5 ms·

Considering Moving to the US from Canada

15 points by taesu 4y ago

I recently became a Canadian citizen. (Toronto, ON) Upon visiting a friend in LA, a thought of living permanently in the states came to my mind, for two reasons, generally better pay for software engineer and better climate. My wife and I are eyeing TX and WA. I just wanted to hear HN's input on it, preferably those who has gone similar paths. For background info, my wife and I are both Canadians, both age 31, no kids. Wife is a RFP manager and I'm a senior software engineer (E-comm, serverless, distributed, typescript, php, python) both of us have 4yr Uni degree in Canada. My questions are: 1. What states do you recommend considering the weather & tax rates. 2. How should I start? Do I start interviewing asking them for H1B right away? 3. Any employers to avoid on? 4. Any concerns/tips on moving to the states from Canada. Thanks in advance.

BayAreaEscapee 4y ago
I managed engineers in Silicon Valley for many years, although I've been retired for awhile. The problem with H1B visas (at least when I was a manager) was that there was a quota and it was about 3x oversubscribed: so most applicants won't get the visa. (There is a separate queue for people with an MS degree from a US university, but it sounds like that doesn't apply for you). Have you considered just using a TN-1 visa to get started and then trying to switch to a H1B every year until you pass the lottery? That should make you eligible for employment right away. I think the downside to TN-1 is that it's not considered an immigrant visa, so you can't transition to permanent residency, which is why you would want to continue to transition to H1B once you've gotten employed. (Interested in what others have to say: maybe my opinion is out-of-date. IANAL.) Regarding states: the best salaries are in Silicon Valley, obviously, but the taxes and living expenses there are high. If I were looking for work, I'd go to Austin, Texas. The salaries aren't as high but there are still a lot of tech employers and there is no state income tax. You might also consider the Research Triangle Park area in North Carolina.
- mcrae 4y ago
  One nit: you can actually transition directly to permanent residency from TN status. The only challenge is that after you file, you can't leave the US! That's why, as you explained, generally the play is to wait to transition to an H1B before starting the process. For the OP: entering the US with TN status is relatively trivial. FANG companies recognise this, and will interview you more or less as if you had work authorisation in the US. Totally doable also for smaller employers, and is honestly easy enough for you to do on your own if needed. Either your employer will provide you with documents to show CBP at the border when you first enter and they'll adjudicate your application on the spot, or your employer will apply for the TN a priori which takes only a few weeks - this allows you to enter in a sort of pre-authorised way. One note on permanent residency: there are limits for employment-based green cards on the basis of your country of birth (not your country of citizenship). This makes things difficult if you were born in India or China.
  - taesu 4y ago
    Thanks for the input. Not born i those countries!
deaddodo 4y ago
1 - California (and a slightly lesser degree, New York) will easily have the highest salaries. But you can easily eat into that with taxes and rent (if you choose to live in "Trendy" areas of LA, SD and The Bay). Colorado, Texas and Washington are also very strong in tech, but jobs are available pretty much in any major metro. Colorado and Austin are generally considered the best balance of Income : CoL : Lifestyle : Climate. It's a power polygon, what you gain in one area you lose elsewhere; for example California has awesome income and climate, reasonable lifestyle amenities, but terrible Cost of Living. You'll need to find the place that has the best balance for you and your family. 2 - it's generally very easy to get a job with an American firm since there is lax regulation and an emphasis on bringing the best talent into the economic sphere ("braindrain"). Due to the current situation, they're more likely to want to hire you remote though. If they are wanting to bring you into the office, you have to verify that they do sponsorships from the outset (else they'll expect you to make your own visa arrangements). If they sponsor you, this is the easiest route and would require an H1b. If you believe your skills are in high demand, you're an asset in your field and have an impeccable background; you can self-sponsor (H2B) or, even more unlikely, get an extraordinary talent visa (O). There's also the TN1 visa, but I'm less informed regarding it and generally is less intended for your use case. 3 - there are literally millions of employers in the US and thousands in the sphere you're targeting. It would be impossible to give an exhaustive list. First find employers that are willing to sponsor, in your area, with a job you qualify for. Then go about crossing them off via Glassdoor. 4 - only the ones you probably know. Guns are more prevalent. You'll need to pay for your medical insurance; in your field this will probably be provided by your company at something like 30-150/mo individual or 100-400/mo family (depending on plan and generosity of your company, make sure to ask about this during your initial interviews). You'll need to get a local driver's license. You will need to have a hefty chunk of cash in the bank if you want a decent apartment, to prove fiscal responsibility (as you have no credit).
- canam 4y ago
  We moved to the US from Canada 20 years ago. Fortunately we found a bank that would look at our Canadian credit history and were able to buy a house. Not all credit checks were as flexible. We couldn’t get a cell phone plan for several years.
adave 4y ago
And here we are waiting for at least 100years to get a GC on a H1B.Happy you are Canadian OP. I would stay in Canada due to better quality of life and overall better government policies. However money wise you can make bank in a few years and move back. Its very easy for Canadians to work in the US as compared to some other countries.
sircastor 4y ago
You do not know how crazy our healthcare system is. We are currently hosting a couple of exchange students, and they have asked about some healthcare need. I’ll explain to them basically what needs to happen and simultaneously realize how absurd it is while I see the confusion overcome them. Just a caveat emptor.
- Mountain_Skies 4y ago
  The poster wants to work in the US. They'll get health insurance through their employer. Tech companies generally have very good health insurance benefits. It's a very different scenario than exchange students and not really comparable.
  - stevenicr 4y ago
    If you are coming from a place that covers everyone.. you may want to learn more than 'you are tech, don't worry' - Many of the tech jobs I've seen are actually 1099 contract gigs, which means you are going to be paying for your own health insurance (if you can get it) and your own taxes and stuff as well. Also, if you lose a job that was covering your health insurance, you have some interesting situations.. 'cobra' can temporarily keep you a float, but most people can not afford it when they are between jobs. So I'd say it's comparable and not all that different. Plenty of places here will refuse to take care of you if you have no insurance. Some places will do the minimum to keep you from dieing, but not help you fix health problems. Insurance 'lapse' could bankrupt you just trying to buy meds. If your fam already needs meds in Canada, might want to call around the pharmacies and ask how much they cost here. Even if you get insurance from a co, it may not cover the same drugs that you get elsewhere.
    - drstewart 4y ago
      >Some places will do the minimum to keep you from dieing No, literally all places will do that. It's the law. You might have some dangerous misunderstandings about the US healthcare system.
legitster 4y ago
We live in Western WA and love it. You will find that it's not much different to Vancouver BC in climate or culture. Cost of living may be a bit higher here, a bit lower there - but I think you will find the job market much more competitive.
aborsy 4y ago
CoL in CA and Health care will surprise you coming from Canada.
- refurb 4y ago
  Houses are more expensive in Toronto and Vancouver than SF right now. If OP gets a good tech job the healthcare will be annoying but easily manageable. The pay bump alone is worth it.
TbobbyZ 4y ago
Work remote in rural Southern California. You’ll be near Vegas, Palm Springs, Big Bear, and you can visit the beach cities and LA whenever you like.
chrismeller 4y ago
Personally WA is not for me, the dreary climate would impact my mood way too much. On the flip side I absolutely love Phoenix with its 360 days of sunshine every year. A 2% state tax rate is also very appealing.
yuppie_scum 4y ago
Don’t sleep on Raleigh/Durham. Also on a big tech salary you can probably afford to “snowbird.” Get a little condo in the south for the winter.
- taesu 4y ago
  That will be my dream! A place where family and friends can visit.

