Survival on Canadian PR vs H1B

[GeorgeJoseph]

Hi Friends/ Fellow-ForumMembers,

I see people flying to UnitedStates (from India) on H1B visa and surviving there in UnitedStates without any hassles (sailing & flourishing well from DAY ONE itself). They are having fun out there and DON'T find it difficult at all in finding a job. These Guys were struggling to get/ find a job in indian IT market for months but travelled to US on H1B and are in good jobs (earning a lot of dollars) in united states. But, why is it (very) to the power of n times difficult to survive/ find a job in Canada (though we are going on PR) when compared to landing in United States?

Note - Once, one of my college mate (with loads and loads of arrears, passed out with a marginal/ border %ge of marks) was asked to bring his father for his poor marks/ interest in studies. The Principal said his father that his son is not at all showing interest in studies and he can't even get/ find a job as a primary school teacher. Immediately his father got furious & said that if he can't find a job for his son in indian market, he will send his son to United States and he can easily find a job over there. So, that is how they say... it is a cake walk to find a job in US...atleaset in the IT field. Just a couple of rounds of TELEPHONIC interview. Not even in person. I know people who had used proxy to clear the telephonic interviews and they are surviving well.

Please pour in ur comments/ views/ truths.
I see everyone saying that, it is very difficult to find a Job in Canada and we should be ready to work as waitress/ cab drivers/ bouncers in clubs/ servers in bars/ cleaners (putting mops) in the ariports till we get a job in our own field...

Is it because,
1) All the canadian companies need some prior experience with some canadian companies??? In that case, will they accept/ encourage if we have some experience working in united states for US based company?

Is it because,
2) All the canadian companies need some education from canada??? If that is the case, can we get an canadian equivalent valuation for our indian qualifications??? will that help??? is it possible to get that done from india itself??? i mean, before starting to canada???

Is it because,
3) US has got a wide market and the job opportunities are plenty...but the canadian market is very small? Is it ?

Is it because,
4) Canadian companies prefer only the canada borns?

Is it because,
5) In US, IT companies are plenty and since canada doesn't have much IT companies... it is difficult??


>> Is it possible to get a Job by sitting in India itself (after getting the canadian PR) and then land in canada? If yes, then why are our guys landing there without a job and struggling like anything?

>> How about planning for some courses in candian universities for the partner and survive with that income (the stiphend) and search for a Good job in my field itself slowly & steadily without any pressure? will that work? or is it a bad idea to lean on and still the job search will be difficult?

>> If we show some fake prior experience of worked for some canadian company, will they do a background check and will we be caught? will they do a complete background check (employment check)?

>> Is "finding a job in canada" is difficult in all the fields or it applies only for certain fields?? In that case, how is IT doing??

>> OR is the difficulty in finding a Job in canadian job market is only becoz of the recession going-on and it should be okay once the world economy is back?

Please respond. very curious to see ur views/ answers. hope this will help others as well.

P.S: I am sorry, this post is a bit lengthy...plz. spare some time to give ur valuable comments. Thankz a lot.

rgds, George

[Leon]

I don't know how easy it is to find a job in the US but you have to have a job in the US before you get the H1B visa.  You don't get the H1B visa first and then go look for a job so for somebody who is already going to the US on H1B, they already did look for the job.  If they lose the job, they go home.  For the Canadian PR, you don't need a job so the job search often happens after you come to Canada.

[Honolulu]

Thats a GREAT point Leon. Also H1B is quite focused on the IT industry - Canadian PR goes well beyond that.

[omm]

H1B is the worst, and process of H1B is also worst... rules is worst... now USA is worst too. belive me, right now I am working on H1B but preparing file for FSW PR. I am working on H1B since 1year 3months ,  USA people even our desi too worst because they had Green card or citizenship holders. personal experience. in the USA if you are on H1B then Green card or citizenship holders our desi people ignore H1B holders.
no more jobs, when you faced interview call , and ask them your on H1B the interviewer never ask you and hang off the phone.
in simple words I say H1B is totaly worst...
I am applying for my file within some days. right now I am collecting my all documents.
when I heared about Canadain PR systems, I prepared for documents from that day to apply soon....

