6 ms·

How easy is to get a job in Montreal if I am not from North America and don't have a Visa or PR?

sonnyblarney 8y ago
If you are an American it's trivial if you have a technical degree. You get a TN visa at the border and can renew for up to 6 years.
- blocked_again 8y ago
  I am not an American.
  - sonnyblarney 8y ago
    It's probably easier than moving to the US, it's a points system, much easier if you have a job and a technical degree, but not trivial either. We have quite a lot of immigration.
    - chrisper 8y ago
      I heard that the taxes are quite high in Canada and so is the cost of living. Can you shed some light on this?
      - otalp 8y ago
        I did the math for Toronto(which is more expensive than Montreal). For a typical software engineer, taxes take away 25% of gross pay in Ontario while it's over 30% in California and New York. Cost of living is much less(by 30-40% if you rent) in Toronto compared to Cali/New York. Of course, you will also earn 40% less in USD. So it about evens out
        branchless 8y ago
        I did the math on SV, New York and Toronto, and I'm not in any of them. Hooray!
        localtalent 8y ago
        From what I've experienced, this is rapidly becoming untrue - CoL in Toronto has become very high, friends are paying comparable to what I paid in NYC but salaries are definitely lower. They're paying in CAD what I paid in USD, but are earning 20-30% less. Food is also more expensive (particularly eating out), on the whole, than NYC. Most new construction apartments are quite small, and the older, larger ones command a significant premium. You can move out of the downtown core (to North York, Scarborough, etc) but then you're committed to a long commute on the slow TTC or sitting in traffic on the 401. MTL is much cheaper, but salaries also lag even further.
        otalp 8y ago
        According to numbeo[1] which crowdsources data, groceries and restaurants are 20% cheaper(adjusted for currency) in Toronto, but of course the salary is more than 20% lower, which might explain your experience. The real kicker is the rent, while Toronto rent is definitely increasing, it is nowhere close to New York City levels, and most sources do say you have to pay 50% more for an equivalent apartment in NYC. Also according to my calculations from the data on numbeo, the equivalent of (pre-tax) $135,000 USD in NYC is $110,000 CAD in Toronto. It is of course easier to get 135k in NYC than 110k in Toronto, but the difference isn't nearly as big as the CAD/USD differences and wage gap makes it seem. And if you can get a job in the Waterloo-Kitchenner area, CoL of course plummets. Freelancing for clients in the US or working remotely also has great advantages. [1]https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+States&country2=Canada&city1=New+York%2C+NY&city2=Toronto&tracking=getDispatchComparison https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?cou...
        itwy 8y ago
        How did you come up with 25%? My taxes are almost exactly 40%.
      - barrow-rider 8y ago
        COL is higher than the US across the board, but coming from a big East-Coast US city the costs aren't crazy to me. That said I saw an article about how Vancouver is now the most affordable city in North America, so maybe my perception was skewed by NYC-DC prices. Taxes are a bit higher but nothing insane; I feel the pinch more at the grocery store buying produce. The salaries in Canada, however, are just not up to par with the US. The CAD to USD currency rate is also not amazing (0.77 CAD to 1 USD last I looked). I work remotely for an American company, but if I didn't it would be a huge pay cut for me.
- barrow-rider 8y ago
  The TN visa is good for 3 years at a time and can be renewed an unlimited number of times. It is NOT a path to Permanent Resident or Citizenship, however; you will have to get on a different visa for that (e.g. marry a local, get sponsored via non-TN work permit, etc). Also, definitely not trivial, even as an American with a technical degree. The paperwork & process isn't hard but getting a TN sponsor is non-trivial. Quebec also has their own immigration rules and you have to apply with them as well as with the Federal government. Not sure how TN's work in QC, but I know only Canadian PRs and Citizens can move there; if you're a temporary resident from outside of the province you need to talk to QC Immigration. Caveat: this is based on old NAFTA rules, not sure how they work or if there are changes under the recently-signed "NAFTA 2.0."
philprx 8y ago
Canada has an age pyramid problem: that means that young skilled people have an excellent chance of being selected for immigration.
m_t 8y ago
You need a visa. Either a Travel+Toursim visa (depending if you're nationality of origin is eligible) or a Visa sponsored by an employer.

