Really!!
Tech skiils count only 25% for a tech job? Id agree if it was account management or sales. You want the job done or do you want the please and thankyou in a melodious nasal twang.
There are a lot of americans looking for tech jobs in america too. I didnt get a job in the US for my accent. I got it for my skills and what i know. Obviously, one would hire a local if they could find someone with the same expertise. It appears that from your perspective, you should hire a local with better 'soft' skills than a 'dark' skills person who can actually do the job.

Apparently there are more reasons than the cold weather for the birds to be flying south. You should probably try a TN visa or something yourself and find some 'soft' skills jobs in the US.

Can we get back to the original question please and forget the US and Canda debate for a while? For whatever reasons, if i want to move to canada what would be the best place to find a software job and raise a familiy in canada? Needed some tips on what counts and what doesnt count in canada.

This is what i have gathered so far:
1.Be careful in telling that you are from US, some people have serious issues with that.
2. Vancouver/Calgary look promising if you want to avoid Toronto.
3. It is very cold
4. Healthcare is worse if not better than US
5. Pay is less and jobs are scarce
6. Culturally, not much difference. Large indian community has no bearing.
7. Just because you qualify for the job doesnt mean you will get it. There are 'other issues' too.

Is this analysis correct? Did i miss anything?

Thanks for all your suggestion which i am sure were made with the best intentions. Since this is one of the most important decision i have had to make i am going to go slow and reevaluate the whole scenario. No one seems to agree that i am doing the right thing and i am getting the feeling that I may be wrong. However, I have two years to find out for myself.

Suttu,

Healthcare is not an issue if you have a good Job. You pay for the private insurance which covers regular doctor visits/drugs/dental/eye.

In Canada the healthcare covers the visits, tests, all charges if you are admitted to a hospital for a major/minor illness/surgery.
No dental. Eye tests onece in 2 years.

Yes if you are out of Job or dont have a good Job, the Canadian system ensures you are taken care of, where as in US you are in trouble.

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I once made a mistake, but I was wrong about it.

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Orginally posted by mercury6
Yes if you are out of Job or dont have a good Job, the Canadian system ensures you are taken care of, where as in US you are in trouble.

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Orginally posted by suttu

Maybe she can move to canada, near detroit or something, and i stay put here, commute over the weekends or something and hedge our bets. Dont know if that is even feasible legally.

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Here's my two cents. You obviously have been given some highly mystical picture of Canada where unspoken rules that defy common sense rule the land.

Hardly so. Forget about specifics like "Be careful in telling that you are from US, some people have serious issues with that." or
"Just because you qualify for the job doesnt mean you will get it. There are 'other issues' too.". These things are NOT MUCH DIFFERENT FROM THE U.S. and anyone with basic intelligence can work through these minor things that are mostly irrelevant. Just think of how the U.S. would be if the ecnonomy and population were much smaller and people a bit more polite.

With your skill-set, communication skills and confidence (and assuming you have the diligence to back it all up), you should not have any major issues finding a job here. Most probably you'll get paid less (even this is not a must and you can always come up if you have the drive) and as a result save less. The healthcare can be frustrating if you're employed in a perm. position however its a boon if you're unemployed or a consultant like I am.

Toronto is cold in the winter. It rains a lot in Vancouver. Take your pick. And don't worry too much about the nitty-gritty.

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Are you there?

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Orginally posted by BlueLobster
The healthcare can be frustrating if you're employed in a perm. position however its a boon if you're unemployed or a consultant like I am.

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Diogenes
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The Cynic

You can't keep two countries residentship at the same time , if either of them find out they will cancel it. Once you get citizenship then you can do it or if you are in visa.