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

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291–300 of 378 posts

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

#291
glad to see tech workers are getting the same benefit we've had in the skilled trade industty for nearly 40 years.

I'm a master level certified diesel mechanic, and the immigration group I qualify for is nearly instantaneous as well. Saskatoon province mining jobs pay about 4x what i make currently in the states.

If you're a long haul truck driver, welder, pipefitter or plumber, the biggest hurtle to getting into canada is picking which canadian beer you like to drink after a days work.

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

#292

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am one of those and almost everyone ( with exception of one or two every class) in my masters programs we're on F1 Visa. Most of my friends work six figure jobs in cities nowhere close to as expensive as Bay area. I know for a fact, nobody has accumulated million dollars in cash. Close to million in worth? Yes if you count real estate with mortgage, but not that kid of cash. Math doesn't add up.

> I know for a fact, nobody has accumulated million dollars in cash. I agree, a million in a few years would be rare. In 10 years though? It’s certainly reasonable.

Never said it's impossible. Is it practical though? If you are migrating to a country 8000 miles away, would you live like you lived in the slums of Dharavi? Some will. Most though, would like to live a normal life commensurate with their income.

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

#293
post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Up to 365 of those can be accounted for while being a temporary resident (on a work or study visa) on a "1 day for 2 days" basis. You also need to actually be in Canada all those days. Any day that you're outside delays your citizenship by a day. Then it takes about a year to process your citizenship application. Overall, it's still much faster than most anywhere else.

> Up to 365 of those can be accounted for while being a temporary resident (on a work or study visa) on a "1 day for 2 days" basis.

I think it's more like every day that you are physically present in Canada pre-PR counts as 0.5 days. There's no such thing as a "tourist" under Canadian immigration law: you get a temporary resident visa/status/permit for your temporary "tourist" visits.

I think the part-day test applies (if you arrive in Canada at 10PM, even though you were only present for 2 hours, it counts as a half day).

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

#294

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Sure there is. There is a "health care premium" on your tax return.

If you don't pay it, you'll get charged with tax evasion.

When the government announced it, they avoided the word "tax", but it absolutely is. Don't buy the gov's BS.

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

#295

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mining is one thing, selling for a profit is where I think you run afoul. (IANAL)

That’s just investment income afaik. Pretty sure this is okay so long as you’re not day trading.

I think it would be seen more as manufacturing income.

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

#296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

That's correct. There's something that the provincial government calls a health care tax, but it is actually just another tax, whose proceeds go into the general revenue pot, with no specific connection to health care. You have to pay it even if you are not eligible for provincial health benefits (due to insufficient residence time, for example).

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

#297
post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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. You must be comparing California monthly costs to Ontario yearly costs. Maximum Ontario annual premiums are $900.[1] To get equivalent coverage (by equivalent, I mean in terms of insurance value - as in, I won't have a $15,000 copay if I get into a serious accident) from Kaiser…

Don't forget prescription drug coverage in Ontario if you have to buy your own insurance. Hell, in BC, the gov't plan has a $4000 deductible if you make more than $100,000.

Almost all professional employers include prescription drug coverage as a part of their standard benefits package.

The $4k deductible in BC (which is similar in Ontario), provides catastrophic drug coverage for those that don't have drug coverage (e.g. contracts).

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

#298

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…

> First, money isn’t the force that’s driving immigrants out of India and into the US, Canada etc.

Sorry, I don't believe you. The median income in india is between $500-$1000. The media income in the US is $35000. You seriously claiming money isn't the driving force?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_income

> Here is a short list of things I can not do while on a H1-b visa: Make and sell art, perform for an audience, publish on a blog or a youtube channel that’s monetized, mine dogecoin, tutor students in India or any country online, trade stocks at a frequency that someone might consider “day trading” etc.

"Make and sell art"? Dogecoin? It's hard to take you seriously when this is the list you provided.

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

#299
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most people don't care about money, they want to raise family in a safe environment, I interview a lot of foreigners and there is clear trend that they don't want to go to the US with the current administration.

[flagged]

Lifelong Albertan here, sans a 5 year stint in Ontario for uni.

Stop shitting on a place that you clearly haven't spent any time in.

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

#300
post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife ruled out a US PhD precisely because of the negative signals about getting a work visa for her or for me. Canada is welcoming her with open arms

It might be worth getting a PhD first in the US and then migrating to Canada!

Tbh, if you have a PhD, it's not too bad on EB1.
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