How Hard Is It To Leave The U.S. For Jobs?

Durrik asks: "There have been many articles and comments posted on how easy it is to move from Canada to the U.S. for engineering jobs. I'm one of the engineers that has picked up on this and left Canada for the U.S. for an embedded programming job. But now the high tech economy is heating up again in Canada and I want to take advantage of it, and I'm sure others do, too. Does anyone have any experience, and comments on leaving the U.S. for engineering jobs, or is this something so strange that no-one even thinks of doing it? What laws and trouble would I need to go through to go back to Canada, as a citizen? But since this is an open forum what about those who are U.S. citizens and want to take advantage of the heating up high tech industry in other countries? "

Comments

"Ask Slashdot" is one section of many

[Fastolfe]

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Go ahead

[gorilla]

IANAL but I belive that the situation is that a Canadian citizen can return to Canada at any time and resume residency, without filling out any paperwork or getting any visas.

Not too difficult with US experience

[anticypher]

I've worked in the US quite a number of years, and have now returned to europe to ply my trade over here. The euros *LOVE* anyone with silicon valley experience. The clued-in startups absolutely worship US/Canadian bred entrepreneurs.

I know quite a few americans who are working in europe in various hi-tech jobs. Most are doing it for the adventure and experience or because they met a special someone. None of them are doing it for the money. No pay scale in europe even comes close to what you can make in the US, and unless you are working for an american company, stock options are unheard of.

All of the 'merkins agree they are learning more and having more fun than if they stayed with their careers in the US. The biggest complaint is the lack of innovation and tendancy towards socialism over here. It doesn't matter how good or bad a job you do, everyone's careers plod along at the same pace. Any euro who wants to make a great leap in their career goes to the US.

If you get a few years of international experience under your belt on top of some US hi-tech, then you can always go back and write your own ticket. Many companies are desperate to expand their markets beyond the border, because they have to keep a 20% growth rate per year and they can't do that forever inside the US. So they look to places like europe and china, and if you walk in their door with a good proposal and some experience, they hire you to go develop the market.

I'm working a job right now where I travel 20 days per month around the world, in the office only about 1 week in 10. The pay is good, but I could be making twice as much in an american company. However, I get 7 weeks vacation per year, plus unbeatable healthcare (100% coverage and no HMO hassles) and belgian beer is cheap.

the AC