TL;DR: Folks who moved from US (preferably Bay area) to Canada - how has your experience been so far?
Me:
- Indian here. Have made up my mind to not keep waiting in the looonnnggg GC queue.
- Have got the I140 approved but parents are retiring soon and want to spend more time with them and also wish to take care of them in their old age (right now they are fit but years down the line they will be weak and will need support)
- Desperately trying to end being in a limbo (considering EB5 strongly and want to start saving for it but overall finding the timelines there to be discouraging as well - see the timeline mentioned below and feel free to comment on it too if it sounds off / right and any thoughts on that) and thus considering option of moving to Canada (never been to Canada, plan to travel once covid subsides and checkout cities).
- Do not have a PR but my age is less than 30 so I think I can make the Express Entry cut
What am I asking?:
1. If you moved to Canada (did you consider EB5 route?). What were your reasons of moving to Canada?
2. How has your experience been so far? I am in Bay area with decent TC and all factors I hear about Canada (Weather, High tax, low TC, long wait in medical treatments) have been discouraging except for stability and Wlb. Have you found these to be bearable? How did you cope with such trade-offs?
3. With the aim of living with and supporting parents in their old age, how badly can the long waits in medical treatments (specialist visits / MRI / scans, etc) affect the prospects?
4. How was the experience with job search / work quality / mobility (internal/external)
5. Which city have you moved to? Any specific reason for choosing that city?
I know it's a long post with a lot of questions on almost everything that any typical H1B from India would be thinking right now, but that's exactly the reason expect folks to share their experience and thoughts and collectively help out someone guide their life changing decisions.
Thanks in advance for everyone contributing
#h1b #canada #usa #ustocanada #bayarea #tech #visa #workvisa
Household TC: 450K
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comments
Did India treat you guys so bad that you guys are okay with brutal Canadian winters ?
Pollution is definitely worse than west but still far better than Northern Indian cities. Commuting to anywhere is a nightmare during peak hours but that is how developing countries are. Since I am not driving, I can use the time into something else.
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450k USD ~ 570k CAD. If you're lucky you'll make 220k CAD in Canada. Above that is virtually impossible. Remember, getting jobs is easy, but getting jobs with high TC is not.
Regarding health care
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Canada has free health care, but you're not going to be able to sponsor your parents for PR if they have some serious medical conditions. They do that to avoid "burden" to the economy. So much for free healthcare.
If you have emergency you're treated immediately. But if any treatment is not urgent you are put on a wait-list and triaged. There are clinics where you can get MRI and other tests for cash if you want.
You can buy your parents insurance in the US with all that extra TC.
Weather
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Other than Vancouver, all of Canada is not worth it for someone who comes from California or places with pleasant weather.
Cost of living
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Depending on where you live, real estate prices can vary. Vancouver and Toronto are expensive while other cities and nearby suburbs are drastically cheaper. Overall for the huge TC difference it's really not worth it to live in Canada if you plan to come here to work 9-5, because you'd be in either Vancouver or Toronto.
Overall
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In your situation, I wouldn't recommend Canada, unless you plan to go there with a goal of starting a business or some venture. Your overall quality of life isn't going to be any different. Infact, with lower TC, it can be worse.
Another side mention - look into TFSA accounts. They are an awesome investment building tool in Canada that are similar but better than Roth.
Another thing to add - capital gains is taxed much better in Canada than US. Half of your gain is tax free, half is considered income. No short term or long term stuff.
2. Wait times are exaggerated. If you ask them to put you on priority list, they call you when they have any cancellations. I have waited more in the US than in Canada.
3. You pay for your parents insurance. Only 10k applicants get selected every year for Grand parents and parents permanent residency program. But super visa is good option. Also, IRCC is more humane than USCIS and gives exceptions.
4. Vancouver (for weather and close proximity to Seattle)
Regarding other aspects such as food etc., I don’t see any issue but would like to hear others’ perspective
Out of India for long term is a separate debate. Due to Punjabi majority they won’t enjoy isn’t true. Btw I am not Punjabi..