Immigrating to the USA
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"IKnowNothing" seems to know a lot! :-) Very nice summary!
The process is long, but it is worth waiting since there are many opportunities in the US. My experience of moving to the US was wonderful!
You are the encyclopedia of TN information dude...I've gathered a lot from your posts..
.And you are right, the process is worth waiting. It eventually pays up. If I had to live in NA for ever, I would have started the process long ago.
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Originally posted by wall-E
Now and then during the terrible winters I think its time to move to the states.
I have 2 questions:
1) Has anyone immigrated to the states from Canada and how difficult or easy a process that is? My wife is still on PR. I am a canadian citizen.
2) For people who have not immigrated (i.e. not got a green card) but just working in the USA on a visa (being a Canadian citizen and using Nafta), what is your experience like?
Well! I am a Canadian PR currently living in US waiting for my US Green Card (EB2-Priority Date 2007) to come through. But given the exorbitant delays in immigration, I intend to abandon my US GC and relocate to Canada for good.
Canada and US are unique in different ways and comparing these countries will only result in apples to oranges comparison. The population of US stands at around 300 million, about 10 times the population of Canada. Hence it's obvious that the job market in US is much more competitive than Canada.
US is a bed of roses when you have a stable job and a proper immigration status. But the employment based immigration system is extremely painful for people who were born in India and China and the wait times for EB3/EB2 India are anywhere between 8-10 years.
The path to employment based GC is very complex and convoluted that even the immigration attorneys get lost at times. Refer link below to understand the employment based immigration process in a nut shell
http://www.path2usa.com/immigration/greencard/employer_based_greencard.htm
To answer your question, the only advantage in being a Canadian citizen is that you're eligible for TN visa if you qualify for a set of occupations defined under NAFTA. But remember, TN is a non-immigrant Visa and you might have to prove ties with Canada every time you apply for one.
Though there are cases where people had applied for US Green Card being on TN, the outcome of such a step might be disastrous cuz you're establishing your immigrant intent by being on a non-immigrant visa. This means that US immigration might deny your TN visa renewal, when they come to know that you had applied for US GC.
On the other hand, H1/L1 are dual intent visas and you can very well go ahead and apply for a US GC without raising any eyebrows. And again these visas have many conditions associated with it and you/your employer has to abide by those conditions in order to maintain proper immigration status in US.
EB1 is the quickest way to get a US green card. As suggested by someone, it not necessary that you have a PhD in order to apply for it and many desi's use the "International Manager" loophole to apply for one. All it takes is a multinational employer with offices in US and other countries having you at a senior position in US, commanding a high salary by managing people in US and abroad. In summary, you should be reasonably high up among the corporate hierarchy to apply in EB1.
Weather-wise, California, Florida and Texas remain sunny all year along and these places provide a perfect refuge for people frustrated with freezing weather conditions up North. Racial discrimination is minimal in US as the laws are very strict against such discrimination's. Salaries are high compared to Canada and the IT industry takes a big scoop of it.
To summarize, if you have the determination to overcome all the challenges that US might throw on you, then go for it. The other option which you might want to look into is to commute along the US-Canada border for work. That way you can have the best of both worlds.
Thanks a lot guys.
For those who have lived and worked both in Canada and USA, how do you compare
- the lifestyle in general
- social life
- Desi stuff like INdian restaurants, movies, temples, desis gettings along
- healthcare?
- whats -ves do you find in USA compared to Canada
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Originally posted by wall-E
- the lifestyle in general
-- The life style in general is similar. But since the US tax rate is lower and the salaries are much higher as compared to those in Canada, your buying power is stronger in USA. Also, the cost of living in general, is cheaper in USA.
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- social life
-- Social life is good and comparable. My observation: There are lot more (successful) techies in the US, so the probability of finding friends in the same age-group is higher.
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- Desi stuff like INdian restaurants, movies, temples, desis gettings along
-- It depends on where you live. But in general, no problems at all in finding good desi friends, food, movies, etc.
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- healthcare?
-- Canadian healthcare system in general is better than the US healthcare system. United States can be viewed as the "Survival of the fittest" kind of thing. If you have a job, then the healthcare is provided by the employer and in that case, it is a non- issue. But if you lose your job, it is very expensive (read: not affordable).
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- whats -ves do you find in USA compared to Canada
-- This will vary from person to person. There could be many, but the only thing that comes to my mind right now is the healthcare system.
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Originally posted by wall-E
- whats -ves do you find in USA compared to Canada
As long as you are on H1B or L1, you will not get any social security if you lose your job (even though you pay social security taxes). Nobody knows how many years your GC processing will take. But be prepared for the above for all those years.
Also, for H1B, L1 etc, you need to stick with the same employer until you get GC. In other words, no survival or odd jobs.
Also, if you are working for an employer who is processing your GC and you lose your job, then GC processing may be affected and you may have to start all over again.
Location: Western Hemisphere
Posted on: 09-06-09 08:22:55
Regarding social security, if one has worked in the US eligible number of years (10 years, I believe), consecutive or otherwise, and is a Cdn citizen living in Canada, there is a treaty that allows drawing social security. The bigger issue might be social security may not have any money left in few more years.
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Dimple2001
My two cents:
I have family members who immigrated to the US, starting 1982. My family based green card itself has been approved, and hopefully by early next year, I should be there.
Honestly, living in the US or here in Canada, is a matter of preference. I know of people who endlessly debate about the advantages of living here, as opposed to the one in the US. In the end, there is something called fortune (or hard work, perseverance translated into success), that comes to play and one's attitude towards people, and places depends on one's experiences.
There are some truths, however concerning life in the US.
1) There are certainly more opportunities there, than there is here. There are more success stories that you hear about people living there.
2) Unlike stories of \"Canadian Experience\", there is comparatively fewer stories of employers asking for \"US experience\".
3) The tax rate is considered lower - one has to make a comparison based on which state one decides to relocate too - for example California has a high tax rate, both on goods and income tax. For example the tax on gasoline is the highest in NY state, and the lowest in Alaska. On goods & services the highest tax is 11 %. In other words, real income is higher there than here. Gasoline is about 20 - 30 cents per liter cheaper than it is here.. there is also real competition. Gas companies do not gang up together and fix prices as they do here.
4)On the flip side, there is no such thing as child tax benefit for people living in the US. For the most part, universal health care does not exist - but then again, you don't wait 6 weeks for an MRI to be done!!
In the end, if you look at the picture dispassionately, there are more distinct advantages of living there, than here. I know there are others who will disagree, but I do respect the opinion of my fellow Desi's on this forum
