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Old 04-21-2012, 07:33 PM
 
3 posts, read 5,558 times
Reputation: 14

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Hi everyone, long time user, but first post. Lots of experts, i like to know your opinion please.

a little background on me, im canadian citizen with electrical engineering and many years of IT experience and a system admin in canada. Im late 20s.

Canada doesn't have that much technical jobs compared to US.

Im looking for a change to move to US perhaps LA, SF, or someone major city. I like your input on the following:

- What are the best websites for engineering and IT jobs search? is the job market better for a Canadian (non resident of US?) and is it better to move to say LA and look for jobs there or just look from Canada? ie does having a LA address in resume helps?

- What kind of visa i need, i like to perhpas live in LA for few months. and look for jobs there, is that a good idea?
- Can i buy health care, how much will that be?
- I also like the field of engineering/robotics in movie industry, is that industry need any engineers at the moment?

- also the last question, what is a safe reasonable neighborhood for a 1 bedroom temporary apartment? can i do lets say 6month rent?

thanks a lot
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Old 04-21-2012, 08:32 PM
 
1,271 posts, read 2,585,351 times
Reputation: 642
You won't need a VISA if it's a NAFTA profession and that you are a citizen of Canada, but that's where it's easy the specifics can be detailed and the requirements involved.

Visas for Mexican and Canadian NAFTA Professional Workers

Health care isn't cheap, maybe you can get a cheap plan for less than $100/month but it won't cover much.

I'm in the engineering field as well and live in Miami and have been looking to San Diego, LA and the Bay Area for work, a lot of employers are not interested because I'm not local, I have to say in my cover letter that I will relocate at my own expense to get them to consider and even that is tough to get an interview because it cost them money to get you out there. Unless your degree, field of experience is in great demand, you will find it very difficult to get an interview without being local.

IT is all over, so you could literally go anywhere. If you want to make it easy, just marry a US citizen and all your troubles will be over.
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Old 04-22-2012, 02:25 PM
 
1,182 posts, read 1,136,969 times
Reputation: 439
I would recommend the Bay area. They have lots more IT jobs in Sunnyvale and San Jose. If you are from Canada, you don't need a visa top be here for up to 181 days as I understand it. As for health care, it is expensive and it sucks for the most part unless you are really sick or really rich.
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Old 04-23-2012, 11:17 AM
 
Location: Pasadena, CA
401 posts, read 765,302 times
Reputation: 398
As far as technical degree hotspots.. the bay area (Palo Alto and surrounds) is definitely number one.
San Diego is second with LA being a very distant third.

For LA.
You can get IT jobs.
There is some defense industry left, and that is mainly in the El Segundo area and out in San Fernando valley and westward towards Calabassas.

For robotics work...you really should head to Boston. That's where the action is for that industry. MIT has a very strong program and alot of spin-off launch there. Check out Big Dog from Boston Dynamics.

A good job posting search site is Job Search | one search. all jobs. Indeed.com . They aggregate postings from many other sites.
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Old 04-23-2012, 12:01 PM
 
Location: Renton Washington
256 posts, read 539,898 times
Reputation: 186
The Bay Area in Palo Alto, San Fran, San Jose and Sunnyvale is way better. You can easily get a Permanent residence because you have a hot job. As for the Health Care it blows! If you get injured or Sick go back to Canada and get health care
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Old 04-23-2012, 08:26 PM
 
3 posts, read 5,558 times
Reputation: 14
thank you all, your advice has been very helpful. I guess it is true Americans are nicer than Canadians!

Why is the helthcare so expensive? if i get a job ie somewhere in SF with good company, is health insurance usually included?

Also I am very new at this, so you mostly recommend I apply for SF or san diego, do you think employers usually look at people's resume from Canada at this economic conditions? what should I do get have a better chance? perhaps move to US first?

Also being single, how is the single life in any of those cities in CA or perhaps in SF?

thanks as always!
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Old 04-23-2012, 10:39 PM
 
881 posts, read 1,811,365 times
Reputation: 1224
Quote:
Originally Posted by blauskies View Post
You won't need a VISA if it's a NAFTA profession and that you are a citizen of Canada, but that's where it's easy the specifics can be detailed and the requirements involved.

