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RLM
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Canadian and Working in the States 01 Aug 2007, 07:41
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Is anyone else in the same boat? Canadian and wanting to work in the States post-MBA. I've always been attracted to the californ-I-A lifestyle, as sometimes it's quite cold up here in Toronto, as most of you can probably can guess :-D

Seriously though, for me it's as much about the lifestyle as the career opportunities. I want to work on the business side of technology (brand mgmt/marketing, operations, business strategy/development, etc.), and California being the world hub of technology should provide the opportunities that I seek. Therefore I'm thinking Haas or UCLA.

Has anyone had any success? I understand that attaining an MBA from a US b-school will improve my chances due to localized recruitment, but still - are there any complications in applying for a work Visa, post-MBA? I'm told that the company that hires you would have to vouch/sponsor your Visa - is that a difficult process?

Moreover, if I can't get a job after grad and my student Visa expires, that pretty much means I'd have to head back to Canada for work and repay my US debt on my Canadian salary, which, even though the Canadian dollar is strong, will still be a heavy burden on my small frame. :roll:

Has anyone experienced this? There seems to be quite a few hoops to jump through in order to work in the States....
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aviroop
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Canadian and Working in the States 01 Aug 2007, 09:57
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Other than people going up to you and saying - "Ohh, you a Canuck? Do you say eh at the end of each sentence?', I think you will be in good hands.

You will get a H1-B work visa, and your company sponsors it for you. Dont worry much about the visa issues as those will be handled by your company when you get the job.

If you are focused on tech, Haas is a better choice for u.
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Canadian and Working in the States 01 Aug 2007, 10:18
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And how aboot the TN visa, eh?

Just kidding :-D. I worked in Canada (Ottawa) for one year and I just loved the country .. specially the winter there (I knowww .. weird !!)
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RLM
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Canadian and Working in the States 01 Aug 2007, 11:22
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aviroop
Other than people going up to you and saying - "Ohh, you a Canuck? Do you say eh at the end of each sentence?', I think you will be in good hands.

You will get a H1-B work visa, and your company sponsors it for you. Dont worry much about the visa issues as those will be handled by your company when you get the job.

If you are focused on tech, Haas is a better choice for u.
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Thanks aviroop, that sounds just peachy :lol: I'll have to work on removing my "EH" and canuck accent :lol:

Seriously though, I keep hearing about limited visa quotas, ie. only a certain number of work visas are given out each year by the government, and if you miss the bus then you're out of luck and off you go back to your home country. Does this not apply to H1-B visas?

Yup I know about Haas's rep in tech too. Definitely very attractive. But I've visited both SF and LA and prefer the hustle and bustle of LA, so that's why I might also consider UCLA.....
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RLM
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Canadian and Working in the States 01 Aug 2007, 11:23
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And how aboot the TN visa, eh?

Just kidding :-D. I worked in Canada (Ottawa) for one year and I just loved the country .. specially the winter there (I knowww .. weird !!)
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What's a TN visa? Pardon my ignorance. :roll:

Ottawa! Wow that's even colder than Toronto. You probably liked the winter just because it was only 1 year... try braving the cold year after year :lol:
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Canadian and Working in the States 01 Aug 2007, 11:43
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RLM
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Other than people going up to you and saying - "Ohh, you a Canuck? Do you say eh at the end of each sentence?', I think you will be in good hands.

You will get a H1-B work visa, and your company sponsors it for you. Dont worry much about the visa issues as those will be handled by your company when you get the job.

If you are focused on tech, Haas is a better choice for u.

Thanks aviroop, that sounds just peachy :lol: I'll have to work on removing my "EH" and canuck accent :lol:

Seriously though, I keep hearing about limited visa quotas, ie. only a certain number of work visas are given out each year by the government, and if you miss the bus then you're out of luck and off you go back to your home country. Does this not apply to H1-B visas?

Yup I know about Haas's rep in tech too. Definitely very attractive. But I've visited both SF and LA and prefer the hustle and bustle of LA, so that's why I might also consider UCLA.....
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H1-B visa quotas are running dry, but there is talk about increasing the quota. Also, there is a separate quota for advanced degrees students (20,000) which includes mba students, plus you get one year of training visa, called OPT, when you graduate from school by default which you can use for work. So dont be so worried about visa issues.

You are the first person I met who prefers LA over san francisco and the bay area. :lol:
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Canadian and Working in the States 01 Aug 2007, 12:09
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RLM

What's a TN visa? Pardon my ignorance. :roll:

Ottawa! Wow that's even colder than Toronto. You probably liked the winter just because it was only 1 year... try braving the cold year after year :lol:
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This may help you: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TN_visa

So considering that (a) The H1 quota might be increased by the time you complete your MBA, (b) You will be eligible to use one of the 20K visas reserved for graduates from the US schools and (c) You can fall back on a TN visa in the worst case, I think you are good to go.

