Take US Geen Card, loose Canadian Citizenship opportunity?

I

immigration7

Registered Users (C)
Fellow Readers,
  I am at a cross-roads now. After 6 years on H1B in USA, I did not get the Green Card in time, so I moved to Canada as a Landed Immigrant and started living in Toronto. From Toronto, based on the strength of my working relationship with my former US employer and my fellow-team members, I was able to work out a successful remote work arrangement to continue working with them, but living and residing in Toronto full-time since 1999. I paid Canadian Income taxes on all my earned income here for 1999,2000,2001. Additionally I own my own residence here, and make mortgage payments towards my home here, drive an Ontario vehicle, etc....I am a full, complete, legal Canadian resident in every respect is what I am trying to say.
  Now after spending just over 2 years here, residing here in this most beatiful, wonderful, most cosmopolitan and diverse city of Toronto, my former US employer has finally managed to drag their Green Card process along to near-completion and want me to show up for the IV interview very soon. Then take the Green Card and return to USA to resume physical residence there and start working with them.
  My US team-members and my employer are both really nice people. They are all very highly educated, and very team-building, and we go back nearly 5 years.
* However, instead of being excited and all fired up, I have become confused now. Should I really go back to USA on US Green Card? If I do, I loose my eligibility to become a Canadian Citizen which is not even 10 months away now. Is it prudent to loose the chance to become a Canadian Citizen?
* Is it prudent to refuse to go back to USA now, and thereby automatically loose the US Green Card?
* What is better in the long run? - Canadian Citizen or US Green Card with Indian Citizenship?

I already know that legally speaking, one cannot keep both Canadian Immigrant Status and US Green Card at the same time, it is only one or the other, not both. So I am not even thinking of juggling something like that. If I go to US now on US Green Card, I cease to exist as a Canadian Resident/Landed Immigrant, hence the question of applying for Canadian Citzenship 10 months from now does not arise anymore. If I stay back in Toronto for another 10 months waiting to become eligible for applying for Canadian Citizenship, then I loose the chance I have now to get the US Green Card, and also loose the job via termination (most likely without any severance pay either, and non-vesting of all my pension contributions) I have had for the last 2 years working from here in Toronto, and an additional 2.5 years while in US with the same company and same group/department.

Any thoughts on which would be a better choice in the long run? Thanks in adance for your time and input, folks. I wish everyone the best in life.
 
Germany? France....

Germany, France and Britain do not allow immigration of skilled Asians as Canada, Australia or US do. So such countries are not considered by the moving immigrant populace as possible destinations. Germany and France have language issues in addition to their unwelcome attitude towards immigrants from Asia. This is why no foriegn born non-white Asian even desires to really live forever in Germany or France. But race, color, ethnic origin are all welcome in Canada, and you can see people from every country in the world in Canada, as Canada embraces all peoples, even by far many times more welcommingly than USA. The main lure of USA is its economic spremacy, and more professional job-opportunities. And less taxes of course.
 
No Title

As you can easily decide not to immigrate to those other countries (as much as I know, England, Germany, France have lots of immigrants living there. At least some do not think like you), you should also make up your mind YOURSELF where you want to live.

My past experience showed me that once you got something good, don\'t change it. Your situation can be different.
 
Meaning...

Hello Abu,
  Thanks for your input; do you mean, decision to go to US on Green Card and thereby abandon Canada and loose Canadian Citzenship opportunity might be something one might regret later? In the long run?
Thanks again for your time and sensitivity to my concern.
 
No Title

Yes.
I am living in silicon valley and recently surveyed few other US cities. I was doing this because cost of homes here is too high. I found out that with all the bad things in the valley, it is so much better than those other places in so many respects and that a home in good area is always expensive.

I know Toronto area as a good place, you might want to do some research on other areas to make a cognitive decision.
 
my 2 cents

There is no REAL difference in the living style between Canada / USA (unless you want the sunny climate). Canadian citizenship / US citizen ship doesn’t make a difference either. The only material difference you will see is that USD enjoys a much better exchange rate than CAD. Listen to your family (wife and kids). Your family will be able to help you make a better decision.
Also, your wordings sounded that you are more attached to Toronto, Canada. Probably you’re looking for someone to mention that Toronto is better.
Just my 2 cents.
 
