Relocating from Canada to Texas - 6 Mths - I.T - Requirements? (Houston: apartments, renting)

[ddzc]

Hi everyone,

I'm having thought of taking a bit of a break from the Canadian lifestyle and moving down to Texas. I want to explore the culture and lifestyle and take on new adventures. I read and heard a lot about Texas and they were nothing but great things. I hate the weather in Canada and how love to be in a warm climate all year round. I want to start this journey off with a possible 6 month stay and see where things lead off from there.

I'm basically looking suggestions, help and guidance from the experienced. I have lived all of my life in Canada and I have never relocated or moved outside of the province. I want to keep my Canadian citizenship during this process.

First thing I wanted to discuss is cities. I would love to be near the beaches, so Texas City, Houston and Pasadena came to mind. A friend of mine might be able to help me out if I moved out to Austin, so that's my 4th option. I'm in my 20s, so I'm looking for a city with vibe and energy, friendly and outgoing people to meet is high up there for me (people in Toronto are very snobby and uptight...which is one of the reasons I want to move), a good night-life and lots of culture and activities frequently going on. I want to experience something real and exciting, not a boring city with boring people.

Second thing I want to discuss is jobs. I believe a TN Visa is required. I'm an IT professional and the only job related to this industry is "Computer Systems Analyst". Unfortunately, that's not what I do. I'm more into the Network side of I.T (Network Analyst, Network Administrator, Network Engineer), etc. Am I out of luck with landing a job in the U.S due to these reasonings? Does the position HAVE to be a Systems Analyst? Is there another type of Visa I can apply for if I want to maybe work for 6 months only and return to Canada? Maybe the H-2B Visa is required?

Third thing is the rest - finding rent, bank accounting, vehicle registrations, etc. What would be the process of renting a home/room? I can possibly start off by moving close to a University and renting a room out, I would be happy with that to start off. I want to keep my Canadian banks open...can I open a U.S bank account along with having the Canadian one open? I'm pretty sure this can easily be done. I was thinking about driving my car over and registering it in the U.S. Because this isn't a permanent move (as of yet), I can leave my car here and buy something cheap down there. Would that be an easier route to go?

I'm sure I'm missing a few things here and there...but this is a ton of info to get this discussion going and would love for everyone's help on here

Thanks,
Dan

[EMT2003]

I can't answer a lot of your questions, but I can discuss some of the cities.

One coastal city you didn't mention is Galveston. Texas City and Pasadena are more industrialized, and Houston is huge. Galveston has some pretty decent beaches.

You might enjoy Ft. Worth also. It has a lot of both the western theme that you might have heard of being in Texas, with a fairly good chunk of the more cosmopolitan lifestyle also. There's a good size, successful university there and plenty of night life. In my humble opinion, Ft. Worth is a great place to be.

[jtur88]

Bringing your car is not a problem. Legally, you can bring your car in as a visitor, for 6 months, But that fact will not be recorded anywhere, so as a practical matter, you can drive a Canadian-plated car in the US forever. I drove my car here for two years with PEI plates, nobody said anything. I just had the annual validation sticker mailed to me. There are hundreds of Manitoba cars in the Rio Grande valley all winter.

[BobTex]

On the auto thingy yes, you could drive it "forever" unless you had some issue such as an auto collision and they run your registration. Bring your car ... there should be no hitches in bringing it if you follow the rules somewhat closely (I wouldn't go over a year of Texas residency without registering it here).

I see no issue in keeping your bank account open in Can. but your money will be at the mercy of the daily exchange rate. Probably better to open an account here too. My wife still has an account in New Brunswick.

Keeping Canadian citizenship no biggie ... although the US does NOT recognize dual citizens Canada does. My Maritime born and raised wife has been here in the US since 1994 and living in Texas since 1998. She got her U.S. citizenship in 2003. She has no plans to go back but none of us knows what the future holds.