Visas for Mexican and Canadian NAFTA Professional Workers
The NAFTA Professional Workers program IS a VISA. It's call TN (Treaty NAFTA).

The OP will need to find an employer willing to hire and sponsor him for a TN VISA. While a TN is much easier to obtain (for both the employer and employee) then a H1B, it is still tied to a particular employer. The OP must be in one of the qualified profession and have minimum of a 4 yrs bachelor degree in that particular profession.

To become a permanent resident, the employer will need to sponsor the OP. It is by no means an easy or cheap process, but the process with be shorter the OP was BORN in Canada (the date is determined by the category and the country of birth (not citizenship)).
Quote:
Originally Posted by apple_man
- What kind of visa i need, i like to perhpas live in LA for few months. and look for jobs there, is that a good idea?
Canadians can VISIT the US for up to 6 months. However, you are not suppose to be looking for jobs while you are here.

Quote:
Originally Posted by apple_man
Why is the helthcare so expensive? if i get a job ie somewhere in SF with good company, is health insurance usually included?
Because Canadian healthcare cost is heavily subsidized (via taxes) and regulated by the government.

Most good employers will cover full health, dental & vision insurance for the employee. But your out of pocket cost, even with full health insurance will still be higher then in Canada.

Healthcare in Canada isn't the nirvana that Michael Moore documentaries make it out to be. It's free for those who QUALIFY for it, but for visitors to Canada who require emergency care, it's extremely expensive.
Quote:
Originally Posted by apple_man
Also I am very new at this, so you mostly recommend I apply for SF or san diego, do you think employers usually look at people's resume from Canada at this economic conditions? what should I do get have a better chance? perhaps move to US first?
You can't just "move to the US first", because you are not legally authorized to live and work in the US without sponsorship. You won't be able to get a SSN without a valid VISA and employers can not employ you with out a SSN and proof of your status (Passport withe I94).

Rather employers will consider you as a candidate depends on what type of "IT" and "System Admin" experience you have, and if the employer have knowledge of the TN VISA sponsorship process.

My personal experience from working in the SF bay area for the last 12 years as a software engineer and recruited from Canada. For candidates with the right experience, employers will have no problem with applicants from Canada (or anywhere for that matter, though Canadians are more highly regarded because ease of getting a TN VISA). And for right candidate they are willing to fly them down for interviews, sponsor the visa and pay for relocation.
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Old 04-24-2012, 12:03 PM
 
Location: SF Bay Area
13,520 posts, read 22,040,356 times
Reputation: 20234
In my personal experience as a hiring manager, unless you have very special in-demand skills/experience, there isn't a shortage of unemployed American IT candidates for me to choose from so there's really no reason to run through all the rigamarolle to source candidates from other countries.
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Old 04-24-2012, 12:32 PM
 
50 posts, read 111,103 times
Reputation: 52
TN Status is quite easy to get (although I don't know what kind of qualifications you have), you need a 2+ year diploma and 3 years of experience, or a bachelor's degree. It costs you $50 for the application + $6 for each I-94 card (ie. if it's you TN + your wife TD it's $62). You simply apply as you're crossing the border and the process doesn't take more than 20 minutes or so.

You'll get an SSN 10 days after being approved. (Of course you have to go the Social Security office to get that working for you) At this point you'll be able to fill out that I-9 form to prove you're not an illegal immigrant :P

I've found a lot of companies aren't really familiar with TN Status, they assume that it's a PITA like H-1B. Explain that you just have to go to the border to do it. If you switch companies you will have to get a new TN visa. Which means you'll have to leave the country, and then re-enter. Since I'm in California, what I've done is go to the Mexican border in San Diego and walk across (you don't have to wait in that enormous line at San Ysidro to get back, since you're applying for an I-94 they have a separate line for that which usually has a dozen or so people in it at any time)
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Old 04-24-2012, 10:29 PM
 
Location: SoCal
1,242 posts, read 1,938,842 times
Reputation: 848
What's up with everybody saying how Moderator cut: language our healthcare is like you all are trying to impress the canadian guy?

Last edited by Count David; 04-25-2012 at 01:52 AM.. Reason: language
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