Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!watdragon!gvcormack
From: gvcormack@watdragon.waterloo.edu (Gordon V. Cormack)
Newsgroups: ont.jobs
Subject: Re: Job Hunting in Ontario: looking for advice
Keywords: job search, citizenship, questions
Message-ID: <5285@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
Date: 22 Feb 88 13:25:36 GMT
References: <8701@sunybcs.UUCP>
Distribution: ont
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 38

In article <8701@sunybcs.UUCP>, ugpoltr1@sunybcs (Jim Poltrone) writes:
> ...  As an American citizen, I realize that there is a natural bias
> towards hiring Canadians, and I suspect I would have to change the status
> of my citizenship.  What would I have to do to be able to work in
> Ontario?  I've heard about "landed immigrant" status.  Could someone
> please explain it in detail to me?  Is it possible to have dual 
> citizenship?  I already know that the average salary is greater (than that
> of the US), but the buying power is less, because of the exchange rate.

Canadian employers are required by law to hire qualified Canadians
or landed immigrants in preference to Americans.  If an employer
has had a vacancy for some time that he has been unable to fill,
it shouldn't be a problem for him to convince Immigration Canada.

The employer deals with the red tape of all this... If you get an
interview, it should mean they are in a position to do it.

Landed Immigrant status is the equivalent of a "green card".  You
get it for your job, and once you get it, you can change jobs or
whatever with no problems.  There is no time limit - you can be
a Landed Immigrant forever and it is for all intents and purposes
the same as being a Canadian Citizen.

You can become a citizen after a number of years of being a LI.
I believe the USA revokes your American citizenship if you become
Canadian.  There are dual citizens, but they were born here to
mixed US/Canadian parents.

As to dollars, I can't really compare salaries -- this is job 
dependent.  The Canadian $ is currently worth about $0.80 US.
My impression from travelling around is that one $CAN buys about
the same in Canada as one $US buys in the US.  Toronto is, as you
might expect, one of the more expensive places in Canada, and I don't
think salaries are commensurately higher.
-- 
Gordon V. Cormack     CS Dept, University of Waterloo, Canada N2L 3G1
                      gvcormack@waterloo  { .CSNET or .CDN or .EDU }
                      gvcormack@water         { UUCP or BITNET }