Christos Kalantzis’ Blog

One thing that is great about the US, is the lower tax rate.  However if you are there on a TN, and are Canadian, then that advantage doesn’t apply.  A Canadian has to report his universal income.  So although the US doesn’t tax me a lot, Canada wants the difference.

So here is the bottom line.  Every penny paid in taxes abroad receives a credit towards the Canadian tax man.  As long as one is on a TN, taxes need to continue being paid to the Canadian Government.  The only way around it is to stop being a Canadian permanent resident.  However, there is no dual intent with a TN Visa.  Although you can begin the process from the US, you have to eventually go back to Canada to fulfill the process.

The only way around it is to either have the company get you an H1-B so that you can stay in the US while you apply for a Green Card, or go home.

In the meantime, at least you can go see a doctor for free back home.

American Republicans, criticize Canadian Socialized medical system, calling it inefficient and slow.  As a Canadian living in the U.S.A., I can confirm that this is not true!

As an employed computer professional in Silicon Valley, I am fully insured with one of the best rated HMOs in the state of California.  So I figured, its about time I go visit the doctor. I chose from the list of approved doctors of my HMO.  When I called earlier this week, I was told the next available appointment was in November, 5 months away!

In Canada, I can visit ANY doctor I want, and can get an appointment for a physical within a couple of weeks.  This begs the question; Why do Americans keep on knocking Canadian Socialized medicine?

The answer is simple.  HMOs have the politicians in their pockets, and health care is a multi-billion dollar industry, which won’t go away easy.

I miss Canada. Until winter rolls around, then not so much.

Memorial day weekend brings many things to Americans. For most it is the beginning of summer. For others its a big cock-out, or block party. For me, its an opportunity to fly home and visit my old stomping grounds.

So how does Montreal look to me after 4 months of being away? Well I left in January, so its a lot greener. Shopping, confirmed to me that Canadians are getting hosed! (exchange rate is $0.99 as of this writing) The news is filled with a renewed effort of separating Quebec, and treating non-francophones as second class citizens. Basically, its more of the same!

However, its home and I miss it

I am in San Jose! I made it baby!

I accepted an offer last week and packed up everything and flew out. It was all very short notice, however, I managed to do it. The real issue was getting the TN Visa. Being Canadian it usually isn’t a big deal. Flash your degree, your employment letter and the deed is done. My case is a little different. I am married to an American and that is a huge red flag. So I had to have all kinds of papers ready to prove that I have no intention to stay in the USA beyond the life of the visa. I had a cover story ready as well as every document under the sky.

Well the day finally came on the 31st of Jan and the wife and I got to the border. I requested an TN Visa and was taken to the side. They asked for my letter, and my degree. I was going over my story in my head and when the border guard came back with my passport, it had the i94 attached to it, and he was escorting me to the cashier to pay for the visa. Thats it!

So I am in San Jose now. My stuff will follow. The car I haven’t decided what to do with yet. Anyone know of a service where people drive your car to a destination? I like my car and want to keep it.

So this has has been moving story. Not as eventful as I thought it would be. It went really fast, faster than I would like, however its done. I now live in San Jose California. The Green Card will soon be on its way as well. All is well that ends well.

Now if you will all excuse me, I need to go get a burger and buy a pickup truck.

Papers have been filed and received with US immigration.  I am even flying out west tomorrow to meet with 2 potential employers.  On top of that I have a third I am in negotiations with here.  Not mentionning this to toot my own horn, just to confirm that there is plenty of work out there.

The weather is getting colder, here in Montreal.  However its not bothering me as much as it did in previous years.

I have decided not to move my stuff out until the Green Card process is complete.  Since I am staying with my in-laws, I don’t need to unecessarily pay for storage.  The next step is to put the condo up for sale.

In my constant attempt to prove that I can do it just as good as others, I have decided to sell the condo on my own.  How hard can it be? (Hope those don’t become my “famoust last words”!)  Keep an eye out for the listing.

Thats it for this installment.  I will check in again when I accept a job offer.  Then we can explore the wonderful world of TN Visas!