Texas beaches have "dirty" sand and surf especially on the upper coast as all the sediment pouring out of the Mississippi River is swept westward by Gulf currents(straight toward Texas). The beaches on the lower coast (South Padre Island) are better but still not the white sand and blue-green/clear water you'll see in Mississippi and eastward. Just don't think you should have unrealistic expectations. Having said that there are still lots of interesting people on the beaches for a young single guy!

Places to live ... hmmmm ... University area of Houston but apartments are not plentiful because the same area is shared by the Medical Center which is probably the largest medical complex in the world. Worth looking though, especially if you could become part of any of those hospital systems IT team. Pearland is a good option as well as on Galveston Island providing you can find work there.

So far I have only suggested the Houston area as you said you wanted near the beach. There will be other suggestions coming concerning other areas but I am more informed about Houston. I live about 90 miles NE of Houston Metro. Be aware rush hour traffic can be horrendous in and around Houston and public transportation is limited (there is light rail in the Medical Center and University of Houston area). Good luck, post here or send a DM for more info. ehh?

I like Canada but don't know if living there would be the same as visiting. My wife has some quite anti-socialist views about the way your gubmint runs the place.

[ddzc]

Thanks a lot for the posts guys, appreciate it.

If you don't apply for TN Visa, which other is a more generic type of Visa which can possibly be approved for work? TN only states "Systems Analyst", which is not what I do.

Would this Visa work out in my benefit? USCIS - H-2B Non-Agricultural Workers

[dracore]

Hey ddzc,

I'm sort of the in same situation looking to get into the US (software development). I'm also in Canada.

I did a lot of research and from what I can tell, you need to stick to the closest matching title. A very helpful site I found is Grasmick: For Canadian IT Professionals Only-How to Get a U.S. Work Permit

You need to either get a TN or H1B (which can be harder to get). Not familiar with H2B.

Don't try to worry too much about which visa to get. The main hurdle is trying to get a company to hire you in the first place. If you do find someone, likely they will already have pre-existing knowledge on how to bring you over (they may have lawyers for this).

[gguerra]

As for IT jobs and nightlife you would be way better off in Austin. In Houston although there are a lot of IT jobs it is known more as an Oil/Industrial city. It is also way larger than Austin. You will experience heavy traffic in both areas. I do not think that they are that stringent on job description as far as the Visa goes. The beach close to Houston is not that nice IMO (Galveston) and is about 1.5 hours away. You are better off in Austin and can make the approx 3-4 hour drive to Corpus Christi or even South Padre Island on weekends. Another mention although it is not close to the beach is the DFW area. There are tons of IT jobs there and higher paying as well. The pay scale is similar in Austin. Mind you that the cost of living is higher as well. To get an idea on the job availability check dice.com (specializes in IT) , monster.com and the Texas Workforce Commission web sites. This page TN1 Visa has a little more info.

P.S. Austin also has the advantage of being the state capitol where there are a lot of jobs with the State of Texas. I do not know the eligibility requirements for state jobs.

[DanielWayne]

Originally Posted by ddzc

Hi everyone,

...

First thing I wanted to discuss is cities. I would love to be near the beaches, so Texas City, Houston and Pasadena came to mind. A friend of mine might be able to help me out if I moved out to Austin, so that's my 4th option. I'm in my 20s, so I'm looking for a city with vibe and energy, friendly and outgoing people to meet is high up there for me (people in Toronto are very snobby and uptight...which is one of the reasons I want to move), a good night-life and lots of culture and activities frequently going on. I want to experience something real and exciting, not a boring city with boring people.
...

Thanks,
Dan

I wouldn't recommend Texas City or most of Pasadena. Nicer areas in the same vicinity are Clear Lake and Pearland. I live in Galveston county, but prefer not to live in Galveston the city. Austin is very nice, but you sacrifice a lot of cultural institutions found in Houston or Dallas/FTW as they are much larger.

[badhornet]

Go to Beaumont....lots of culture there

[TX75007]

I'd look into Corpus Christi or Galveston.

Your best bet would be to move here first, live in a big city, ie Dallas or Houston, get your footings, then look for your perfect locale by driving the state. Then looking for a new job at the locale you want.

Longer term, if you want beaches and such, then Washington state or Florida may be your best final destination.


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