Canadian Workers & Students Returning Home?

By Sean Mitton, Canadian Expat Network

This spring Geny Samson is completing her Master's work at the College of Textiles at NC State University. A Mechanical Engineer, Samson will be completing her Master's in Medical Textile Engineering and is planning on returning to Canada. A native of Montreal, she misses things about her homeland and also feels that finding employment in the U.S. at this time will be a challenge.

This is one example of many, with respects to Canadians considering returning home. There's an estimated 2 million Canadians in the U.S. and according to 2006 Immigration Statistics, there are over 150,000 on temporary visas. The Canadian student population in the U.S. is between 25,000-30,000.

As job losses in the U.S. escalate, students are not the only ones affected. Many Canadian workers on TN, H-1B or L-1B status are concerned about the consequences of losing their job while having visas tied to a specific employer. If they cannot find another employer to 'sponsor' them for a new non-immigrant visa, they will have no choice but to return home. That could impact their kids in school, mortgages healthcare benefits and could possibly result in significant relocation costs.

At a recent Job Fair, Samson noted a growing trend where employers were not accepting applicants without U.S. residence. "That certainly narrows the window of opportunity for International students, Samson stated."

Maybe this is a reversal of the 'brain drain' that occurred during the 90's. If that trend is reversed, Canadian's returning home will be further educated, more experienced, and possess new networks.

The Canadian Expat Network is an online community for Canadian's abroad and will be launching a Job Board to post Canadian and U.S. employment opportunities. www.canadianexpatnetwork.com