Cheers!

The paper-work is all ready.  Along with an I-130, we are also filing an I-129F.  The first is for the Green Card, the second is for a K-3 Visa.  In case the Green Card takes a long time to process, the K-3 will allow me to stay in the US for up to 2 years.  Once there, I can apply for a work permit, and start working.

There is also the fact that, being a Canadian, I can get a job in the US and work with a TN-Visa. Thank you NAFTA!  However, that is temporary and you have to make sure, during the TN Visa interview process not to mention intent on immigrating to the US.  Ideally my company will allow me to work remotely, and I can just go there (Canadians can stay in the US for up to 6 months) and “work from home”. Decisions…decisions!

Road Trip!

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I have decided what to do with my car.  Califonia DMV requires all automobiles with under 7500 miles to pass California Emmission standards.  My car (2007 Nissan Versa) has just under that, however, if I drive it there, as I plan on doing, it will surely go over that mileage and I will be able to put California plates on it.  Now the only thing I have to decide is what to put on my vanity plates.  BTW, according to Nissan Canada, all canadian Nissan automobiles do not meet California emmision standards.

Thats it for now.

Well…Facebook didn’t pan out. However, I have some other ideas for when I get there so I am not worried about it.

I finally told my parents. Since I am writing this, I obviously survived. Actually, it went kind of well. Never doubt how understanding your “old-fashioned” parents, could be. Obviously they will miss me (I hope) however, they understand that they have to accept the fact that Montreal, as beautiful as it is, is not the be-all and end-all!

So what is next? We have filled out the Green Card application and plan on sending it in by mid January, once the wife goes home and gets some paperwork together.

After that, I have to see what needs to be done about work. Do I quit or do I offer to work remotely? There is also the question about my condo, my car and my furniture. Ideally I could sell them, and buy all new stuff when we get there. I will have to talk to someone who has done such a move to see what is best.

Thats it for now. If you have ever done such a move, please leave some info or tell me about your experiences.

Cheers

The first step of our move was to make that decision.  Check! Done!  The wife and I both agree we, and our marriage, would be better off in the warmer climate.

Next step is to start telling people, so as to get the ball rolling.  Today we told my wife’s mom.  Her reaction was mixed.  She was happy to hear her daughter was coming home, however, disapointed that we couldn’t make it work in Montreal.  Furthermore, no one wants to deal with my mom’s potential wrath once we tell her.  Remember the movie 300?  Well my mom is Spartan and everyone fears her wrath!  Lets just say that will be done after the holidays, so as to have one last happy and healthy Christmas.

I also need to become elligible to work in the US.  We surfed on over to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services website, today, and gathered all the required forms so that I may apply for a Green Card.  (I knew there was a good reason why I married an american woman.)  In a couple of days we will have the application completed and mailed.  That is when the waiting game begins.

Not being someone who sits on his laurels, I have been applying for DB2 and MySQL positions in the South Bay Area.  Being form Canada, the NAFTA agreement allows me to temporarily work in the US, with a TN Visa.  If I can get a job, I can immediately begin working with a TN Visa, and when the Green Card is ready change my status.

So far I have gotten one hit.  Its a web 2.0 company called Facebook (ever heard of it? ).  I will keep you all posted on how that goes.

Cheers.

My wife, who grew up in San Jose, California, moved to Montreal last September, to start our new lives as husband and wife.  Well, she looked me in the eyes the other day and said: “I love you so much, but I hate it here!”  Besides the fact that her teaching credential isn’t recognized here, and the discrimination she has received because of her lack of mastery of the French language, she experienced this recently:

Luckily that wasn’t my car!  However, it was enough to tip her over the edge.  So we have decided to move to her home town of San Jose, California.

In the next few months I plan on blogging about the move, how I plan on breaking it to my parents, my work (which I hate am not particularly fond of) and the immigration process.  I am Canadian and not a US resident nor citizen.  This will be an interesting few months!  Hopefully, you will be entertained by the experience and for those looking to do the same, learn from my mistakes, which I am sure to make .

Tune in for more…