Advice on landing a Dev role in the US from Canada?
Hi, I’m a Canadian born developer living in Ontario with 5 years of experience across 4 companies. Languages I have worked on: Java Spring, TypeScript, React, and Node.
In 2018 I graduated with a 3 year diploma in Computer Science from a college, not a university. I’ve heard this might make it harder to get a U.S. work visa. My dream is to move to the Bay Area, as I often visit my sister that lives in Cupertino. I’m considering studying online at WGU for a CS online degree while working full-time to strengthen my case.
What’s the best way to stand out as an engineer so Bay Area companies would be willing to sponsor me? Do I need a 4-year degree, or could I land a role based on experience? How difficult would it be for a company to sponsor a Canadian, do I have to be top 1%?
![Senior Software Engineer [E5] at Meta company logo](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffirebasestorage.googleapis.com%2Fv0%2Fb%2Ftech-career-growth.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fcompany_logos%252Fmeta.jpeg%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3Da7a5bcc0-e178-4b5b-b71e-09bf6c6aefae&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
![Entry-Level Software Engineer [L3] at Google company logo](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffirebasestorage.googleapis.com%2Fv0%2Fb%2Ftech-career-growth.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fcompany_logos%252Fgoogle.jpeg%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3D780356ef-3efc-4728-9eb4-d909b75bb4a6&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
Discussion
(3 comments)- 1a month agoTech Lead/Manager at Meta, Pinterest, Kosei
In general, applying to US jobs as a Canadian is much, much easier than coming over from other countries. (Via the TN Visa )
There's no barrier to applying for US-based roles now, right? I would go ahead and try as a way to calibrate how far off you are:
- If you're already getting interview calls (this will mostly be based on the pedigree of the companies you've worked for), you may already be set. You simply need to do a bunch of interview prep and send out applications.
- If you're getting ghosted, then it makes sense to consider higher education. Do I need to do masters in Computer Science to move ahead in career?
In 2018 I graduated with a 3 year diploma in Computer Science from a college, not a university
FWIW, I don't think this matters much -- a 3-year diploma and a 4-year degree sound roughly equivalent. It might matter for immigration purposes (e.g. you need a Bachelor's degree), but in terms of job qualifications, you can spin it to be similar.
- 0a month agoMid-Level Software Engineer [OP]Taro Community
Thank you for your response. I realized I’d likely need a bachelor’s degree for TN Visa eligibility, so I’m exploring transferring my 3-year diploma credits to complete an online CS degree.
In the meantime, I’m diving into interview prep, aiming for FAANG jobs in Canada or even remote roles in the U.S. Joining a company that supports tuition reimbursement would be ideal. I haven’t prepped in a while and feel a bit behind, but I’m committed to starting from scratch, leveling up, and becoming more knowledgeable than I am now.
- 1
a month agoHelpful TarodactylTaro CommunityFellow Ontario engineer here working at a Big Tech company (relatively recent development - only been here for 7 months!)
In addition to what Rahul said and all the great advice at Taro (build side projects, develop real, strong connections with people, etc.), I just want to add 2 things that might be relevant to you:
- It's easier to get good companies reaching out to you when you already have some experience. This is true for all companies I think. Companies like people who have been vetted by other companies, and the top companies are no different. In my case, I worked for my previous company for 3 years before getting my lucky break. Along the way, I applied and interviewed with dozens of companies, including a handful of very good, brand-name ones. Got a few offers along the way and turned them down until I got my current gig which was great on every relevant criteria I had established. That's the ideal scenario. Even more ideal is when you get multiple such offers, but that's hard - worth trying though!
- To get into great companies, it's often easier to start off as a contractor - that's what I did. And, at least, for me, being a contractor at a top company was still considerably better than being full-time at a regular company.
Hope that helps!
