H1B visa in US vs Canadian PR

Amazon
Kaiji

Go to company page Amazon

Kaiji
Jan 9 25 Comments

Want to hear people's thoughts on their preferences. I am an L5 SDE at Amazon in US. I'm on H1B visa which is ending this year. I've applied for perm/i140 so I can extend my H1B visa to continue working in the US (I don't have hopes of getting GC in this lifetime as I was both in India).
One approach is to continue extending H1B every year and keep visa stamping when I visit home country but with these covid times it's difficult to get visa slots at US embassy. Also I can only have one employer and can't change my career if I feel like. And if I get laid off I have 60 days to find another employer or get out of this country!
Another approach is to apply for Canadian PR through Express entry and move there to get all the international travel freedom, freedom of having multiple income streams, freedom to stay or leave the country by my choice and a path to get Canadian citizenship in like 5 years. Maybe that sounds more stability and peace in life than continuing with H1B in US.

I have no idea about pay scale difference and other factors like diversity/culture inclusion and expenses, etc.
Would like to hear pros/cons from your point of view to help me decide. Thank you!

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TOP 25 Comments
  • New
    Ayanokōji

    New

    Ayanokōji
    Canadian PR through Express entry is non existent. Did you even look at the process before considering it as a possibility?
    Jan 10 2
    • Amazon
      Kaiji

      Go to company page Amazon

      Kaiji
      OP
      I did. It's basically taking IELTS and applying online with required docs that are not hard to generate. Why do you say it's non existent?
      Jan 10
    • New
      Ayanokōji

      New

      Ayanokōji
      So tell me how man outland applicants did they accept in 2021?
      Jan 10
  • Why don’t you just transfer internally through Amazon?
    Jan 10 5
    • Amazon
      Kaiji

      Go to company page Amazon

      Kaiji
      OP
      Yep I don't mind that. The question is should I move to Canada for Canadian PR or should I stay in US extending H1B visa forever. If I decide to move to Canada I might do what you both mentioned since that would mean Amazon would take care of all my immigration expenses.
      Jan 10
    • Microsoft / Eng
      S6m0b3

      Go to company page Microsoft Eng

      S6m0b3
      Stability is priceless. You can always come back to the US.
      Jan 10
  • Amazon
    wdOi32

    Go to company page Amazon

    wdOi32
    Why you should stick with 1 employer ? After your i140 is approved , you can switch to new employer and retain same priority date. W.r.t GC you won't be able to get it this decade , but if you just looking to extend work visa and work for different employer you can always do that at USA after i140 approval.
    Jan 9 1
    • Amazon
      Kaiji

      Go to company page Amazon

      Kaiji
      OP
      I meant at any point I should still have single employer. I cannot have multiple sources of income like earning through freelancing, etc.
      Jan 10
  • Amazon
    Kaiji

    Go to company page Amazon

    Kaiji
    OP
    As per this https://immigrationnewscanada.ca/ircc-should-now-focus-on-express-entry-outland-applicants/ 112,040 Which is quite a lot. Am I missing your point?
    Jan 10 1
    • New
      Ayanokōji

      New

      Ayanokōji
      This year express entry system has already invited 4,690 more profiles to invite for permanent residency, but there has been drought for applicants outside Canada (FSW and FST) other than those received provincial nomination.
      Jan 10
  • Canada has its benefits though it comes at its cost too.

    You would get lower pay. But it shouldn't be 50% less as many weirdos here claim.

    They are factoring in 30% because cad is less than usd. Now that might be true for your savings when spent in India but frankly is economically non sense. You live in Canada and spend in CAD, live in US, spend in usd.

    Taxes are generally higher in Canada and most basics are more expensive, unless you are comparing with California or Newyork.

    Canada is multicultural, much more diverse and a great place to experience life.

    I would suggest move there, live in suburbs to lower your housing cost, live with less money for a few years and then consider moving back.

    Most likely your green card process would again start from scratch when you move back to us.

    Yes as a Canadian you could care less about that, just get a tn by any employer you like and keep renewing that every 3 years indefinitely while using Canadian passport for travel
    Jan 9 1
    • Factoring in forex when calculating wages is the dumbest thing ever. The Canadian and US dollar are not meant to be at parity. It’s happened twice when oil was doing amazingly well.
      Jan 10