Dilemma - move to the US of A??
 

Me & the mrs quit our jobs in London 4 years ago and moved to Vancouver on a whim. We fell in love with the city, settled down, bought a house in a perfect location, and recently started a family. All going great...

However, just had a big spanner thrown into the works. I've been offered a very good job in Chicago. I wouldn't really be considering the move, but my current job is up in the next few months and given the economy I'm concerned about finding a similar level of job (I'm pretty young for the position I hold & there aren't many head offices in Vancouver). The offer in Chicago is a promotion, very good career move, big pay rise, they'd pay for the relocation, plus cost of living & taxes are much lower. Plan would be to move for 5 years and then look to come back to Vancouver.

Problems being:
1) do we really want to live in Chicago for the next 5 years?
2) we don't have Canadian citizenship yet (can apply next year). Could probably work it so that we stay in Canada until we can apply, and then relocate in the summer. But processing times are said to be around 1 year(?), and not sure if can you leave Canada while application is being processed?

Have flip-flopped on the decision several times..... any advise??

Re: Dilemma - move to the US of A??
 

Hi

1. If you don't get citizenship, then there is the chance that you won't qualify for PR the second time.
2. Looking at your signature and depending on the amount of time that you have spent out of Canada since your first arrival on a Bunac, you may be eligible to apply for citizenship now. You know that you can count as half time to a maximum of year the time you spent in Canada prior to becoming a PR in the 4 years prior to submitting the application?
3. If you qualify and submit your application, you can leave Canada, but you need a Canadian address as you will have to return for the test and the oath.

Re: Dilemma - move to the US of A??
 

I need to look at my travel but had a few months gap between visas so was thinking early 2010 to apply.

So there's no problem to leave after the application has been submitted, and live in the US as long as we use a friends address in Canada. Nothing illegal about doing that, and wouldn't be a reason to get denied citizenship?

Re: Dilemma - move to the US of A??
 

What work visa will your employer be applying for in the US? That will have a big bearing on how long you are looking at

Re: Dilemma - move to the US of A??
 

If it's a company transfer to the US office, you could use an L1 visa, and your spouse could get an L2 and be eligible to work. If not a transfer, you're looking at an H1-B visa; spouse would get an H4 and would NOT be able to work. She'd need her own work visa in order to be employed. Be sure to factor that into your decision.

Re: Dilemma - move to the US of A??
 

You can leave canada during the processing period, but you may have to attend the test / swearing at short notice.

My advice is GO FOR IT what on earth are you waiting for!

Re: Dilemma - move to the US of A??
 

No - it wouldn't be a company transfer. What about Green Card - how does that work?

Re: Dilemma - move to the US of A??
 

There is also the TN1 visa depending on your profession.

http://www.workpermit.com/us/employer_tn.htm but you have to be a Canadian citizen to be eligible for one.

I would say go for it on the move! another adventure.

It doesnt have to be forever you can always return.

Re: Dilemma - move to the US of A??
 

We had a similar situation here, some years ago now. My husband was either out of work in Calgary, or could transfer to the US. We enterd on a L1 permit and applied for green cards almost immediately. No problem in getting them and it's much easier if you use the company's lawyers to deal with the immigration services.

We were already Canadian citizens so there were no worries there.

Good luck if you choose to go, it was a great experience for us all, no regrets.

Re: Dilemma - move to the US of A??
 

The employer can sponsor you for a green card. First they would need to get an I-140 approved (petition to hire alien worker) with an additional approval from the Department of Labor (labor certification). With those in hand, I-485s could be filed for you and your spouse (application for adjustment of status). How long all this would take depends on what category of Employment-Based green card you fall into: EB-1, EB-2, or EB-3. EB-3 is now in retrogression, so there are no approvals coming for those who have applied in the past several years.

That's a very brief, non-lawyerly outline. You should talk in detail with the new employer.

Re: Dilemma - move to the US of A??
 

Thanks Bill - that gives me some ammo to start asking more questions. The company is multi-national and they've hired foreign workers before so hopefully they know what the process is....

Having just got to grips with the Canadian immigration system, now a whole new bunch of acronyms to figure out and forms to complete... ugh :eek:

Re: Dilemma - move to the US of A??
 

If I remember right you are a CA? Therefore you would be eligible for the TN1 Visa if you were a Canadian Citizen. I understand that TN1 visas are much easier to get than some others. Could you use this as a negotiating point with the new employer?

It would be a shame to give up on PR and citizenship seeing as you are so close, but if you can find a work-around for these it sounds like a great opportunity.

Re: Dilemma - move to the US of A??
 

Yep - I'm a CA.

They won't wait for me to get Citizenship (as its a year processing time) but I could negotiate to stay here long enough to meet requirement and get the application in. That way we'll still end up with citizenship, but not until after the move.

They've hired British CAs before, and my wife isn't planning to work, so I'm not too worried about the initial visa. I will be asking them to sponsor us for Green cards though....

Now what the heck do do with the house? Sell or Rent....

Re: Dilemma - move to the US of A??
 

I'd go, but then I quite like Chicago. It's something different for a couple of years at least.

Re: Dilemma - move to the US of A??
 

Selling would make it easier to go non-resident for tax, if that is what you want, unless you could show it was a profitable investment