If you are an American it's trivial if you have a technical degree. You get a TN visa at the border and can renew for up to 6 years.

blocked_again 8y ago
I am not an American.
- sonnyblarney 8y ago
  It's probably easier than moving to the US, it's a points system, much easier if you have a job and a technical degree, but not trivial either. We have quite a lot of immigration.
  - chrisper 8y ago
    I heard that the taxes are quite high in Canada and so is the cost of living. Can you shed some light on this?
    - otalp 8y ago
      I did the math for Toronto(which is more expensive than Montreal). For a typical software engineer, taxes take away 25% of gross pay in Ontario while it's over 30% in California and New York. Cost of living is much less(by 30-40% if you rent) in Toronto compared to Cali/New York. Of course, you will also earn 40% less in USD. So it about evens out
      - branchless 8y ago
        I did the math on SV, New York and Toronto, and I'm not in any of them. Hooray!
      - localtalent 8y ago
        From what I've experienced, this is rapidly becoming untrue - CoL in Toronto has become very high, friends are paying comparable to what I paid in NYC but salaries are definitely lower. They're paying in CAD what I paid in USD, but are earning 20-30% less. Food is also more expensive (particularly eating out), on the whole, than NYC. Most new construction apartments are quite small, and the older, larger ones command a significant premium. You can move out of the downtown core (to North York, Scarborough, etc) but then you're committed to a long commute on the slow TTC or sitting in traffic on the 401. MTL is much cheaper, but salaries also lag even further.
        otalp 8y ago
        According to numbeo[1] which crowdsources data, groceries and restaurants are 20% cheaper(adjusted for currency) in Toronto, but of course the salary is more than 20% lower, which might explain your experience. The real kicker is the rent, while Toronto rent is definitely increasing, it is nowhere close to New York City levels, and most sources do say you have to pay 50% more for an equivalent apartment in NYC. Also according to my calculations from the data on numbeo, the equivalent of (pre-tax) $135,000 USD in NYC is $110,000 CAD in Toronto. It is of course easier to get 135k in NYC than 110k in Toronto, but the difference isn't nearly as big as the CAD/USD differences and wage gap makes it seem. And if you can get a job in the Waterloo-Kitchenner area, CoL of course plummets. Freelancing for clients in the US or working remotely also has great advantages. [1]https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+States&country2=Canada&city1=New+York%2C+NY&city2=Toronto&tracking=getDispatchComparison https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?cou...
      - itwy 8y ago
        How did you come up with 25%? My taxes are almost exactly 40%.
    - barrow-rider 8y ago
      COL is higher than the US across the board, but coming from a big East-Coast US city the costs aren't crazy to me. That said I saw an article about how Vancouver is now the most affordable city in North America, so maybe my perception was skewed by NYC-DC prices. Taxes are a bit higher but nothing insane; I feel the pinch more at the grocery store buying produce. The salaries in Canada, however, are just not up to par with the US. The CAD to USD currency rate is also not amazing (0.77 CAD to 1 USD last I looked). I work remotely for an American company, but if I didn't it would be a huge pay cut for me.
barrow-rider 8y ago
The TN visa is good for 3 years at a time and can be renewed an unlimited number of times. It is NOT a path to Permanent Resident or Citizenship, however; you will have to get on a different visa for that (e.g. marry a local, get sponsored via non-TN work permit, etc). Also, definitely not trivial, even as an American with a technical degree. The paperwork & process isn't hard but getting a TN sponsor is non-trivial. Quebec also has their own immigration rules and you have to apply with them as well as with the Federal government. Not sure how TN's work in QC, but I know only Canadian PRs and Citizens can move there; if you're a temporary resident from outside of the province you need to talk to QC Immigration. Caveat: this is based on old NAFTA rules, not sure how they work or if there are changes under the recently-signed "NAFTA 2.0."

philprx 8y ago

Canada has an age pyramid problem: that means that young skilled people have an excellent chance of being selected for immigration.

m_t 8y ago

You need a visa. Either a Travel+Toursim visa (depending if you're nationality of origin is eligible) or a Visa sponsored by an employer.