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Canada is North America’s up-and-coming startup center

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Re: Canada is North America’s up-and-coming startup center

#131

Post by arcticbull »

tostitos1979 wrote: post #112
FreedomToCreate wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well you will have an I94 form and a slip/stamp indicating TN status in your Passport. Would be kind of ridiculous to be carrying your Degree, transcript of grades and documents from your employer every time you cross the border.

Umm .. I had one person give me a hard time when I was coming by car. Had to freakin drive back and get my diploma in the frame - next guy at the border literally waved me in.

Haha same here. I'm a TN-1 Software Engineer. I was told at LAX one time that the guy didn't like TNs and would send me to secondary. Talked him down eventually and gave him the papers he wanted but automatic is quite the overstatement. Definitely get a NEXUS card if you can.

Re: Canada is North America’s up-and-coming startup center

#132

Post by arcticbull »

tostitos1979 wrote: post #115
branchless wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Name the company my man! Then don't mention Montreal again, we don't want everyone coming.

French is the key barrier .. not naming the city :)

Eh not in Montreal. As an Ottawa native I've never had trouble in Montreal with my English and horribly broken French. Now Quebec city...

Re: Canada is North America’s up-and-coming startup center

#133

Post by arcticbull »

acchow wrote: post #120
cgh wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>No need to wait for an H1-B, just show up at the border with job offer & credentials in hand, assuming you've graduated college. TN visas are instant and infinitely renewable. This is false. I say this as someone with a TN visa, which I use to visit my employer a few times a year. The TN application process is onerous and takes weeks to confirm. The actual visa is indeed granted at the port of entry but can be denie…

takes weeks to confirm The "application" for TN is a rather new development (introduced in 2012). In the past, you couldn't apply by mail - you just show up at the port of entry with your job offer, description of job responsibilities, and university diploma. And they grant it on the spot. This is still how I get my TN.

Agreed. Apply at a port of entry. Don't bother with the mail. The border crossing application fee is only $50USD and is adjudicated on the spot at secondary. Takes a half hour.

Re: Canada is North America’s up-and-coming startup center

#134

Post by ramy_d »

tostitos1979 wrote: post #110
mikestew wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

those numbers are ridiculously low even if in US dollars as I assume they are. I don't put much stock in the StackOverflow survey. Then put stock in a the words of a guy who has actually looked for employment in Canada, and after the election of Trump is very incentivized to take a positive view on moving to Canada: as far as I can tell from the salaries posted, I'd take about a 50% pay cut, and I wouldn't be able to…

If salaries and housing prices in Canada were at all reasonable, I know many fellow Canadians would move back from the Bay area in an instant. Toronto is the other major tech center which is stupidly priced (hopefully the new govt measures slow things down). If you can speak french, consider Montreal.

If you can't speak French, move to Montreal anyway, like everyone else!

Re: Canada is North America’s up-and-coming startup center

#135

Post by mistermann »

nacho2sweet wrote: post #21
nickler wrote: post #10

The startup scene here in Vancouver is scrappy but really shouldn't be compared to SV in any way, it's just not a fair comparison. We are, however, woefully under-represented with experienced seed stage investors, as the author states. The few that are here have abandoned seed and pre seed and are exclusively VC, mid to late round investors. Can't blame them, either, as the wins are still few and far between. Vancity…

The word is out in the last few years though with any young developer googling Vancouver. Low pay, high cost of living not worth it. Even the founder of Hootsuite wrote an op-ed and the situation is only worse since the 2 years ago he wrote that. Something that pays 125,000USD in SF pays like 78,000CAD here. Condo's are $1000/sqft still.

> Condo's are $1000/sqft still.

In the suburbs maybe.

Re: Canada is North America’s up-and-coming startup center

#136

Post by mistermann »

thesmallestcat wrote: post #107
personjerry wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is "VSE resource pump and dump"?

VSE = Vancouver Stock Exchange. Pump and dump is a market timing strategy where you ride an inconsequential stock's rise over a relatively short time and then sell. I have no idea how that relates to parent's last sentence.

There's an (accepted) culture of dishonesty in Vancouver, particularly in companies listed on the VSE (TSX-V), including the exchange regulators.

I have no idea how accurate the opinion is that this affects raising funding.

Re: Canada is North America’s up-and-coming startup center

#137

Post by mistermann »

huangc10 wrote: post #47

I just want to give my POV on all of this as I have lived in both Vancouver, Toronto, and now in Mountain View. Everything pointed out in the comments about low pay, and high cost of living in Vancouver is true. However, let's look of it from another angle. If you were a young college grad with options, wouldn't you want to go to sunny California? Not only is it an adventure, there's better night life, better sports…

Also lower chance of suicidal depression from 8 months per year of gloomy grey skies and rain.

Re: Canada is North America’s up-and-coming startup center

#139

Post by arcticbull »

rdtsc wrote: post #28

Rule of "Silicone Valleys" and "Startup Centers": if it is announced in a press release that a place is becoming one of those things, chances are they won't. A lot of these press releases come from top down incentives, tax cuts, special programs and such that. The problem is they fail to capture all the reasons and causes a startup center is a startup center. One thing might help is to start war for example and have…

So we use our armies to keep peace and to defend ourselves, not to attack. The NRC -- National Research Council -- works with the private sector to productize promising new technologies without invading ^_^

Re: Canada is North America’s up-and-coming startup center

#140

Post by georgecarlin »

mistermann wrote: post #137
huangc10 wrote: post #47

I just want to give my POV on all of this as I have lived in both Vancouver, Toronto, and now in Mountain View. Everything pointed out in the comments about low pay, and high cost of living in Vancouver is true. However, let's look of it from another angle. If you were a young college grad with options, wouldn't you want to go to sunny California? Not only is it an adventure, there's better night life, better sports…

Also lower chance of suicidal depression from 8 months per year of gloomy grey skies and rain.

-20 degree winters will do that to you if rain doesn't
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