Applying for jobs in the US, what's the process?

[Rudy]

I'm bored with my current job and would like to consider moving to San Francisco (seems like there's a rather large community of iOS developers) with my wife.

I was wondering how complicated it is to apply and get work in the US for a Canadian, and if I can bring my wife along if I was to find a job and she didn't right away. Is there anything I should be aware of? Are American companies hesitant of hiring people who are not residents?

[threetonesun]

I've never done it, but I don't think it's terribly complicated, as I've worked with a lot of people from other countries. Since you do iOS development, I'd look for a company you could start working with virtually who could then do all the work of bringing you in.

Also, the SF area is $$$$, in case you didn't know, it's usually in the top three highest cost of living in the US. Nice weather, though.

[Rudy]

I've never done it, but I don't think it's terribly complicated, as I've worked with a lot of people from other countries. Since you do iOS development, I'd look for a company you could start working with virtually who could then do all the work of bringing you in.

Also, the SF area is $$$$, in case you didn't know, it's usually in the top three highest cost of living in the US. Nice weather, though.

The whole point is to move away from here ;) We want change and we feel like SF would be a nice place. As for the money, well we have a house + quite a bit of savings, so selling the house + our savings should last us for a while (plus money from my potential job)

[ILikeTobacco]

Also, the SF area is $$$$, in case you didn't know, it's usually in the top three highest cost of living in the US.

The cost of living is higher than most places but the pay is that much higher, especially in IT fields. The cost of living is twice as high as here in Oklahoma but I could get a job there doing the same work getting paid five times as much. Cost of living is irrelevant when you factor in wages scaling up also.

[theclueless]

do you have a us work permit?

[bdsams Veteran]

The whole point is to move away from here ;) We want change and we feel like SF would be a nice place. As for the money, well we have a house + quite a bit of savings, so selling the house + our savings should last us for a while (plus money from my potential job)

No, it's really f'n expensive to buy a house in a decent area a million + for something 'average'...work visa's can be a pita to get, but working remotely first, then moving ashore would be easier than simply trying to move without a job.

[Rudy]

do you have a us work permit?

No, that's what I'm inquiring about ;)

No, it's really f'n expensive to buy a house in a decent area a million + for something 'average'...work visa's can be a pita to get, but working remotely first, then moving ashore would be easier than simply trying to move without a job.

I can settle for renting at first, that's not a problem (specially since what I've found so far is that I couldn't get a permanent visa or anything, so buying might be risky).

As I said too, we want a major change so staying here wouldn't really be an option

[threetonesun]

Well, you can try for a temporary work permit, and renting, and hope it works out from there. Or, you can buy property and rent it (or use it as a vacation home). There's no law against it, but you will pay more in taxes for it. In the meantime, it's best to look for a place which will sponsor your application to become a citizen, which, as I mentioned before, might be easier to do if you can work remotely.

If you want to show up in SF next week... well, you'll have to do it as a visitor. It's not that easy to just move in here.

[Rudy]

Well, you can try for a temporary work permit, and renting, and hope it works out from there. Or, you can buy property and rent it (or use it as a vacation home). There's no law against it, but you will pay more in taxes for it. In the meantime, it's best to look for a place which will sponsor your application to become a citizen, which, as I mentioned before, might be easier to do if you can work remotely.

If you want to show up in SF next week... well, you'll have to do it as a visitor. It's not that easy to just move in here.

I've looked into the TN Status but computer programmers don't qualify :/ I'll have to look for just a plain temporary work visa I guess. Should I apply for one before or after finding a job?

[seta-san]

The whole point is to move away from here ;) We want change and we feel like SF would be a nice place. As for the money, well we have a house + quite a bit of savings, so selling the house + our savings should last us for a while (plus money from my potential job)

if you don't get a real good job very quickly.. cost of living in that city will crush you.

[User6060]

Visa's take forever...the sooner the better. People I know who are went to US universities to do research positions had a lot of trouble even though they were essentially 'hired'

[Nas]

As Brad and others mentioned, you should not be na?ve about this (I'm Canadian by birth).

