If you have a job letter, you show up to the airport and CBP can issue it immediately.
This includes software development which is responsible for GDP growth. Which is why 80-90% of CS students at the University of Waterloo immediately move to the USA after graduation.
I am familiar with this statistic. It explains a lot about the Toronto tech community, especially versus Waterloo's.
Okay, but as a Canadian, why would I? American seems like a shithole. All of my American friends are trying to get out asap
e.g. Nobody at my office has heard of Gas Town yet. I had to get an invite to a predominantly American Teams chat to discuss it. It's a very draining environment.
Also, senior devs make US$110k and a detached home costs US$800k. I would pay less in taxes and a home would be cheaper relative to income in California.
Just not in Toronto, Vancouver, or Victoria
But I guess I'm not tech talent, idk.
Many of us choose to live in Canada for a variety of reasons, and it is not because we couldn't get a job down south. Some of us even had to turn down moving to the US multiple times in our careers, but that idea is uncomfortable for some folks. It is almost as if some people value other things in addition to money.
The US is a difficult and long process to get a green card. Other English-speaking countries aren’t necessarily better: Australia seems similar in terms of being a natural resource extraction economy with insanely high real estate prices. Same productivity and salary concerns with the UK.