15 points by taesu 4y ago

BayAreaEscapee 4y ago

I managed engineers in Silicon Valley for many years, although I've been retired for awhile. The problem with H1B visas (at least when I was a manager) was that there was a quota and it was about 3x oversubscribed: so most applicants won't get the visa. (There is a separate queue for people with an MS degree from a US university, but it sounds like that doesn't apply for you). Have you considered just using a TN-1 visa to get started and then trying to switch to a H1B every year until you pass the lottery? That should make you eligible for employment right away. I think the downside to TN-1 is that it's not considered an immigrant visa, so you can't transition to permanent residency, which is why you would want to continue to transition to H1B once you've gotten employed. (Interested in what others have to say: maybe my opinion is out-of-date. IANAL.) Regarding states: the best salaries are in Silicon Valley, obviously, but the taxes and living expenses there are high. If I were looking for work, I'd go to Austin, Texas. The salaries aren't as high but there are still a lot of tech employers and there is no state income tax. You might also consider the Research Triangle Park area in North Carolina.

mcrae 4y ago
One nit: you can actually transition directly to permanent residency from TN status. The only challenge is that after you file, you can't leave the US! That's why, as you explained, generally the play is to wait to transition to an H1B before starting the process. For the OP: entering the US with TN status is relatively trivial. FANG companies recognise this, and will interview you more or less as if you had work authorisation in the US. Totally doable also for smaller employers, and is honestly easy enough for you to do on your own if needed. Either your employer will provide you with documents to show CBP at the border when you first enter and they'll adjudicate your application on the spot, or your employer will apply for the TN a priori which takes only a few weeks - this allows you to enter in a sort of pre-authorised way. One note on permanent residency: there are limits for employment-based green cards on the basis of your country of birth (not your country of citizenship). This makes things difficult if you were born in India or China.
- taesu 4y ago
  Thanks for the input. Not born i those countries!