WORKING, PART 1: Since Canada is a foreign country from the USA, you are obligated to follow every immigration rule the US Government has ever conceived. This includes work visa paperwork and approvals, sponsorship arrangements, temporary immigration paranoia (read: instant deportation by DHS is 100% permissible), and double taxation (Canada doesn't care where the money came from... as a Canadian citizen who spent part of the year in Canada; likewise from the American standpoint).

WORKING, PART 2: The "best" way is to keep working in Canada, virtually, as an independent business. This establishes a relationship with a potential corporate sponsor who can apply on your behalf within the USA and justify your necessity whichever way works in their best interest.

LIVING, PART 1: The Canadian dollar is pennies stronger than the American dollar, but the culture is aimed towards instant gratification. You keep more of your paycheck upfront only to pay Uncle Sam (annual income tax) at stringent rates... and things like Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, state-level income taxes, city-level income taxes, personal benefits, personal health insurance premiums, ongoing costs of living, etc. At the end of the day, you net out with more instant-gratification but less long-term happiness.

LIVING, PART 2: Cost of living in Metro San Francisco, Metro Boston, Metro NYC, Metro DC... is about 3-5X cost of living in Toronto or Montreal. Period. A basic 1-bedroom apt in NYC costs $2500/mo in rent alone, and that's in Manhattan without a doorman. Want buy a condo? Try $1.5M for the same unit. Brooklyn provides better rates, but "better" is extremely subjective.

LIFE: International quality-of-life indexes have indicated, for the past 20 years, that any major city in Canada is ranked MUCH higher than the top US city.

FAMILY: Once you are an established temporary resident, your family can visit. Once you're an established permanent resident (green card) or citizen, your family can move with your without any problems. Canadians are notorious for overstaying their temporary visitor visas, and the penalties range from financial penalty, multi-year travel bans (for anything and everything), to being permanently being banned from the USA or its territories (including Puerto Rico).

OTHER: Generally speaking, if you have favorable ties to Cuba... keep it to yourself 110% of the time. It's the easiest disqualifier the US has against Canadian citizens.

[Rudy]

As Brad and others mentioned, you should not be na?ve about this (I'm Canadian by birth).

WORKING, PART 1: Since Canada is a foreign country from the USA, you are obligated to follow every immigration rule the US Government has ever conceived. This includes work visa paperwork and approvals, sponsorship arrangements, temporary immigration paranoia (read: instant deportation by DHS is 100% permissible), and double taxation (Canada doesn't care where the money came from... as a Canadian citizen who spent part of the year in Canada; likewise from the American standpoint).

If I list my legal permanent residence as a US address I shouldn't have to pay income tax in Canada right? If I move to the US I would have nothing left in Canada (except family)

WORKING, PART 2: The "best" way is to keep working in Canada, virtually, as an independent business. This establishes a relationship with a potential corporate sponsor who can apply on your behalf within the USA and justify your necessity whichever way works in their best interest.

LIVING, PART 1: The Canadian dollar is pennies stronger than the American dollar, but the culture is aimed towards instant gratification. You keep more of your paycheck upfront only to pay Uncle Sam (annual income tax) at stringent rates... and things like Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, state-level income taxes, city-level income taxes, personal benefits, personal health insurance premiums, ongoing costs of living, etc. At the end of the day, you net out with more instant-gratification but less long-term happiness.

LIVING, PART 2: Cost of living in Metro San Francisco, Metro Boston, Metro NYC, Metro DC... is about 3-5X cost of living in Toronto or Montreal. Period. A basic 1-bedroom apt in NYC costs $2500/mo in rent alone, and that's in Manhattan without a doorman. Want buy a condo? Try $1.5M for the same unit. Brooklyn provides better rates, but "better" is extremely subjective.

Money wouldn't really be an issue, we have similar problems here too, look at the living costs in Vancouver (I grew up on Vancouver Island so I know all about it).

LIFE: International quality-of-life indexes have indicated, for the past 20 years, that any major city in Canada is ranked MUCH higher than the top US city.

