue for green card is out of the world. GUNS! That's one thing I hate my kids to see or touch. Looks like best option is myself going for work in TN for couple of years. I truly appreciate taking time to share your thoughts.

 

[Jim_J]

1) H1b is better because it is dual intent, but it is difficult to get one sponsored. Plus there is lottery for the visa which makes very hard to get. Best mig----.

Oh can I ask you one more thing? If you have an option to choose any state in US to live, which one you will choose and why? Also, which one will be a best state for a techie to earn some good $$ ?

 

[DEEPCUR]

Oh can I ask you one more thing? If you have an option to choose any state in US to live, which one you will choose and why? Also, which one will be a best state for a techie to earn some good $$ ?

I would pick Texas because of tropical weather, huge tech opportunities, cheap real estate, large Indian presence and no state taxes! But that is purely Indian point of view. Many Americans don't like TX much for different political reasons which are beyond my comprehension!

 

[DEEPCUR]

If you were near by, I could've took you for a coffee for your post 60 years in queue for green card is out of the world. GUNS! That's one thing I hate my kids to see or touch. Looks like best option is myself going for work in TN for couple of years. I truly appreciate taking time to share your thoughts.

You might want to check this.. http://immigrationgirl.com/what-is-the-real-wait-time-for-eb-2-india-82-5-years/
The author is US immigration attorney.

 

[Jim_J]

I would ...!

No state tax.. sounds too good for someone from Canada Yup, I was thinking about Texas or California but living in Canada for almost two decades, very warm temps are not my cup of coffee.

Thanks for sharing the URL and your thoughts, you are so kind.

 

[DEEPCUR]

No state tax.. sounds too good for someone from Canada Yup, I was thinking about Texas or California but living in Canada for almost two decades, very warm temps are not my cup of coffee.

Thanks for sharing the URL and your thoughts, you are so kind.

No problem!

Now you will understand why Indians are desperate to move to Canada from US! 40%-50% loss is pay cut is seen as premium payment for Canadian passport + nobody wants to go back to India, and Canada is next best option!

 

[Jim_J]

Yes, I can see that. But in Canada, job opportunities are very less and interview process is long and tough. I know many well educated people working in factories here, since I studied here it was bit easy for me to get into groove. Only chance to land in a good job through recommendation from my experience. Well, I think I may settle with my decent six digits here :-|

 

[fr72]

No state tax.. sounds too good for someone from Canada Yup, I was thinking about Texas or California but living in Canada for almost two decades, very warm temps are not my cup of coffee.

Thanks for sharing the URL and your thoughts, you are so kind.

Seattle is a good place too. No state tax in WA and mild climate.

 

[canuck78]

Would also mention that if you are working in the US but your family remains in Canada you will still have to pay Canadian taxes on your US income as well as US taxes. Once your whole family moves that may be a different story depending on your ties in Canada.

 

[aa0303]

Good day,

I am a Indian born Canadian citizen looking to move to US. I am a software developer with 15 years experience in Canada ; I came here as a student long back studied here as well. Got two PGs and excellent working experience under sleeve.

As you all may know, Salary in Canada is less compared to US. Advise required how I should proceed for :

1) What visa might be ideal for me to work in US (TN or H1B) and why?
2) Which will be the best state to try out if I am moving alone leaving family back here?
3) Which will be the best state to try out if I am moving along with family ? (Wife 3 kids).

My wife is also a software engineer (QA) with 10 years of Canadian software testing experience, which visa she should take if she wants to come along?

I am bit lost, I appreciate your thoughts. Thank you.

Hey,
Which city in Canada do you live in currently and which area is your work experience in.

I live in Texas and currently looking at options to move to Canada so it piqued my interest that you are looking to do the exact opposite