Blame Canada, Or, the Myth of the Shallow Talent Pool

I'm a US citizen that moved to Montreal for work. Living expenses here are low enough that it was a wash versus Los Angeles. Child care subsidies make it a net positive.

And the CS students coming out of Montreal universities are excellent (and bilingual). Plus there are generous tax incentives for R&D.

I'm on my second TN status, and it really isn't very hard to get. If you have a relevant degree and a job offer, it's practically guaranteed.

Sure, it's not ideal living in a foreign country, but while I don't have dependents or large liabilities to pay off, I'll enjoy getting a salary which is literally double what Canadian companies have offered.

As for the cost of living. LA is cheaper than Vancouver. So are many US cities. The article seems to treat SF as the whole of the USA when comparing costs.

This ignores the very real issue of big companies pulling the top talent out of the country. You'll be left picking over the left overs. The H1-B lottery is annoying, but most companies simply have their employees wait it out on a TN.

Not everyone that is talented will move to the USA, but you better believe the prospect of literally making 2x the pay is worth it to most people. Especially when most talent is hired right out of school before they start putting any real roots down.