Keep updates...
Ommkumar desai.

[New2Canada]

Everyone must have a job in US before getting a H1B.
The guys who are pretty bad and coming to US with a H1B are the ones who are hired by local companies and then sending them to US to work in the US subsidiary. Some of these guys are pretty bad and the senate is putting a stop to such visa abuse.

In the US, people are struggling for job now and many H1B holders are considering moving to Canada.

The US market is very competitive. If it was easy, trust me, a lot more people will be coming here because people do want to live in the US compared to many other countries.

[maua]

Green Card holders have the same struggles as Canadian PR Holders. I personally know of three families (Green Card Holders) that are moving back to their countries of origin after several years of struggling in the US Job Market. They had good jobs back home and were well established so they just cut their losses and moved back.
I know of another family that came to the States in 1996 on a Green Card. The husband was a doctor from Kenya and as we know, his credentials were not recognized. He struggled for years many times doubting his decision. At his lowest point, he was mowing lawns and blowing leaves like the undocumented immigrants. But he perservered, went back to school and it paid off. He was recently posted as the attending Physician at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.
It is increasingly difficult for H1B holders because in this already strained job market, employers have to justify hiring a foreigner and it costs them money to file the necessary paperwork. Some employers abuse these employees by sending them all over the country on long projects, away from their family. They do this because they know that the employer probably needs the job more than the company needs them. And God-forbid if you were to lose your job, you either have to find another employer willing to hire you or leave the country.
I worked in an engineering firm and handled the HR paperwork for our department. We had a total of seven very brilliant engineers that were all on H1Bs. They had PhDs and were licensed. The two American engineers we had were not as qualified. In fact they were not even licenced. The problem arose when we had clients with sensitive projects that they only wanted Citizens to work on. I was concerned for these very gifted Engineers because they were now becoming a liability to the company. For individuals like these, it is WAY better to be on a Canadian PR than and American H1B

[vbond007]

GeorgeJoseph, I think the precious posts are more focused on H1-B rather than Canadian Job market. Your post is complete fact itself and you know everything. You can get your qualification verified from Canadian Universities but it not helpful for job search. Right from India, it is impossible that u can finalized job in Canada without Canadian experience / qualification. The only way is to land there first and struggle! 

[commonwealth]

Interesting topic

First of all, let's compare apples with apples. US H1b is comparable to Canadian Work Permit which temporary work visa..... To get H1b, employer has to justify the reason to bring non-Citizen/Permanent Resident; mostly highly skill professionals qualify under this category.

If you compare Canadian Work Permit and US H1b, you will find more opportunities for US H1b holder because US economy is 7 time larger ($14 T). US have 10 times more population so obviously more demand.

Same is true if you compare Canadian PR and US GC... So please compare relevant status for a decent analysis.

Having said that, it takes long time to get US GC (Skilled worker track) and then citizenship (5 years after GC), Canadian process of GC and Citizenship is much quicker.

Your skill/experience and market conditions usually bring success.

Hope this helps.

[omm]

good commonweath.. but now a days economy is too bad still 12k H1B cap is waiting to full CAP. another thing no jobs only for H1B holders. and who want to wait 7 to 8 years to get GC of USA and if its denied in between processing time then?? totaly worthless and time consuming process. I am sure I will find same job and with same salary too.
so I can say H1B is worst now at this time. dont know hows the rules will be in future and my company is run out of business now. they will sure close within 2years or 1year before that I must have to move to canada.
Thanks, keep it up.
ommkumar desai

[commonwealth]

I completely understand your situation. I experienced it and kept Canadian PR as back-up. It took me 4 yours for GC from H1b and another 5 for USC.
Keep your options open and decide what's best in your particular situation.... All the best!