deaddodo 4y ago

1 - California (and a slightly lesser degree, New York) will easily have the highest salaries. But you can easily eat into that with taxes and rent (if you choose to live in "Trendy" areas of LA, SD and The Bay). Colorado, Texas and Washington are also very strong in tech, but jobs are available pretty much in any major metro. Colorado and Austin are generally considered the best balance of Income : CoL : Lifestyle : Climate. It's a power polygon, what you gain in one area you lose elsewhere; for example California has awesome income and climate, reasonable lifestyle amenities, but terrible Cost of Living. You'll need to find the place that has the best balance for you and your family. 2 - it's generally very easy to get a job with an American firm since there is lax regulation and an emphasis on bringing the best talent into the economic sphere ("braindrain"). Due to the current situation, they're more likely to want to hire you remote though. If they are wanting to bring you into the office, you have to verify that they do sponsorships from the outset (else they'll expect you to make your own visa arrangements). If they sponsor you, this is the easiest route and would require an H1b. If you believe your skills are in high demand, you're an asset in your field and have an impeccable background; you can self-sponsor (H2B) or, even more unlikely, get an extraordinary talent visa (O). There's also the TN1 visa, but I'm less informed regarding it and generally is less intended for your use case. 3 - there are literally millions of employers in the US and thousands in the sphere you're targeting. It would be impossible to give an exhaustive list. First find employers that are willing to sponsor, in your area, with a job you qualify for. Then go about crossing them off via Glassdoor. 4 - only the ones you probably know. Guns are more prevalent. You'll need to pay for your medical insurance; in your field this will probably be provided by your company at something like 30-150/mo individual or 100-400/mo family (depending on plan and generosity of your company, make sure to ask about this during your initial interviews). You'll need to get a local driver's license. You will need to have a hefty chunk of cash in the bank if you want a decent apartment, to prove fiscal responsibility (as you have no credit).

canam 4y ago
We moved to the US from Canada 20 years ago. Fortunately we found a bank that would look at our Canadian credit history and were able to buy a house. Not all credit checks were as flexible. We couldn’t get a cell phone plan for several years.

adave 4y ago

And here we are waiting for at least 100years to get a GC on a H1B.Happy you are Canadian OP. I would stay in Canada due to better quality of life and overall better government policies. However money wise you can make bank in a few years and move back. Its very easy for Canadians to work in the US as compared to some other countries.

sircastor 4y ago

You do not know how crazy our healthcare system is. We are currently hosting a couple of exchange students, and they have asked about some healthcare need. I’ll explain to them basically what needs to happen and simultaneously realize how absurd it is while I see the confusion overcome them. Just a caveat emptor.

Mountain_Skies 4y ago
The poster wants to work in the US. They'll get health insurance through their employer. Tech companies generally have very good health insurance benefits. It's a very different scenario than exchange students and not really comparable.
- stevenicr 4y ago
  If you are coming from a place that covers everyone.. you may want to learn more than 'you are tech, don't worry' - Many of the tech jobs I've seen are actually 1099 contract gigs, which means you are going to be paying for your own health insurance (if you can get it) and your own taxes and stuff as well. Also, if you lose a job that was covering your health insurance, you have some interesting situations.. 'cobra' can temporarily keep you a float, but most people can not afford it when they are between jobs. So I'd say it's comparable and not all that different. Plenty of places here will refuse to take care of you if you have no insurance. Some places will do the minimum to keep you from dieing, but not help you fix health problems. Insurance 'lapse' could bankrupt you just trying to buy meds. If your fam already needs meds in Canada, might want to call around the pharmacies and ask how much they cost here. Even if you get insurance from a co, it may not cover the same drugs that you get elsewhere.
  - drstewart 4y ago
    >Some places will do the minimum to keep you from dieing No, literally all places will do that. It's the law. You might have some dangerous misunderstandings about the US healthcare system.

legitster 4y ago

We live in Western WA and love it. You will find that it's not much different to Vancouver BC in climate or culture. Cost of living may be a bit higher here, a bit lower there - but I think you will find the job market much more competitive.

aborsy 4y ago

CoL in CA and Health care will surprise you coming from Canada.

refurb 4y ago
Houses are more expensive in Toronto and Vancouver than SF right now. If OP gets a good tech job the healthcare will be annoying but easily manageable. The pay bump alone is worth it.

TbobbyZ 4y ago

Work remote in rural Southern California. You’ll be near Vegas, Palm Springs, Big Bear, and you can visit the beach cities and LA whenever you like.

chrismeller 4y ago

Personally WA is not for me, the dreary climate would impact my mood way too much. On the flip side I absolutely love Phoenix with its 360 days of sunshine every year. A 2% state tax rate is also very appealing.

yuppie_scum 4y ago

Don’t sleep on Raleigh/Durham. Also on a big tech salary you can probably afford to “snowbird.” Get a little condo in the south for the winter.

taesu 4y ago
That will be my dream! A place where family and friends can visit.