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Canadians working for US company remotely?

• ryptophan 10y ago
  Ooo this has been on my mind as well. To add, if I may, off the top of my head: - How do your taxes work (I would assume not deducted by payroll, etc) - If you enter USA for any work-related thing, do you need a work visa? (I assume the answer is yes, but maybe it's more nuanced?) To the general HN community: has anyone seen/heard of US companies hiring up north to try and get a 'discount' on talent, based on the currently weak CAD?
  • kspaans 10y ago
    I'm a Canadian working for a US company in the US, but I can say (having worked remotely in the past), that you'd very likely be paid as a consultant or contractor, so your taxes would work like you're self-employed. And my understanding is that the work visa issue is nuanced. Generally speaking, if you are doing paid/productive work in the US, you need a work visa. But I think if you make special arrangements, as a contractor, you can enter on a tourist visa for some purposes. For example, if you are engaged in training and your employer pays for the travel (it may just happen to be expensive travel equal to your weekly pay), then you technically aren't engaged in paid, productive work while you're in the US. (I am not an immigration lawyer, this is not legal advice. :P)
    • cdhdc 10y ago
      Attending conferences and training isn't a problem. But eventually if you follow kspaans advice you'll get turned away at the border and it will be a huge hassle from then forward. For most Canadians it is relatively easy to get a TN status (not a visa but the ability to work in US for a specific employer) with the appropriate documentation. Or you might need to investigate getting a B1 (business visa).
    • panbhatt 10y ago
      Hi, Can you please help me with some of the contacts to get work at US based companies. I am based out of TORONTO and believe me, its really hard to find what I use to get at US. I will definitely appreciate your help. My email is panbhatt attherateof gmail.com
      • kspaans 10y ago
        Nepotism (friends from UWaterloo referred me), so unfortunately I can't help you directly. We are hiring though, so I'll send you an email.
• mareseatoats 10y ago
  I've hired Canadians to work oh fully remote engineering teams. We didn't try to get a good deal, just tried to find good talent. We kept them as contractors for legal reasons but treated them like employees. We paid between 120k and 160k USD depending on ability. SF Series B Startup.
  • hourislate 10y ago
    My God you could have paid them 1/2 of that or hired twice as many. You understand that there is a 30%-35% premium on USD? You also understand it isn't difficult to find good talent since there is a shortage of work and most are under employed.
    • zerr 10y ago
      You should look at it from another side - those who look for (and are able to do) remote work, have more options compared to "local competitive" market.
      • panbhatt 10y ago
        local market sucks here bigtime. Even 100k seems them to like ripping there finances off badly. I can't even understand. Despite of that cost of living is very high. E.x. Chipotle Burrito : US: 6.75$ CAD: 10$ Subway: US: 6.75$ CAD: 10$ > I am really so pissed off these tech companies, who doesn't pay well but wanted you to take full responsibility as your are a labourer rather then a software eng.
    • kohanz 10y ago
      And what about when the dollar was on par not too long ago? Difficult to factor in exchange rate.
    • coralreef 10y ago
      Not really, Canadians know their market rate. And its not like there isn't competition for remote workers.
  • 10y ago
• gesman 10y ago
  I used to (1996-2000) work remotely for IBM Watson Research (as a consultant). Visiting IBM once a month or so for a few days to communicate with team. I had rather specific rare set of skills (malware and security research and investigation experience). Basically having rare set of skills - not necessarily in high demand - will help. Been paid in US dollars at a higher rate than Canadian employer would pay, plus exchange rate was favorable too. Worked in a corp-to-corp arrangement through canadian-based consulting company.
• hackermailman 10y ago
  I work remotely for a US company but they are a 100% remote company so everybody is scattered across the globe there, I found them a few years ago in a Who's Hiring thread posted here. I make far more than what a local company would ever pay me, and in USD. I set up a federal corporation, hire somebody to do taxes every year and have a USD local business account to receive wires because any bank will pillage you in fees to exchange wires otherwise. The only problem is dealing with both sides of the border when you tell them you're going down/returning for something work related. It can range from an hour long interrogation to being waived through so I stopped attending any kind of work related conferences or meetings if they are in the US. Others also had problems so we generally do this in the UK now.