[anona]

> Also, talent. This might be inflammatory, but I venture that the bulk of Canada's A-talent is already in the USA. Given the ease of the TN visa, I think it's not a stretch to say that if you're offering $70K for software engineers in Toronto, you are not hiring any of Canada's top talent, because they're all in the US making $150K+.

A computer programmer/software engineer/software developer is not technically eligible for TN status. A 'Computer Systems Analyst' is eligible for TN status, but as an informal rule if your jobs involves more than 10%-20% coding you do not qualify for Computer Systems Analyst. While I'm sure many developers are working as a Computer System Analyst, they are at risk of being denied entry every time the enter the country if the USCIS official decides they do not qualify. So there are still significant immigration barriers that act to keep a good portion of Canadian talent in Canada.

[potatolicious]

Actually, it is not necessary for devs to be classified as CSAs - plenty enter under the Engineer classification (I've done this myself)

The CSA is a common catch-all, since USCIS tends to frown upon CS degrees using the Engineer title. But if you area a CE, EE, SE, etc, this is a straightforward path.

The barriers are not significant especially when weighed against the payoff, and consider that all of the major software firms do this so much that success is more or less guaranteed (e.g., if you are denied your TN at the border, the big shops will send a lawyer up to argue your case on your amended re-try). Most companies go so far out of their way to bring in Canadian talent that it greatly diminishes the systemic issues you're likely to experience.