Living in Vancouver and working in Seattle?
- Thread starter rrv
- Start date
Hi Everyone,
I live in Seattle, WA and work for a US company on H1B. I received my PR recently and did a soft landing few days ago. I am considering to move to Surrey/White Rock/Other place close to US border. I have received an offer from a Company which is offering me a remote job. I was considering below options:
Option 1:
Live close to border(South Surrey, White Rock, other place close to US border). Will Rent a place in Blaine, WA to setup an office and commute daily between Canada(Ex: White Rock) and US(Ex Blaine). This will help ensure I am meeting H1B requirements and accruing days towards my residency status in Canada.
Option 2:
Work remotely from Canada all year round and have no residence in USA. Will my H1B be even valid in this case?
Option 3:
Work remotely from Canada all year round and rent a place in Blaine for residency purpose for remote job in USA. Is this even a possible option ?
I am aware that I need to pay taxes for both US and Canada if I chose any option. I prefer option 1 as it is the least complicated one. Do I need to talk to my future employer about my plan? Does it even matter to them from where I commute from to work in my remote work location?
Any helps is greatly appreciated. I would like to connect with people who are doing the same.
@su0du0tict Are you renting your place in Blaine?
I live in Seattle, WA and work for a US company on H1B. I received my PR recently and did a soft landing few days ago. I am considering to move to Surrey/White Rock/Other place close to US border. I have received an offer from a Company which is offering me a remote job. I was considering below options:
Option 1:
Live close to border(South Surrey, White Rock, other place close to US border). Will Rent a place in Blaine, WA to setup an office and commute daily between Canada(Ex: White Rock) and US(Ex Blaine). This will help ensure I am meeting H1B requirements and accruing days towards my residency status in Canada.
Option 2:
Work remotely from Canada all year round and have no residence in USA. Will my H1B be even valid in this case?
Option 3:
Work remotely from Canada all year round and rent a place in Blaine for residency purpose for remote job in USA. Is this even a possible option ?
I am aware that I need to pay taxes for both US and Canada if I chose any option. I prefer option 1 as it is the least complicated one. Do I need to talk to my future employer about my plan? Does it even matter to them from where I commute from to work in my remote work location?
Any helps is greatly appreciated. I would like to connect with people who are doing the same.
@su0du0tict Are you renting your place in Blaine?
Option one is going by the books and will work.
2 and 3 are tricky , in some posts , some people have mentioned they do it, but not too sure. Theoretically , on H1 you shall be working 40 hours a week in the USA.
2 and 3 are tricky , in some posts , some people have mentioned they do it, but not too sure. Theoretically , on H1 you shall be working 40 hours a week in the USA.
You mentioned getting an offer from a company which is offering a remote job position. Is that the SAME company that you are working for now on your H1B. As far as I know, H1B is tied to your employer. If you need to switch job, you need to look into getting a new H1B.
I am also curious about these, thinking about same options!
For option 1 is that ok from H1B perspective? Won't the CBP/USCIS complain that there is no need for H1B and you can just work entirely remotely?
I am also considering another option:
Option 4:
Rent a room in Seattle, work for my company in their Seattle office. Leave Tuesday morning from White Rock and return Thursday evening. This should count for 6/7 days in Canada per week with only Wednesday out of Canada completely. Family would live in Canada the whole time so only downside is will miss them 3 days a week
He/she will be working in US (Blaine is in WA) so he will be commuting to work every weekday on US soil. Some sensitive data cannot leave US soil. So there could be legit reason why he/she needs to commute to work in US and need the H1B. And not all company are ready to hire someone to work in a different country remotely.I am also curious about these, thinking about same options!
For option 1 is that ok from H1B perspective? Won't the CBP/USCIS complain that there is no need for H1B and you can just work entirely remotely?
I am also considering another option:
Option 4:
Rent a room in Seattle, work for my company in their Seattle office. Leave Tuesday morning from White Rock and return Thursday evening. This should count for 6/7 days in Canada per week with only Wednesday out of Canada completely. Family would live in Canada the whole time so only downside is will miss them 3 days a week
Thanks this is helpful!
Do you know if folks are doing this successfully long term. Its definitely easier logistically than my option of commuting all the way to Seattle
I saw some people are following Option 4 but I can work from any location in USA(remote job), that's why I would prefer city/town close to Canada border.I am also curious about these, thinking about same options!
For option 1 is that ok from H1B perspective? Won't the CBP/USCIS complain that there is no need for H1B and you can just work entirely remotely?
I am also considering another option:
Option 4:
Rent a room in Seattle, work for my company in their Seattle office. Leave Tuesday morning from White Rock and return Thursday evening. This should count for 6/7 days in Canada per week with only Wednesday out of Canada completely. Family would live in Canada the whole time so only downside is will miss them 3 days a week
No, it is a different company. I have to go through H1B transfer to join the new Company. I just want to understand whether it is a good idea to bring this discussion before joining the company. I am evaluating options to maintain my statuses in both countries. Since, I will work from USA during office hours, there shouldn't be any problem in terms of compliance.
You must bring this up with your company because this has implications for them as well. For security reasons some companies don’t allow people to work outside the US, some companies don’t allow remote work, some companies only want workers in the US for other reasons, some companies don’t want to get involved with immigration in general, etc. No matter what if your family lives in Canada you are a tax resident so will have to pay Canadian taxes (US as well if you work on H1B) and your spouse will need to declare international family income.
You need to let your new employer know and discuss any implication. Some would not want to deal with complex situation.
US and Canada are 2 different countries. Some wouldn't even want your work laptop to cross the border (tho less of an issue with the Canadian vs other more sensitivie countries). And if there's any issue with border policy, they are risking you to be "stuck" on the other side of the border and unable to work for them. So do not try to hide this from your future emploer.
As stated, you need to file Canadian tax regardless since your family lives in Canada.
Do you know if daily/regular commute might cause any problem's with US GC eventually at some point in the future. I expect to be a canadian citizen before my US PD becomes current again (Q3 2014). So wondering if so many weekly/daily entry/exits on the I94 will be a problem to explain during a potential future GC interview?
Hey dude i am in a similar boat.
i have h1b and canada pr.
which option have you decided on?