I sent this message in response to a query regarding 2174 jobs in Canada. Figured it would benefit all (as most of the points are valid for non-2174 skills as well).
A few points to note about the 2174 job market in Canada :
1. Most of the jobs are concentrated in the Toronto area, followed by Vancouver. There are IT jobs in every major city (but don't expect IT services/product companies to have offices in many cities like they do in US). You will get hired directly by client companies, not service companies.
2. A lot of people (especially newcomers to Canada) will get contract jobs as opposed to full-time. Unlike India, contract jobs are preferred by people as they pay much higher (e.g. $30+ for regular, $50+ for contract) so you can actually save more money even if you have a break between contracts
3. Consultants (in Canada) help you find jobs. Generally they don't charge you anything, they get commission directly from the company that hires you. e.g. a friend got a contract job through consultant that pays him $50 an hour, and consultant gets $50 as well. So if he had got the job without consultant, he could've been making upto $100 an hour (no kidding).
4. A lot of jobs are not advertised, they are only found through references. So start networking in your company/friends circle, if you know someone in an IT company they can refer you and highly increase your chances of getting selected.
5. Communication skills are of prime importance. When employers are selecting candidates, their primary concern wrt immigrants is whether you will be able to gel well within the work environment. To a larger extent, being a good communicator (in English) is valued higher than being a Subject Matter Expert on a technology.
Good luck, everyone!
