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I'm an international Ph.D student currently at a university in the US (F1 visa). My professor is moving to Univ. or Toronto, and has invited me to move as a part of his research group. While I understand that my decision to move should depend on the advisor and not on the school, the following question bugs me since the school is in Canada. How easy / difficult is it for an international student in Canada to find an internship or employment after graduation in the US? I'm interested in CS companies such as Google, IBM, Microsoft Research and start-ups in Silicon valley. If its difficult to get work in the US, what are equivalent opportunities in Canada? Any other advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

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Your industry job opportunities depend on your field and skills. If you have something the company wants, you get a job. That's it. I don't know about Canada. In the US, you'll have visa issue if you are not a US citizen or a green card holder – scaaahu Jan 24 at 9:39
I agree. But while hiring an international student, a company in the US will have to justify using up a slot in its H1B quota. If I'm a student who has graduated in the US, I can work on my F1 for 29 months after graduation (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optional_Practical_Training). It seems on the outset that a company would be inclined towards hiring an international student in the US over an international student from a foreign country, since there's no risk (of wasting an H1B) involved. – elexhobby Jan 24 at 14:23
Unless you're a US citizen or permanent resident, you need a non-student visa to work in US. OPT only delays the visa requirement; it doesn't replace it (unless you expect to be fired after 29 months). – JeffE Jan 24 at 15:12
@elexhobby I believe I said very clear, If you have something the company wants, you get a job. H1B is a problem for you. But, if your employer wants you badly, the visa will not be a problem. For example, they can put you work at a location in Canada until you get the visa, etc. Generally speaking, it all depends on the employer. There is no simple answer to how to handle H1B. – scaaahu Jan 25 at 2:13
To the guy who flagged this as off-topic, this question is on-topic according to current standards, as it relates to research-related industry positions. – eykanal♦ Feb 15 at 1:21

1 Answer

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Not exactly an advice, but just based on what I know of my friends working in US.

I am not familiar with international visa issues, but I have at least 2 Canadian friends (as far as I know they don't have US citizenship) who graduated from Canadian schools and now work for Google and Twitter (actually one of them has BSc). So I agree with scaaahu's comment to your question, that it is much more important to have the skills that your potential employer wants.

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