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Canada losing top talent as workers head to the U.S.

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Re: Canada losing top talent as workers head to the U.S.

#21

Post by petcat »

notatoad wrote: post #4

>ROGER: Okay, how does this compare to the ’90s when we saw a brain drain then? Is it larger? Different sectors? >FRANCIS: No, I think, Roger, you pointed to it correctly. This is not an issue that is brand new for Canada. oh, okay then. so, the same thing is happening as has always happened. the only interesting thing about this article is trying to determine if it's motivated by the opposition party trying to score…

It looks like the major difference recently is that TN visa issuance has surged in recent years, up to over 1.2 million in 2023. The previous all time high was back in 2016 (~800,000).

More highly educated Canadian and Mexican professionals are relocating to the US than ever before, which is obviously concerning for Canada.

Re: Canada losing top talent as workers head to the U.S.

#23

Post by rjrjrjrj »

bfkwlfkjf wrote: post #17
Topgamer7 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The US makes it relatively easy to get a work visa if you have a science degree from a university.

Science degree from a US university you mean? I'm not trolling, genuine question.

Canadian university degree is fine. Look up TN 1 visa if you want more details.

Re: Canada losing top talent as workers head to the U.S.

#24

Post by grapeape25 »

varun_ch wrote: post #11
grapeape25 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not new at all. Articles have been spouting this for a long time. Anecdotally, a lot of us return to Canada after a short stint in the US. Speaking as a Waterloo grad that moved to the US for about 5 years post graduation. Many of my university classmates did something similar.

As a current Waterloo student (who is not particularly tied to any specific place). I’m curious about this and I’d like to know more. Why US for 5 years and why back?

Right out of school it was fun and easy to drop everything and go somewhere cool (SF, NY, etc.). Can tell everyone you work for a flashy big tech company, make a ton of money, and have no responsibilities.

But eventually life catches up to you, especially if you have strong family/social roots in Canada. It's not easy to bootstrap that in a new country.

I was also there under a TN Visa and had a few border experiences that rubbed me the wrong way since the TN Visa is a bit hand wavy and up to the border guard at your time of entry. The hostility at times from the border guards didn't make it feel like I was returning "home". Sure, I worked for a company that had an army of lawyers to fix it if anything went wrong but it still leaves you with a sour taste. I can't imagine they're getting any friendlier these days.

Lastly, I didn't mean it like 5 is some magic number - some stay less, some stay more.

Re: Canada losing top talent as workers head to the U.S.

#25

Post by jt2190 »

notatoad wrote: post #4

>ROGER: Okay, how does this compare to the ’90s when we saw a brain drain then? Is it larger? Different sectors? >FRANCIS: No, I think, Roger, you pointed to it correctly. This is not an issue that is brand new for Canada. oh, okay then. so, the same thing is happening as has always happened. the only interesting thing about this article is trying to determine if it's motivated by the opposition party trying to score…

Literally the next sentences:

> It’s one that we’ve been facing for quite some time. The reason we wrote this report, however, is to highlight the fact that we’re sort of in this moment in time right now, with our relationship with the U.S. deteriorating and us trying to diversify our trading partners, to highlight the fact that we are still not really all that competitive. Our productivity growth is quite low and has been for a few years now. So, banging this drum about wanting to raise this issue around competitiveness, that was the goal of this.

With the U.S. moving from a cooperative trade partner to a trade competitor, Canada needs to up its game.

Re: Canada losing top talent as workers head to the U.S.

#26

Post by varun_ch »

afavour wrote: post #16
varun_ch wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a current Waterloo student (who is not particularly tied to any specific place). I’m curious about this and I’d like to know more. Why US for 5 years and why back?

Can’t speak for the OP but it’s often about what’s most valuable at different points in life. Depending on where you are in the US, having kids can be a formidable experience. Poor leave, expensive childcare, etc etc. It can change the calculation for whether the extra money in the US is actually worth it.

That’s fair. I can see a lot of reasons to stay in Canada over the US for long term plans.

Although it feels like all of the desirable jobs (in terms of technical interestingness and pay) are in the US. At least for internships.

Re: Canada losing top talent as workers head to the U.S.

#27

Post by cogogo »

blindriver wrote: post #3

I'm sorry but is this an article from the late 1990s? I'm also from Canada and I know tons of Canadians that have come here since the 90s. I even known immigrants to Canada from other countries (mainly China and India) that came to the US via Canada, using the TN1 or H1B visas after getting their Canadian citizenships. The biggest problem Canada has is that any moderately successful tech worker is going to be dead-se…

Something feels deeply wrong about comparing your tech income to a teacher’s. Especially outside the context of an argument like “teachers should be paid more.”

Re: Canada losing top talent as workers head to the U.S.

#28

Post by [deleted] »

jt2190 wrote: post #25
notatoad wrote: post #4

>ROGER: Okay, how does this compare to the ’90s when we saw a brain drain then? Is it larger? Different sectors? >FRANCIS: No, I think, Roger, you pointed to it correctly. This is not an issue that is brand new for Canada. oh, okay then. so, the same thing is happening as has always happened. the only interesting thing about this article is trying to determine if it's motivated by the opposition party trying to score…

Literally the next sentences: > It’s one that we’ve been facing for quite some time. The reason we wrote this report, however, is to highlight the fact that we’re sort of in this moment in time right now, with our relationship with the U.S. deteriorating and us trying to diversify our trading partners, to highlight the fact that we are still not really all that competitive. Our productivity growth is quite low and ha…

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