AIM made a very good point.

That\'s right. Although there is no significant diffrence in the Quality of Life between Canada/US, US dollor is stronger. Thus, you can save more money in US.
What additional benefits Citizenship give from Permanent Residency ?.
US is the land of oppurtunities. Canada is not far behind but behind US. When you have an oppurtunity for #1; why do you want to settle for #2 ?. You may have to work harder initially to settle down. In long run, you can realm the benefit.
 
heres my 2 cents

You have lived in both places, where do you and your family feel happier? If Toronto stay there if not then come on down!

If it was my decision to make I would head down here just because I think the opportunities are stupendous here. I have lived in some of the countries mentioned and I have found that I like this country the best.

Good luck, dont stress out too much. Either way you\'re still going to be ahead of the game.
 
You can still opt for I-485 ..

Opt for I-485 and wait till you canadian citizenship is cleared..?
and then apply for GC.

That you will will have best of both the places..# 1 and #2

I have heard from my friend Canadian Job situations is not as Bad
as US..?
 
Re: heres my 2 cents.

Very well said nohope. Strange that you call yourself "nohope" :)

The US is the land of the free and home of the brave. No country more beautiful stronger and steadfast in its respect for human rights and dignity than this. Make this your home man!

The US represents what humans after thousands of years of progress have come to. Imagine someone from Mars or some other planet wanted to visit Planet Earth and understand what it was like. Meet everyone from the planet in one city. Where would this visitor go to? USA!!!! Maybe New York! Maybe LA! Maybe Frisco!!!

I don\'t want to get into comparing Canada with the US but this is one of the most, if not the most, wonderful most sensible most humane of any society humans have ever made! Moreover the US as a country believes in what it stands for and has always been willing to stand up for it believes in when challenged. Contribute to the US and you contribue your bit to the human race! Live and prosper here and you have the power to change the world tommorrow.

Think? Think of your great granchildren or even further down the line... 100 years from now... What would they like? That they belong to a free land... to a land that is always open to debate.. to freedom... to respect for individuals... to one thats open to change... thats open to accomadate everything new that comes its way... to where Earthlings are destined to go next!!!
 
Culturally/educationaly ,Canada is much closer to Indian culture then USA

...especialy from the point of raising kids, i would say canada is much better.....Howeverm if i were you , i would listen to what my family likes, because other people\'s advise however honest it may be , especially in such sensitive issues is biased based on their preferences/cultures...as you would agree.
 
No Title

Why do all indians think that USA is the end of the road ..
heck man !! there are other places in the world that can be as good.
Yes I have chosen USA / NJ as home .. but that does not mean , other
places are not good.

I ve been to the toronto area several times.
I also have landed immigrant papers for canada ... just as a back up...but haven t landed yet . Once I finish my CP in Feb ( insha allah ) . .. i will send my papers back to the canadian embassy and geta refund on my 600 $ landing fee.

I have an aunt in Brampton , ON . Moved there 10 yrs back , She was in jersey earlier.
Shes a lot happier there than in the USA .
Heck man .. my parents are equally happy in Cuffe Parade bombay !!

So moral of the story ..home is where you choose it to be.

My view to you .. stay in Canada. I m a blue Jay fan too !!
 
No Title

I think the decision you\'re struggling with is a classic one. Most of us who have lived in both countries have struggled with this.

Contrary to what many people outside of North America perceive, Canada and the U.S. are very different countries. Canada celebrates its diversity and the heritage of the people of many origins who have settled there, while the U.S. expects you to jump into the \'melting pot\' of its society. And, there\'s a greater expectation in the U.S. that you must conform to the mainstream society and drop the things that make you "different." Before I came to the U.S., I never really thought of my "race" and it was a shock to me to see how much significance people attribute to classifying me in a particular race. Canada has a much more caring society (probably the principal reason its taxes are higher is that EVERYONE can count on great health care and a secure social "safety net"), whereas Americans are much reliant on themselves vs. government. Canadian children are better educated (standardized testing proves this).

The U.S. offers greater potential of economic wealth and career / professional opportunities. The standard of living is unquestionably higher -- but the pursuit of wealth comes with a price (look at the income and societal disparities amongst various races and social classes -- you simply don\'t see that in Canada).

