Moving to Canada, good idea? Complicated background (year)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You mean the perverted diversity green card lottery and the annual H1B lottery? Please find me a similar system in another OECD country as complicated and unpredictable as that. There's an immigration bill sitting in the Senate since 2013 that specifically addresses these shortcomings, but it will never see the light of day under GOP controlled Congress.
It also sucks for tens of thousands already studying and working in America. Just imagine the outcome if your H1B is not selected in the random lottery even if you have a perfectly stable job with a willing employer sponsor: immediate job loss upon OPT expiration and deportation in 60 days. I have several friends from top Ivy Leagues whose lives were screwed up by H1B lotto and had to relocate to Canada and the UK due to more predictable immigration process.
The diversity lottery (DV) visa it is what it is....a lottery...anybody can get randomly selected if you have at least a high school education....so do not base your life decision on a lottery outcome, simple as that.
Lots of people on H1B get eventually sponsored by companies for a Green Card.
Having a Ivy League education is not a guarantee your skills are really so highly in demand, an MBA from Harvard is not a sure ticket to green card....I know of pastry chefs with a specific skill set that got a straight sponsorship for a Green Card.
I did find myself in a similar situation...at the end of the 90s if I wanted to go to the US the best I could get was a H1B.....I got my Canada permanent residence in 90 days from filing an application to PR granted so I opted for Canada because I did not want to be tied for years to a specific company.
Like or not the US immigration system is tailored to get a preferential lane to the real creme de la creme not for your average professional...in a way it is highly discriminatory skill wise (and individual companies needs wise).....from their perspective makes sense, from the outside it seems unfair.
If you think the US immigration system sucks, try Italy for example.....
Last edited by saturno_v; 01-15-2015 at 03:17 PM..
The OP asked about what it's like to live in Canada, the friendliness of the people, and the local environment. And you told him to go to the UK and America? Did you not read the OP's post?
My advice about the UK offer these advantages....he does not have to go through a formal immigration process and it would have the chance to get hired by a company that may transfer him to Canada later on.
I never suggested to the OP to move to the US. I just replied to his comments about the two different immigration processes. It seems clear to me that the US was his first choice if he could.
Saturno has some valid points, however the unfortunate truth about H1B is different: sweat shop recruitment/placement agencies (usually in the IT sector) fill up most of the H1B quotas with incompetent candidates who sometimes don't even have relevant degrees.
Do US businesses need IT professionals? Yes, they do. But they don't get what they need anyway, just a horde of desperate young men infesting the US job market. It's an elaborate scam with rings and ring leaders, they split the income with their insiders at tech companies when they places these people... Most, not all, of the people coming to the US under these visas aren't actually ''creme de la creme'' professionals, but young people who are willing to get exploited. Moreover, there are other types of work visas which leave space for exploitation of both employees and the system even more.
I like America but the country badly needs a reform. The gates aren't actually closed for immigration, but the US became a destination for mostly unskilled people who have not much to lose back where they come from.
My brother is a successful software engineer and he doesn't even want to consider working in the US. As for me, I got job offers after completing my studies, but H1B visa didn't cut it for me. I have a wife with a successful career, and I wouldn't let my family to live without basic rights in the US for at least half a decade.
Yes, London is a big venue for finance specialists, and I'm considering it, but I don't think it would be a ''new home'' for us. My concerns aren't only about money.
However the unfortunate truth about H1B is different: sweat shop recruitment/placement agencies (usually in the IT sector) fill up most of the H1B quotas with incompetent candidates who sometimes don't even have relevant degrees.
Do US businesses need IT professionals? Yes, they do. But they don't get what they need anyway, just a horde of desperate young men infesting the US job market. It's an elaborate scam with rings and ring leaders, they split the income with their insiders at tech companies when they places these people... Most, not all, of the people coming to the US under these visas aren't actually ''creme de la creme'' professionals, but young people who are willing to get exploited. Moreover, there are other types of work visas which leave space for exploitation of both employees and the system even more.
I absolutely agree the the H1B visa system is open to abuse....for that matter any immigration system it's open to abuse....do not think for a minute that "hordes of desperate" badly qualified people do not arrive in Canada...they do.
When I mentioned an immigration system tailored for "la creme de la creme" I did not mean at all about the H1B meat market....if you have a skill set that a company really wants you can get a straight Green Card sponsorship......a person of proven exceptional abilities can even self sponsor himself/herself.
