I am living in GTA and have wife and 2 babies. Winters drive me crazy here and the summers tend to be too hot and humid. BAsically the number of days I spend outdoors is very limited, leaving me to consider moving to the states.

So if there is anyone on this board who lives in USA, I would appreciate some answers:

- I want to move to a place where weather is good for most of the year (8months+). Not too hot or too cold .. where I can leave the windows of my home open. I guess California is a good place .. any others? Note: I am looking for a place with a sizable Indian community i.e. Indian restaurants, Indian movie halls, Temples etc.


- TN Visa seems the best way to move to states, but under TN visa can my wife work in USA too?

- Schooling for children in Canada is free. What happens if I move to the states ... is schooling free?

- Cost of living I know depends on the region,and I guess California is very expensive. How much should one earn in california say to have a similar lifestyle to $100K/annum in GTA?

- Labour in Canada is very expensive which means you have to spend lots of time doing things yourself e.g. painting homes, maintaining lawns, shovelling snow and other work around the house. Is it the same for USA?

- Canada is relatively crime free, does USA compare?

- Does it makes sense just to directly apply for family immigration .. how long does that take?

1. If your wife is a Cdn citizen as well, yes she can work under TN category, if her profession is eligible. You must have an employment offer and the employer has to sponsor the TN application.

2. K-12 in public school is free - similar to Canada.

3. Labor is equally expensive ($50 to $90 per hour).

4. Crime depends on the location. Metro Detroit for example is safer than city of Detroit. Mind you, "safer" is and always be a relative term.

5. Family immigration? You cannot immigrate yourself. You need a sponsor. Do you have a family sponsor? Are you as adults eligible to be sponsored? If yes to both, if your country of birth is India, timeline could be several years. Currently, applications from 2001 to 2003 are being worked on. There are several priority categories.

6. Weather - you'll never find the perfect weather...yes CA is good if you can stay away from the quake belt. NC and SC are good, but could get hot and has risk of hurricanes along the coast.

7. Cost of living depends on the location.

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Dimple2001

Thanks Dimple. You live in the states?

My wife won't be eligible under the specialized jobs in TN category. So if I am elligible under TN, but my wife wants to do some job say like a school teacher, or bank teller, then she can't do such a job?

p.s. My country of birth is Kenya (wife is India), but I have no family in USA.

Few more questions

- When if you lose your job. Then you are in a rush to get another job who is sponsoring TN visa correct? And that may be difficult to get which means you are forced to move back to canada?

- Also health insurance is covered by companies in general. But if you are in between jobs then you need to get health insurance yourself?

- Overall irrespective of cost do people find the medical service they get in USA better than in canada?

No, I don't live in the states, but have in the past. Your wife can work on H1 if her profession and qualifications are eligible and if there is an employer willing to hire her and sponsor her. Or else, she would be on dependent status (TD).

Family immigration is not possible, However, based on your country of birth, you might be eligible for the Green Card lottery. It's a lottery, hence there is only a certain probability of winning.

If you lose your job, you lose your immigration status immediately and technically you are supposed to leave the US immediately. Usually, that means about 10 days. Yes, that situation would make it extremely stressful.

Health insurance outside of employer's coverage is extremely expensive. Really expensive. Usually, employer's insurance would provide coverage for an additional 3 months (I think) beyond end of employment date.

Quality of health care is fairly comparable to Canada. What is superior in the States is the almost instant availability for appointment based visits and specialized care. For example, my son had ENT appointment that was 5 weeks away while in Michigan, I got it for the next day. Walk-in clinics and ERs are equally messed up in the States as well - crowded and hurried service.

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Dimple2001

Thanks a lot Dimple. Seems like moving to the states is not easy at all.


You mention health insurance is very expensive. So I am curious .. what happens to USA citizens who are out of jobs or have retired. How do they manage to afford health care. Even basic health care is not free I presume.

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Originally posted by wall-E

Thanks a lot Dimple. Seems like moving to the states is not easy at all.


You mention health insurance is very expensive. So I am curious .. what happens to USA citizens who are out of jobs or have retired. How do they manage to afford health care. Even basic health care is not free I presume.

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Dimple2001

Thanks. I am not worried about getting the job. That I think I can get. Also I think I can get the TN visa. Other things worry me like what I have listed -

- health insurance for me and family when losing a job
- children schooling (I think some states are not free .. someone told me in california children schooling is very expensive)
- My wife will be on TD visa and possibility of her working.
- Is it worthwhile in the long run for better weather and maybe more money.
- Depending on location but don't want to be in a "white" town .. no desi movies, no desi restaurants etc etc.