Hi All,

I am canadian citizen and working in IT industry in Canada. I have an offer of 110K from CA, USA. I have townhome here and living with family. I have two kids.

Company is ready for relocation amount, H1B and processing green card.

I had no plan to look for job in USA or move to USA but I am thinking after this offer.

What do you suggest on base of current economy?
What happens to green card process if I leave the company and join another company on H1B?
What is cost of living?
How much the cost of 1800 sq ft. townhome in areas near by silicon valley?

What else I should consider for relocation?

I'll definitely enjoy weather in compare of snow in canada.

Thanks,

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Success is Never Ending and Failure is Never Final.

I would have to imagine housing costs to be (in my opinion) ridiculously high. However, if you are from GTA, you might not feel the same way. In any case, I would think your biggest income drain would be on housing.

Green card - it is a complex process that is dependent on many factors - your country of birth, the employment category the application is filed and so on. What happens to your GC process if you leave the employer also depends on many factors and what stages of the process you are in. There are provisions to move employer, but there are conditions.

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Dimple2001

Dimple has added quite a perspective.. just adding bit of first hand experience of Silicon Valley.

Cost of housing hasn't come down much in and around Silicon valley but it experienced a correction. Townhome here (avg) to a townhome there would be
about 150% more but you get tax break on both your mortgage interest and the property taxes (confirm the second one).

Other than Cupertino, and pockets of Fremont (Aredenwood), Mission hill, schooling is some what compromised compared to what you see Peel.

Over all cost of living would be cheaper than GTA, if you factor in the weather and opportunities of next generation, you can't go wrong.

Weather is good, especially some one who moved from Canada will appreciate it. Those living in local don't seem to.. I wasn't.

Hhhhuuuge opportunity for kids in terms post secondary education (Standford, UC Berkley, UCLA) and an array of business to get a break.

H1B (at least 5 years back), you could transfer employment after you've got 6+ months on EAD, hope this hasn't changed. There is a bit of uncertainity going to dangle until GC is approved, but there are ways to tackle that which I didn't know in the past and then for a Canadian its no big deal. Just plan your GC carefully with all the fallback options, no biggie otherwise..

Looks like I'm bit complacent here, I should also try to move.. again the complancency..

Good luck..

Quote:

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Originally posted by meitsme

Hi All,

I am canadian citizen and working in IT industry in Canada. I have an offer of 110K from CA, USA. I have townhome here and living with family. I have two kids.

Company is ready for relocation amount, H1B and processing green card.

I had no plan to look for job in USA or move to USA but I am thinking after this offer.

What do you suggest on base of current economy?
What happens to green card process if I leave the company and join another company on H1B?
What is cost of living?
How much the cost of 1800 sq ft. townhome in areas near by silicon valley?

What else I should consider for relocation?

I'll definitely enjoy weather in compare of snow in canada.

Thanks,

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The cowards never started,
The weak died on the way,
Only the strong arrived.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yK1i9cLAMM

Hi MeItsMe,

I am going to put myself in your shoes and see what I would do with the offer.

1) If you are comfortably settled in Canada, I would not uproot myself at this stage in life given that there are so many unknowns in USA.

2) There is a huge bee line for US green cards, which means at least 8 years of having to live with complete uncertainty. Being on H1B, means if you ever get laid off, your green card process goes back to Square one - Mississauga.

3) I would not live in California for the same reason I would not live in Florida. California lies on the San Andreas Fault line. Even a temporary fleeing alert from an earthquake will shake you to the core. What premium are you wiling to pay for lives of you and your family? (I am being a bit dramatic here ).

4) USA is not the land of honey and milk it used to be earlier. US has become the land of 'Birthday suit'. see below

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/apr/05/us-sexual-humiliation-political-control

Good luck

Rajagopal.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Rajagopal

Hi MeItsMe,

I am going to put myself in your shoes and see what I would do with the offer.

1) If you are comfortably settled in Canada, I would not uproot myself at this stage in life given that there are so many unknowns in USA.

2) There is a huge bee line for US green cards, which means at least 8 years of having to live with complete uncertainty. Being on H1B, means if you ever get laid off, your green card process goes back to Square one - Mississauga.

3) I would not live in California for the same reason I would not live in Florida. California lies on the San Andreas Fault line. Even a temporary fleeing alert from an earthquake will shake you to the core. What premium are you wiling to pay for lives of you and your family? (I am being a bit dramatic here ).

4) USA is not the land of honey and milk it used to be earlier. US has become the land of 'Birthday suit'. see below

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/apr/05/us-sexual-humiliation-political-control

Good luck

Rajagopal.

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Quote:

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Originally posted by san-hugo

Square one - Mississauga , LOL .. good

but you missed the point - he got offer of 110K, too tempting to be ignored !

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Yes. He has got an offer of 110K but then what is he making in Canada. There is a huge difference between the unlikely 80K in Canada and 110K of USA.
Why only H1B route? Why not the TN route?

Peace

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