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Comment by xil3 | Hacker News Reader

I'm also interested to find out what employers in the US think. Would you still consider resume's that come from Canadians? I seem to remember it being easier to get responses (before Trump). Has the climate changed? This is geared more towards the technical space.

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Yes, Canadian resumes are some of the best resumes employers can get. Tip for other founders: if you're not hiring Canadians, you're missing out on a massive economic opportunity. Canadians are typically underpaid for technical roles in Toronto / Vancouver by a factor of 50%, at least.

Canadians who haven't yet worked or done co-op terms in the US often think it's much more difficult to get a job in the Bay Area than it actually is. Tip for employees: the single best thing you can do for your career in technology is work in the Bay Area, even if only for a short time.

I'm not sure how much the climate has changed, and I'm not a lawyer, but I can tell you that generally: if you have a degree, a portfolio and work experience, things have a high probability of working out well if you apply to US jobs.

Amazon seems to agree. Announced opening an office in Vancouver. To have an estimated 3000 employees.

They have had an office for years (at least 5-6, that's where I applied initially).

That and MS have a rep as being a place to stash people for a year so they can get L-1 instead of H-1B.

I think there's a decent number of us who don't see a 50% pay increase as enough compensation for living in the Bay Area over Vancouver.

By 50% underpaid I mean a 100% pay increase (doubled) for moving to SF.

Making $80,000 in a nice big city is easily a better life choice than moving to SF for a $160,000 job.

It could be worth it if you also have or find a spouse that can swing $160k, and then one or both of you move up. Plus you get SF weather and outdoor scene.

I think the outdoor scene is better in Vancouver. World class snowboarding / skiing a 2 hour drive away in Whistler, world class climbing a 1 hour drive away in Squamish, all kinds of water-based activities (except surfing) on your doorstep and great hiking all around. Friends who've moved to SF find SF better in some respects but overall I think Vancouver edges it out.

Vancouver is awesome too...But the money sucks.

pretty amazing surfing on the island at Tofino, but that's a bit more of a trek. Also diving as well

Spouses can’t work on their partners TN visa unless they qualify themselves.

Utterly stupid oversight of the NAFTA agreement.

Actually even 80K to 160k is kind of underselling it. Once you add Amazon/Google/Facebook RSUs the total comp can become outrageous. Then you add a working spouse or partner.

I know people who've doubled their total comp on a move from Vancouver to SF (at current exchange rates) but I'd say they were generally underpaid by Vancouver standards already. I think 50% is closer to reality if you've already maxed out what you can get in the Vancouver market. Once you adjust for cost of living that drops again. Some of the remaining difference can be accounted for by Vancouver being a nicer place to live and work. I think that still leaves some difference unaccounted for and exactly how much will depend on the individual and their priorities and preferences. I know I'm not the only one who is pretty aware of the trade offs and potential pay increase of working in SF and still prefers Vancouver though

It's more than 50%.

I'd guess more than 100% before exchange rate.

Then you do the smart thing and come to Seattle instead.

edit: ah yeah the difference is clarified below.

Currently making 50k USD before taxes in Vancouver... I'm pretty sure it'd be a big increase if I went down.

I don't think it matters much for mid-size to larger corporations. What I fear this hurts the most is startups or small firms that operate on tight timelines and under severe cash crunch and don't have the resources or time to jump through the hoops of the arcane visa sponsorship process.

That being said: if a company wants you badly enough, they will make it happen ;-).

Again, IANAL but: from experience, the TN Visa process is relatively painless (happens right at the Port of Entry, takes an hour at most) and most times can be done without a lawyer. If a lawyer is needed (suggested for first-timers), you can use services like UpCounsel [1] that are relatively inexpensive and not a huge time-sink for companies (resource constrained or not).

[1] https://upcounsel.com/

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