However, some companies might still not be interested in you just because they aren't clear about the visa process and want to stay away from this mess. After all, there's still a chance (Albeit minor) of you having to go back to Canada because of not getting any visa at all. This is very unlikely, but it's upto you to convince the companies that way (If they do not know all about it already)
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Canadian and Working in the States 01 Aug 2007, 12:32
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If you're envisioning beaches, sun, and girls in bikinis when you think of California, you should target UCLA. Northern California's beaches are cold. You can't swim there unless you're in a wet suit and nobody hangs out at the beach unless we have a freak heatwave.

I'm from SF and have met many people who moved to this city with visions of surfboards and flip flops. It isn't Canada cold, but it rarely gets that warm. Berkeley is a bit warmer, but the fog still comes in at night.
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RLM
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Canadian and Working in the States 01 Aug 2007, 13:42
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aviroop
RLM
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Other than people going up to you and saying - "Ohh, you a Canuck? Do you say eh at the end of each sentence?', I think you will be in good hands.

You will get a H1-B work visa, and your company sponsors it for you. Dont worry much about the visa issues as those will be handled by your company when you get the job.

If you are focused on tech, Haas is a better choice for u.

Thanks aviroop, that sounds just peachy :lol: I'll have to work on removing my "EH" and canuck accent :lol:

Seriously though, I keep hearing about limited visa quotas, ie. only a certain number of work visas are given out each year by the government, and if you miss the bus then you're out of luck and off you go back to your home country. Does this not apply to H1-B visas?

Yup I know about Haas's rep in tech too. Definitely very attractive. But I've visited both SF and LA and prefer the hustle and bustle of LA, so that's why I might also consider UCLA.....

H1-B visa quotas are running dry, but there is talk about increasing the quota. Also, there is a separate quota for advanced degrees students (20,000) which includes mba students, plus you get one year of training visa, called OPT, when you graduate from school by default which you can use for work. So dont be so worried about visa issues.

You are the first person I met who prefers LA over san francisco and the bay area. :lol:
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Hmmmm... so the overall vibe I'm getting is that it's possible to not get a Visa post-MBA, but the chances are slim. Is there anything I can do to minimize the risk? ie. applying for the work visa early (hence having to secure a job early)?

I love the weather in LA man.. 8-) Nothing like hitting up the Santa Monica pier and beach on the weekends after a hard week's work.... :P
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RLM
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Canadian and Working in the States 01 Aug 2007, 13:45
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mNeo
RLM

What's a TN visa? Pardon my ignorance. :roll:

Ottawa! Wow that's even colder than Toronto. You probably liked the winter just because it was only 1 year... try braving the cold year after year :lol:

This may help you: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TN_visa

So considering that (a) The H1 quota might be increased by the time you complete your MBA, (b) You will be eligible to use one of the 20K visas reserved for graduates from the US schools and (c) You can fall back on a TN visa in the worst case, I think you are good to go.

However, some companies might still not be interested in you just because they aren't clear about the visa process and want to stay away from this mess. After all, there's still a chance (Albeit minor) of you having to go back to Canada because of not getting any visa at all. This is very unlikely, but it's upto you to convince the companies that way (If they do not know all about it already)
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Thanks for the great info mNeo. I'll look into all these 3 types of Visas for sure and see how secure I feel about them. Definitely carrying a US-incurred debt and earning a Canadian salary is not a situation I'd want to get into!

About companies wanting to avoid the whole visa mess, that was another concern that came to my mind too, but I expect most well-established companies are interested in getting the best talent? So the visa situation should be just a small trade-off? (i hope?)
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RLM
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Canadian and Working in the States 01 Aug 2007, 13:50
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mba2010
If you're envisioning beaches, sun, and girls in bikinis when you think of California, you should target UCLA. Northern California's beaches are cold. You can't swim there unless you're in a wet suit and nobody hangs out at the beach unless we have a freak heatwave.

I'm from SF and have met many people who moved to this city with visions of surfboards and flip flops. It isn't Canada cold, but it rarely gets that warm. Berkeley is a bit warmer, but the fog still comes in at night.
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I know man 8-) I visited both SF and LA last year and got a good idea of how each city was like. SF was quite foggy and chilly. But for some reason as soon as you get close to Stanford the weather becomes almost socal-like :roll: Seafood was great though. UCLA is in the city/environment I prefer, but Haas seems to be closer to Silicon Valley and attracts more tech companies during recruitment. So it's almost a toss-up. But still all this thinking is useless if neither school want me :roll: