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H-1B: As immigration furor roils Silicon Valley, Canada smooths way for techies

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Re: H-1B: As immigration furor roils Silicon Valley, Canada smooths way for techies

#201

Post by digianarchist »

docker_up wrote: post #114
jszymborski wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Overall, I agree with your points, but I have some points of contention with some of the analysis. I don't think it's quite fair to include tax if you're not going to include savings for things like health care. Furthermore, Toronto's housing market, while less expensive than Cali/NY, is still insane. I know you acknowledge this in passing, but Montreal's housing market is insanely affordable, and we've a great tech/…

There isn't much savings in terms of health care. In Ontario, if you're working you have to pay a health care tax that is similar to what an employee would pay at a Silicon Valley company. And then the health care is much worse in terms of responsiveness. For example, I have Kaiser, and my Canadians friends are envious at how quickly I get scheduled for procedures. My family and friends have had to wait months for so…

There’s no “health care tax” in Ontario.

Re: H-1B: As immigration furor roils Silicon Valley, Canada smooths way for techies

#202

Post by hourislate »

This is going to be unpopular but Canadian Ex pat here,

If you're ok with making 1/3 the money you'd make in the US, have 1/10th the opportunity, put up with really expensive living conditions and really awful weather, Canada is the place for you....

I left and never looked back. It just doesn't make any sense to even consider returning. Many of my friends have fled to the US because of the incredibly high taxes, sub standard medical care, high cost of living, etc for NYC, DFW, CA, NC, etc.

For H1B types coming from a 3rd world country it would probably feel like heaven but for regular folks the statistics prove otherwise, Canadians are leaving or would like to leave to work in the USA.

Just saying...

Re: H-1B: As immigration furor roils Silicon Valley, Canada smooths way for techies

#203

Post by paulgb »

param wrote: post #164
paulgb wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whether or not that's the case, conflating "is a fraud" and "doesn't go far enough" is intellectual dishonesty.

Not my words. Did I induce cognitive dissonance in you?

> Not my words.

You repeated them. Do you agree with them?

> Did I induce cognitive dissonance in you?

Nope.

Re: H-1B: As immigration furor roils Silicon Valley, Canada smooths way for techies

#204

Post by calvinbhai »

GhostVII wrote: post #58
dubya123 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hmm yeah hard winters or having your spouse deported. Hard choice.

I feel like the number of tech people who legitimately worry about their spouse being deported is extremely small. And it's only two years until the next election anyways.

It is sad that many people who are sympathizing with this legal immigration issue, fail to realize that it was not all hunky dory for high skilled legal immigrants (HSLI) before Trump started.

FWIW, HSLIs especially from India are suffering because of policies by Clinton/Bush/Obama administrations.

Trump administration just ensured that every rule is followed to the T.

This may sound sadistic, but I'm glad Trump administration is doing this, because immigrants and employers will start feeling the heat of these insane rules, and finally it may lead to a sensible legal immigration reform. Had it not been for Trump, you'd have more than 95% of those HSLI waiting for Green Cards not utter a thing against the rules from the previous administrations.

Getting deported is not the issue. Problem is that every single day you wake up to this uncertainty that you may get deported, but you are not sure. And being a legal immigrant who broke no rules, adds to that frustration, of being treated like an unwanted immigrant in a country that most people are blissfully unaware of.

Re: H-1B: As immigration furor roils Silicon Valley, Canada smooths way for techies

#205

Post by sheepmullet »

phakding wrote: post #111
fjsolwmv wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That sounds great. Come to USA after college, make a million dollars in a few years, move back home, get married, and build the Indian economy. You don't want a country where every who has the ability will leave.

> That sounds great. Come to USA after college, make a million dollars in a few years, move back home, get married, and build the Indian economy LOL. Your comment doesn't even pass smell taste. How many people working as developers will make million dollars in few years after paying payroll taxes? Federal, state, social security, medicare on top of paying for housing, car insurance, health insurance, renter/house own…

> Even with extreme level of penny pinching, 40% rate of saving is almost unachievable.

Hah that’s a wealthy American point of view.

When I first moved to the US I was saving 85% of my after tax income.

Most (non-scam) Indian H1B holders I know are saving 6 figures a year.

Re: H-1B: As immigration furor roils Silicon Valley, Canada smooths way for techies

#206

Post by techie128 »

dilippkumar wrote: post #101

As someone who is contemplating this move, I can share some thoughts. First, money isn’t the force that’s driving immigrants out of India and into the US, Canada etc. Among the people I know and including myself, the top driving forces are safety, good governance, clean air and water. While living in the US has the benefit of higher pay, it comes at a significant cost. Here is a short list of things I can not do whil…

I have 3 offers to write books. I, unfortunately, cannot do that due to the H-1B visa restriction. I have been in US legally for over a decade, making 350K+ annually. Our HH income is 700K USD. Before someone jumps in and say but why don't you apply for a EB5 greencard, it's not so simple either. It is 600K (500K + legal and other fees) of my hard earned money down the drain with ZERO certainty of a greencard for YEARS. I would rather go to Canada when my spouse cannot work here any more (H4 EAD Revocation) than to continue contributing to the US economy where people like us are not cared for.

Re: H-1B: As immigration furor roils Silicon Valley, Canada smooths way for techies

#207

Post by asdfx »

xtreme wrote: post #189
latte wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> Make and sell art, perform for an audience, publish on a blog or a youtube channel that’s monetized That's weird. I cannot even imagine what the rationale for introducing these restrictions could be. Normally, working restrictions for immigrants serve to protect the wages of the local work force, but in this case they only make the migrants' lives less fulfilling.

USCIS considers pretty much everything that results in monetary gains (other than investing) as "working". Even renting your own house counts as working, so people on H1B can't do that either.

I do not think this is true.

Re: H-1B: As immigration furor roils Silicon Valley, Canada smooths way for techies

#208

Post by calvinbhai »

8f2ab37a-ed6c wrote: post #4

Are people with GCs screwed too? I've been postponing getting a citizenship, for no particular reason, but I'm now wondering if I should get on that just so that I don't somehow get bounced out of the country or get locked outside when I travel.

There have been rumors that even naturalized citizens can have their citizenship revoked (but I'm not sure how that'll happen, since it's not easy to get the citizenship of a country that one left).

Not sure why one would not get citizenship when they have GC.

Re: H-1B: As immigration furor roils Silicon Valley, Canada smooths way for techies

#209

Post by jxi »

xtreme wrote: post #189
latte wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> Make and sell art, perform for an audience, publish on a blog or a youtube channel that’s monetized That's weird. I cannot even imagine what the rationale for introducing these restrictions could be. Normally, working restrictions for immigrants serve to protect the wages of the local work force, but in this case they only make the migrants' lives less fulfilling.

USCIS considers pretty much everything that results in monetary gains (other than investing) as "working". Even renting your own house counts as working, so people on H1B can't do that either.

Is that true? I know that renting an investment property (with a property manager) is fine because it counts as passive income where you aren't working a second job. I'm not sure why renting your own house would really be different.

Re: H-1B: As immigration furor roils Silicon Valley, Canada smooths way for techies

#210

Post by techie128 »

yhager wrote: post #182
mywittyname wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also timelines. I don't have first-hand experience, but the people I've talked to said they had citizenship within two years.

That sounds way too short. Until a few years ago you needed to be a resident (=reside) three years before you can apply (which takes about another year). I think now it's four + application processing time.

Canada requires you to be a PR holder and in the country for 1095 days in the past 5 years to apply for citizenship.
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