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bizaro86 · 09-12-2023, 11:16 AM

I think we should expand the automatic entry for people who US H1B visas. That's a pool of pre-vetted, super high capacity people, many of whom are getting screwed by the US immigration system.

As an example, I have a friend who has a masters in engineering from Stamford. He's worked for large tech companies (ones you've heard of) and startups in Silicon Valley for the last decade. Hugely high capacity person, that would add in-demand skills to the Canadian economy. He makes a good living in Silicon Valley, specializing in battery technology.

Why would someone like that move to Canada? One big reason is he's getting screwed (imo) by the US. H1B is a visa for high demand/skill workers. It qualifies for a green card if your employer will sponsor you, but the number of green cards per year is limited, and nationals for any one country can only get a certain % of the green cards. That means the wait for Indian H1B holders who get approved for a green card is measured in decades. And if you don't get the green card by the time your kids turn 21, they don't qualify for residency any more and have to leave. He immigrated with a toddler who doesn't remember living anywhere else - under the current system she doesn't qualify for US residency and would have to move back to India when she turns 21.

Canada offered a special work permit for H1B holders, and the program reached the 10,000 application cap immediately. That's 10,000 highly educated people with high demand skills who have experience working in the US (which is more transferrable to Canada than from other countries, imo).

I really think we should expand that program. I have ethical concerns about taking all the skilled workers from poor countries (eg if we take all the doctors/nurses from the Philippines what do people there do for health care?) But the Americans are fine, and they aren't treating these people well (imo the fact that it hasn't changed is racially motivated, this only affects Indian nationals and Chinese nationals). And our economy benefits more from taking in high skill STEM immigrants than it does from taking in TFW types to work at the local Tims.

See: https://news.yahoo.com/150-wait-gree...211630028.html

09-12-2023, 11:16 AM	#8508
bizaro86 Franchise Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Exp:	I think we should expand the automatic entry for people who US H1B visas. That's a pool of pre-vetted, super high capacity people, many of whom are getting screwed by the US immigration system. As an example, I have a friend who has a masters in engineering from Stamford. He's worked for large tech companies (ones you've heard of) and startups in Silicon Valley for the last decade. Hugely high capacity person, that would add in-demand skills to the Canadian economy. He makes a good living in Silicon Valley, specializing in battery technology. Why would someone like that move to Canada? One big reason is he's getting screwed (imo) by the US. H1B is a visa for high demand/skill workers. It qualifies for a green card if your employer will sponsor you, but the number of green cards per year is limited, and nationals for any one country can only get a certain % of the green cards. That means the wait for Indian H1B holders who get approved for a green card is measured in decades. And if you don't get the green card by the time your kids turn 21, they don't qualify for residency any more and have to leave. He immigrated with a toddler who doesn't remember living anywhere else - under the current system she doesn't qualify for US residency and would have to move back to India when she turns 21. Canada offered a special work permit for H1B holders, and the program reached the 10,000 application cap immediately. That's 10,000 highly educated people with high demand skills who have experience working in the US (which is more transferrable to Canada than from other countries, imo). I really think we should expand that program. I have ethical concerns about taking all the skilled workers from poor countries (eg if we take all the doctors/nurses from the Philippines what do people there do for health care?) But the Americans are fine, and they aren't treating these people well (imo the fact that it hasn't changed is racially motivated, this only affects Indian nationals and Chinese nationals). And our economy benefits more from taking in high skill STEM immigrants than it does from taking in TFW types to work at the local Tims. See: https://news.yahoo.com/150-wait-gree...211630028.html