[throthrothis]

Please all H1Bs of Indian nationality. Do not waste your time, age, money and family life waiting for H1B based GreenCard. Its a lost cause. Move to Canada, Australia or somewhere else. Live a good life rather than being indentured servants for US corporations for a good chunk of your productive age. I moved to Canada some years back and I am really happy about my decision.

[proberts]

Not to move too far afield from immigration but my take on this is similar but slightly different: it's easier said than done but my advice is not to let the goal of a green card dictate decisions about where to work - that is, don't pass up good opportunities because of immigration considerations.

[CrasVestibulum]

(throwaway account)

After 12 years (of which 7+ years waiting for a green card) I have come to a similar conclusion.

How do you compare living in Canada vs USA , like schools and opportunities for spouses ?

[throthrothis]

I waited for 3 years in a top American company and I concluded that I will be wasting all my productive years for a GreenCard.

What use is a GreenCard to me when I am old ?

What will happen to my kid's school and education if I am forced to move from one location to another ?

What if I buy a home and I cant live in that because I have to move to another state ?

Why can't I accept job roles which differs 50% than the one in my PERM ?

Why should I redo my LCA if the next job is more than 50 miles ?

Should I stay put in a place and do not ask for salary raise till I get my greencard ?

To hell with all these draconian immigration system.

So I opened up my stackoverflow careers for jobs in Canada, landed a job and they processed my temporary work permit(in 4 months time). Landed in Canada in 2014 and within 1 year we became a permanent residents through the Express Entry program. We bought a home recently.

Salary:

Since I was on H1B, I was given very less (110K) compared to American counterparts who does the same job. But the Canadian employer did not see me like an indentured servant. I was paid more than the US salary. (conversion considered).

The quality of schools I cannot comment because we do not have any kids yet.

Spouse can work !

My wife could not work in the US (She is a masters degree holder). She was sitting in the apartment watching Indian TV channels all day and trying out new dishes. I knew she was getting frustrated day by day.

My wife got a job within 2 months after landing in Canada befitting her education and experience.

We didn't mind the cold. We cared for equal treatment, freedom in life, acceptance and a peaceful life. We got everything as we expected after moving here. We have started to enjoy our life now.

[CrasVestibulum]

Glad you made the move. Thank you for the info, will explore more.

I have changed jobs about 5 times, each time the new employer had to redo the I-140 (retaining the priority date from the first application).

The whole process is so broken. My colleagues from east Europe could get their green card within a year of application and yet Im forced to wait for years!

[throthrothis]

I fully understand. Australia is another option if not Canada. For me, I don't like to live on the edge, every decision I made in the US was dependent on my visa. Why should I risk and depend on my luck for US immigration's mercy when I have the skills ? I did not know the pitfalls of US broken immigration system when I came to the US. If I knew earlier, I would have immigrated somewhere else. Anyways all I can say is 4 years of my life was wasted by staying in the US.

[warpy]

You are only an "indentured servant" if you're not good enough in your field to demand a competitive salary. Please don't put everyone in the same bucket as you.

[throthrothis]

With your skills can you get an H1B ? or is it luck ? Say you are an exceptional skilled worker. Do you have any priority for getting a greencard ? If you are EB1 I agree you are exceptional. But with EB2, can you with your skills get a greencard or do you have to be under the mercy of your employer & wait 10 years ? Hence the indentured servitude.

[kk3399]

after the move, how much pay cut you have to bear with

[throthrothis]

In fact my pay increased, I know many think that Canadian employers pay less or something. But if you get the right employer, they pay good enough. My spouse also works now. So we together bring home a good chunk of bacon.