Yea I know, but too be honest with you as an iOS / Mac developer, SF looks like the best place to be

FAMILY: Once you are an established temporary resident, your family can visit. Once you're an established permanent resident (green card) or citizen, your family can move with your without any problems. Canadians are notorious for overstaying their temporary visitor visas, and the penalties range from financial penalty, multi-year travel bans (for anything and everything), to being permanently being banned from the USA or its territories (including Puerto Rico).

My family can come as visitors, I really doubt I would want them to stay any longer than a few weeks lol.

The only person I'm worried about is my wife, there's no way I would move if she can't come with me right away

OTHER: Generally speaking, if you have favorable ties to Cuba... keep it to yourself 110% of the time. It's the easiest disqualifier the US has against Canadian citizens.

No ties

[HSoft]

You might want to take a look here. Form N-400 is basically what you want unless you can get a place of work to sponsor you.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=480ccac09aa5d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD

[Rudy]

You might want to take a look here. Form N-400 is basically what you want unless you can get a place of work to sponsor you.

http://www.uscis.gov...00048f3d6a1RCRD

Thanks for the link.

See that's what I'm wondering, should I apply for something like that first or apply for jobs and then try to get them to sponsor me?

[nominak]

Thanks for the link.

See that's what I'm wondering, should I apply for something like that first or apply for jobs and then try to get them to sponsor me?

Apply for any sort of work visa.. they may be temporary, but I believe you can always apply for extensions. Then I think it'd be safe to apply for work. Or, you could always call places and ask them if they do sponsoring, that way you'll know in advance and wont have to worry.

[HSoft]

Thanks for the link.

See that's what I'm wondering, should I apply for something like that first or apply for jobs and then try to get them to sponsor me?

A lot of companies won't sponser a worker but some do. It's far easier if you've already got a green card. Plus if you do get a company to sponser you, then you are fairly much tied to that company. You have a lot more freedom with a green card.

[threetonesun]

A lot of companies won't sponser a worker but some do. It's far easier if you've already got a green card. Plus if you do get a company to sponser you, then you are fairly much tied to that company. You have a lot more freedom with a green card.

Worth noting, I worked with a guy at my last company who was sponsored, and when the,uh, poo hit the fan at that company, he was a million times more stressed out than the rest of us.

[Travelar]

I used to work with a Canadian citizen a few jobs back. His goal was to find a company that would sponsor him for an H-1B Visa. I don't really know the specifics, but I believe that there are several things they can sponsor you for. From what I understood from him, the H-1B was his path to citizenship. I'm not sure what you are looking for in the long run.... but you're bound to find some knowledgeable people on here.

[threetonesun]

Also, this is California: http://jalopnik.com/5902371/why-california-spent-205000-to-move-a-15-shrubbery :laugh:

Seriously, the weather is nice out there, but they've all lost their minds.

[Nas]

If I list my legal permanent residence as a US address I shouldn't have to pay income tax in Canada right? If I move to the US I would have nothing left in Canada (except family)

The only person I'm worried about is my wife, there's no way I would move if she can't come with me right away

Your first year will be a transition year and both countries can argue for your income tax regardless of which month of the year the income was earned because there is no way to prove which domicile ACTUALLY earned the income. However, once you sever your ties with Canada for Year 2 then you are correct: only the US IRS can collect taxes on your income.

As for family (wife), that changes things. You should both apply together for relocation into the US. Couples have a greater likelihood of approval than an individual, male, in their early-20's (up to early-30's). That's the stats for the past 15 years... you have the greatest rejection rate if you applied individually, as a male in their early adulthood years.

[Rudy]

Your first year will be a transition year and both countries can argue for your income tax regardless of which month of the year the income was earned because there is no way to prove which domicile ACTUALLY earned the income. However, once you sever your ties with Canada for Year 2 then you are correct: only the US IRS can collect taxes on your income.

As for family (wife), that changes things. You should both apply together for relocation into the US. Couples have a greater likelihood of approval than an individual, male, in their early-20's (up to early-30's). That's the stats for the past 15 years... you have the greatest rejection rate if you applied individually, as a male in their early adulthood years.

Thanks for the advice!