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Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

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Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#41

Post by avaer »

BrainInAJar wrote: post #21
eigenvector wrote: post #5

"For years, Canada's tech industry has watched in frustration as Microsoft and Google hired the country's top computer science grads for high-paying jobs in Seattle and Silicon Valley. Now Canada believes it has found a new way to lure American and international tech workers." Is it... paying more so people don't have to choose between their country and financial security? Let's see. "Canadian tech companies are eage…

As a Canadian tech worker in SF... Nope. I tripled my salary coming down here even in just nominal terms (ie, before you factor in the exchange rate that eats 25% of your salary.) I hate SF/SiValley. I would love nothing more than to go home, but I'm not about to take a paycut that's measured in multiples of the median Canadian salary.

The last sentence here isn't self-consistent.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#42

Post by alphonsegaston »

kmicklas wrote: post #33
alphonsegaston wrote: post #28

While I agree with this sentiment overall, what pay differential can compensate for a more general stability? It would be great if someone could get a high-paying job and not worry about being bankrupted by an unforeseen medical disaster, but that's not the case in the US. And by the same token, almost no amount of pay (within the tech spectrum) could convince me to live in the cities in Texas where right-wing extrem…

> It would be great if someone could get a high-paying job and not worry about being bankrupted by an unforeseen medical disaster, but that's not the case in the US. I agree with this sentiment but if you have a high-paying tech job then you probably get insurance which won't bankrupt you in the case of a medical disaster. It's the ~90% of the rest of the population who has to worry.

I mean...maybe? I know of few American companies that aren't going to find away to get rid of you if you're out of work for an extended period of time because of a serious illness or accident. Labor rights are pretty poorly enforced in the US, and when they are, it's often dependent on you being able to mount and survive a costly legal challenge. People tell themselves they'll be ok, but it seems more like a gamble/survivorship bias to me.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#43

Post by UweSchmidt »

binarymax wrote: post #13
aaron-lebo wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess Canadians are pretty happy with their country. Why should they not be picky about who they let in?

Because the pickiness is a stereotype and a form of discrimination. EDIT - removed the "arbitrary", which I could argue for but for the purposes of the discussion concede. I stand by the rest of the claim despite the downvotes :)

With immigration you will definitively focus on highly educated people, people who have skills needed in the respective industries and who are likely to fit in well culturally.

How would you regulate immigration?

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#44

Post by kmicklas »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #12
binarymax wrote: post #9

"Starting Monday, Canada's government says it will streamline the visa process so that international tech workers can get a work permit in just two weeks — compared to a complicated process in the U.S. that can take months." I'm increasingly troubled by the notion that the only way one can move from one place to another, is by some contrived rule of value-add that person may offer. Aside from this new rule, Canada ot…

Why should a country not be permitted to prohibit you entry if you don't add value to said country? That's what sovereignty is all about. If you are down on your luck, I will take you into my home. But there is a limit to how many people I can support without them contributing to the household. Scale this up to nation state scale, and you have visa quotas.

> Why should a country not be permitted to prohibit you entry if you don't add value to said country? That's what sovereignty is all about.

The problem is that capital flows more or less freely but labor does not.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#45

Post by boona »

personjerry wrote: post #7

I just can't believe tech companies in Canada don't realize/aren't willing to just pay the price for top engineers. Like, how can they be such cheapskates? One day I'll start a company in Waterloo and address this problem.

Companies here just can't afford it. Canada's economy just isn't what the US economy is. Not only that, but income after the cost of living and taxes is just much lower. That was put on display recently when farming subsidies came to light, which essentially doubles the price of food for Canadians. (There are actually pizza restaurants smuggling US cheese into Canada.) So even if they could compete with salaries, it's not going to get you as far in Canada. As much as they try to patch things up with subsidies like IRAP, it's way too little to combat the drawbacks. Unless there's a drastic change in policies, Canada will never be able to keep talent in.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#46

Post by panic »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #12
binarymax wrote: post #9

"Starting Monday, Canada's government says it will streamline the visa process so that international tech workers can get a work permit in just two weeks — compared to a complicated process in the U.S. that can take months." I'm increasingly troubled by the notion that the only way one can move from one place to another, is by some contrived rule of value-add that person may offer. Aside from this new rule, Canada ot…

Why should a country not be permitted to prohibit you entry if you don't add value to said country? That's what sovereignty is all about. If you are down on your luck, I will take you into my home. But there is a limit to how many people I can support without them contributing to the household. Scale this up to nation state scale, and you have visa quotas.

In this analogy, your home has millions of rooms that you're renting out. The people arriving in your home are paying just the same as the people who have lived there all their lives. Are these new arrivals adding any less value?

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#47

Post by sumitgt »

One reason that is often over-looked is the green card backlog issue in the US that affects tech workers from India/China.

I'd easily make the choice to move to Canada where I can get a green card right away rather than wait 10 years for a green card in US. Salaries might be low, but one cannot put a $ amount on peace of mind.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#49

Post by microcolonel »

Yeah, the media here have been deliberately exaggerating immigration uncertainty to draw attention.

In the land of facts, salaries are lower here, and taxes are higher. Liberties are eroding, and the cost of living is skyrocketing.

On the whole, you can work just as hard here for a whole number fraction of your salary, have less capital availability, and have less personal liberty. The best deal for the brilliant people at the U of T here is to leave, if we're talking about money and freedom. If we're talking about security, maybe a slight improvement for some kinds of people, but not all.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#50

Post by collyw »

eekthecat wrote: post #22
binarymax wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because the pickiness is a stereotype and a form of discrimination. EDIT - removed the "arbitrary", which I could argue for but for the purposes of the discussion concede. I stand by the rest of the claim despite the downvotes :)

If their economy needs you, they let you in. If they don't, you don't. Simple as that. Unless we abolish the concept of countries and all live in a global government of sorts, that's how it works _everywhere_.

Europe doesn't need a ton of refugees / migrants but they have been flooding in recently.
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