I chose to come to the U.S. in spite of the preponderance of negative points I\'ve mentioned. I compensate by trying to change the society in which I now live. BUT: If I was raising children, I might have made a different choice.

Remember: If you choose to become a Canadian, it is somewhat easier to immigrate to the U.S. at a later time. The NAFTA TN visa gives you an easy entry point into a job in the U.S., and from there you can then start the process of becoming a PR (TN -> H-1B -> GC) and eventually a become a citizen of North America!
 
No Title

Here are my thoughts to add to your confusion:
 - I personally know of people who had children in US and Canada,
   and there was a "VERY HUGE DIFFERENCE" in the level of service
   offered by the health professionals, the US was way way better
   compared to the Govt run medical service in Canada. Again, if your
   company\'s insurance pays for it in the US, you will enjoy much
   better medical facilities in the US...if you are not covered by
   any insurance, you are screwed in the US. Do you know how long
   you have to wait for many scheduled surgeries in Canada? If it
   is not considered an emergency, you are out of luck!
 - Taxes, again, will ensure that the spread between the least and
    highest paid people is very minimal.
 - Strong dollar and much better pay (already mentioned by others)
 - It is relatively easy to get Canadian PR (
 
No Title

I read all the postings and they are good. Just beware of any generalization! I lived in Canada for 13 years before coming to the USA. I\'ll just present a few of my experiences and observations:

Schools - I experienced average schools and one bad school in Canada. The average schools were in Ottawa; the horrible one was in Vancouver. Not many people realize that there are no national educational standards and in some provinces there are no provincial educational standards (a Vancouver school was copying my children’s school books from Ontario). At the beginning, we did not know that Vancouver has very bad public schools; we had to find the hard way. However, Vancouver has excellent universities. If you go there, you need to put your child into a private school. Then, when coming to NYC, I heard about horrible schools of NY. We live in a suburb and schools here are just excellent, better than the average schools in Ottawa - more discipline, more learning, more math and science, more after school activities, etc. This does not mean that I can generalize that NY schools are excellent. So it really depends on the very exact place where you live.

Jobs - it is quite difficult to get a professional job at the beginning - you need a Canadian experience, which is hard to get if you are not given chance to gain it. Promotions are less plentiful for immigrants; most companies generally prefer born Canadians for higher positions. Overall, there is much less of jobs and opportunities than in US. In the US, if you are good you get a green light for your career, you get rewarded and promoted fast.

Multiculturalism - I think this is a very fake issue serving only one purpose - to get votes.

Bilingualism and separatist Quebec - this was really getting on my nerves. Quebec has been a whiny child getting everything for decades. Look at the government - Quebec natives occupy most of the positions. This is a very unfair situation.

Medical care - the level of services and the quality of care in Canada has been going down year after year. If you have health coverage in US, you get a very good medical care you need and on time (no waiting lines).

Taxes - you are being robbed in Canada. There is not much sense to work too hard since you are taxed so much. The system does not reward you at all for your hard work.

Climate - is usually much harsher than in the US.

People - are very nice in both countries!

Now you can guess that I very much prefer the life here. Even my teenage children prefer it here and see many better opportunities here. However, I agree that this is an individual choice.

Good luck!
 
Torontorian,

I read your statement:

"Also note that you can get dual-citizenship with US only if the
other country is your coutry of origin, so if you acquire Canadian
citizenship, you have to relinquish it to obtain US\'s."

I am not sure I understand this. Do you mean that if I want the US citizenship in the future, I have to give up the Canadian citizenship? I have Czech and Canadian citizenships right now.

I have never heard this before, could you tell us where you found this info?

Thanks!
 
No Title

Martha,

I have read numerous postings on this, please check out (or post)
in the "After Green Card" discussions and am sure you will get
proper references to my previous quote.

You can retain your Czech citizenship, but have to relinquish
Canadian citizenship. Of course, Canadians by birth can retain
their citizenship.

India does not allow dual citizenship, and people who do take up
Canadian citizenship have to relinquish Indian passport (they are
Indian rules), and later, if they want to take up US citizenship,
they have to relinquish Canadian citizenship also.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top