changing job after GC within 3 mons bcos of layoff chances!!

CanadaIndianGuy

Registered Users (C)
Guys, I have got a situation... I am working with an IT consulting firm through which we( me and wife) got a GC in Nov 2010. Ideally I should not change my job until beginning of Jun 2011( 6 months after GC rule of thumb) .

Now, My current contract at a client place is finishing in couple of months . And it seems,my present employer ( consulting firm) may or may not be able to find another client for me by the time I finish my current contract. In current jobs scenario, it is better to start looking for another job from now on rather than waiting until last moment. Is it advisible to find a new job because I forsee that my current employer may not have a job for me after 2 months? Or should I wait until my current employer finds me a new contract! The risk is, I may have to stay out of job ( means without pay) during the gap between contracts!
Secondly, is it only safe to switch to a new employer only if the current employer gives me the layoff ( in case they cannot find a contract soon) Or whenever Six months after GC are finished ( whichever is earlier)? Please advise!!
 
Your challenge is when you go for citizenship, or if you get caught (in a crime spree or in Arizona).
No one is going to look at your employer and GC process otherwise.
It also matters how long you worked for the employer. If you joined the employer just before the GC started, and leave just after ... the conclusions are obvious. However, if the GC process took 10 years, it is another thing.

#1. You are wise to explore options but try to stick around longer if you can.
#2. If you have to leave, try to get some documentation from the employer in terms of them not being able to find a project for you. But remember that the same employer gave a letter to CIS saying they are sustainable and have the financial wherewithal to employ you ... if they are a small setup, they will probably make you resign rather than lay you off.
#3. Keep your record clean otherwise, and when you go for citizenship, do not hurry to file as soon as you are eligible. They can always interrogate you, but they focus on the past 5 years. If your 5 years are clean ... not many job hops, no other warning signs, they will probably not worry about job hopping just after GC.
 
Look for a job now. Unless you're in a super-high-demand field, it's probably going to take more than 2 months to find another job anyway.
 
Thanks for the replies!I have got exactly 2 months from now on before my current contract expires. And I have worked with present employer since last 3 yrs. Based on responses and other studies, I may have to do some trade off here. I might give my current employer a chance for these 2 months of time; and will see if they can find another contract for me. If it does not happen , I will start looking for another job after I come out of the current contract.That way, I will probably not leave my current employer in bad terms and they should not mind me leaving them because of lack of projects ! The only flip side would be wasting the two months of job hunting from my side. Hopefully this might be the last restriction or inconvenience that I may have to go through bcos of the H1 to GC process!! Well..I am still going thru the big relief and thanking God many times that I got my GC just in time b4 the current client started doing the layoffs.
 
Prioritize your career first and GC later. GC is anyway not in trouble ... any questioning will be years down the line. Start looking, and if you get a job 2 months, or 1/2 month before you should ideally leave, it is not a big deal.
 
The only flip side would be wasting the two months of job hunting from my side.
Don't waste it. Start the job hunting now! By the time employers get back to you, and give you an interview, and make an offer it will be almost 2 months or more than 2 months.
 
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