Ya the H1B has pretty much been crossed off my list for those reasons. I think I looked into the Green card lotto, and if I recall right being from Canada, I'm at the back of the bus on that, but I'll have to look into it again.

As for family/friends, I get where your'e coming from on that. I learned it quickly when I lived out in Charlottetown, PEI for a few years. That being said, I have a decent base of friends in the US, mainly in the Philadelphia area which is where I've been mostly looking for work (most PA companies usually find my resume in their inbox soon after posting if I have the qualifications).