I did find myself in your same situation in the 90's...I did not want to go through the H1B "slave for a company dangling a carrot in front of me" channel...I did want to have residence rights right away.
The problem with Canada is that it has always encouraged immigrants to keep their culture. This has led to resentment among citizens, but paradoxically, people have come to expect immigrants to fit a certain stereotype and not integrate. Therefore, those who do make the effort to integrate (keeping in mind that it is not expected of them as it is in the EU) are looked upon with some suspicion, especially in smaller, cliquier cities. But the overt racism is much, much less than in the EU. Stereotyping, however, is common. I won't call it racism per se, but it can still be annoying for those of us who do make the effort to integrate.
For example, if you walked around with a banner saying "I'm Turkish and I make great baklava and dolmathes!", people are more likely to want to be friends with you than if you described yourself as Canadian, full stop. People have this need to assign everyone into a category and it can be quite annoying.
Stereotyping, however, is common. I won't call it racism per se, but it can still be annoying for those of us who do make the effort to integrate.
For example, if you walked around with a banner saying "I'm Turkish and I make great baklava and dolmathes!", people are more likely to want to be friends with you than if you described yourself as Canadian, full stop. People have this need to assign everyone into a category and it can be quite annoying.
I nearly hate to say it but Americans are not too much different in this regard.
Generally - we're a friendly, open country compared to many but you still have other races of US-born citizens being asked daily "where they are really from" etc. (Think Asian-Americans here.) Not everyone is automatically accepted as being "real Americans" unless they are black/white with an American accent. Any accent fluctuation or "exotic" looks or mannerisms about a person will give them away and there will always be locals who never consider you one of them; no matter how long you've been there -- or even if you were BORN in that country just like they were!
(I am a white US-born American and don't like this but we'd be silly to ignore that it continues to happen.)
Beside that, OP.. Canada and United States tend to be similar in accepting immigrants as one of them. In fact, I dare say Canadians may even be a tad more accepting as a whole. I don't think you'd have a huge problem; don't expect a seamless integration though because it would only be setting yourself up for disappointment in the end.
Canada seems like a good bet. As for the last two posts ... I think perhaps the circles you socialize in and the place you live in are more important than the country you're in; larger and more diverse cities tend to be more open but smaller cities can be too (think university towns, etc.) Some Canadian big cities are very diverse, and some American cities even more so, with varying quality of life; if you enjoy smaller cities as you say may be good just to look into which ones you'd like. I can't speak for anyone else's preferences.
OP, you have experience living in the US and sounds like you enjoyed it. I think Canada would be a welcoming country, although I can't speak for every region and situation or economic circumstances.
Canada seems like a good bet. As for the last two posts ... I think perhaps the circles you socialize in and the place you live in are more important than the country you're in; larger and more diverse cities tend to be more open but smaller cities can be too (think university towns, etc.) Some Canadian big cities are very diverse, and some American cities even more so, with varying quality of life; if you enjoy smaller cities as you say may be good just to look into which ones you'd like. I can't speak for anyone else's preferences.
OP, you have experience living in the US and sounds like you enjoyed it. I think Canada would be a welcoming country, although I can't speak for every region and situation or economic circumstances.
do not think for a minute that "hordes of desperate" badly qualified people do not arrive in Canada...they do.
I guess you are right, for sure no country has perfected their immigration policy. But I was surprised to see that people moving to EU as professionals (except refugees, family union, etc) are better equipped than the ones moving to the US on H1B visas. On the other hand, EU is in deep trouble with boatloads of refugees arriving everyday.
Quote:
Originally Posted by G0DDESS
Any accent fluctuation or "exotic" looks or mannerisms about a person will give them away and there will always be locals who never consider you one of them; no matter how long you've been there -- or even if you were BORN in that country just like they were!
Believe me, the notion is a lot different between the US and EU. In the US, it is also up to the state and whether the area is rural/urban.
Quote:
Originally Posted by arctic_gardener
For example, if you walked around with a banner saying "I'm Turkish and I make great baklava and dolmathes!"
I know what you mean! I've worked at corporations where you were officially expected to behave like this to underline their diversity statement.
I think you must move to canada kesinlikle arkadasım
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
