Canada-Based PM Reconsiders North America Eyes India Over Visa Hurdles

A Canada-based product manager weighing a potential move to the United States has become a case study in how today’s visa gridlock, work-permit lotteries, and long green card lines can tilt careers and families away from the U.S. and toward India’s fast-rising tech market. The executive, who works in product management and has a spouse in tech and a young child, considered the TN route available to some professionals in Canada 🇨🇦, but concluded it would still funnel the family into the same chain of U.S. immigration hurdles—first the H-1B, then the employment-based green card queue—where uncertainty and years of waiting can slow promotions, limit job changes, and complicate children’s schooling.

After months of debate, the family is leaning toward India, where pay packages are improving, extended family support is close by, and the move carries fewer unknowns.

Core trade-offs: U.S. prestige vs. visa fatigue

At the core is a familiar trade-off for skilled workers in North America: the prestige and scale of the U.S. tech market versus the fatigue of the visa cycle.

• In 2025, the H-1B remains the primary U.S. work visa for specialty roles, but it starts with a lottery that many never clear.
• Even for those selected, processing timelines, Requests for Evidence (RFEs), and the multi-year step to permanent residence can lock families into one employer and one location.
• The product manager summarized the fear as getting “caught in the visa cycle” at the very time a career demands fast moves across teams, roles, and cities.

Timelines, costs, and delays

The numbers fuel that concern.

• Regular H-1B processing often takes around three to six months from filing to decision.
• Premium processing promises a response within 15 calendar days for an extra fee—currently about $2,805 for H-1B filings—but it only speeds USCIS’s reply, not follow-on steps.
• Employer transfers and extensions can add months under regular processing; each extension or transfer stacks onto the timeline.
• The green card phase (PERM → Form I-140 → Form I-485) can involve years of waiting for many Indian nationals due to per-country limits and backlogs.

According to VisaVerge.com analysis, professionals often plan around a multi-year chain of filings, with each filing carrying its own risk of delay and career disruption.

Financial and family calculus

The family’s financial calculus has shifted too.

• The U.S. still offers large teams, global launches, and sizable stock awards, but the net pay and quality-of-life differences are narrowing.
• In India, credible product manager offers can be in the range of ₹35–40 lakh per year, with take-home about ₹2 lakh/month, plus family support and simpler relocations.
• With a spouse at a major tech firm, combined earnings in India can compare well with Canada 🇨🇦 when childcare and travel costs are reduced.

One commenter framed it bluntly: if a couple can clear CAD 450–500k together in Canada, staying may make sense. But in India, if the pair can approach or pass ₹1 crore together, the move may yield both financial and personal gains.

Daily-life effects of visa uncertainty

This conversation is not only about salary bands. It’s about how the system shapes daily life.

• Families with school-age children value stability: clean timelines for moves, no last-minute visa scrambles, and a clear path to permanent status.
• An H-1B chain and subsequent adjustment-of-status queue often don’t allow that stability.
• A spouse on H-4 status may face job-limiting rules, depending on timing and category.
• If the primary H-1B holder wants to join a startup with uncertain runway, the visa adds risk.
• Even basic decisions—what city to live in, when to buy a home—can hinge on immigration status.

By contrast, returning to India brings trade-offs—school quality, health insurance choices, and some administrative friction—but the family felt these were manageable with local support.

How the U.S. process works (and where it jams)

To understand why Canada-based professionals weigh these choices, it helps to walk through the process and choke points.

1. H-1B registration and lottery
   • Employers submit electronic registrations in a short spring window.
   • USCIS runs a lottery if registrations exceed the annual cap.
   • Selection allows filing the full petition via Form I-129.
2. Petition processing
   • Regular processing: months (3–6 typical).
   • Premium processing: response in 15 calendar days for a fee (~$2,805), but no guarantee of approval.
   • Status generally granted in three-year blocks, extendable for another three years and sometimes beyond if green card is in progress.
3. Green card steps
   • PERM labor certification (recruitment and certified wage).
   • Form I-140 (immigrant petition).
   • Form I-485 (adjust status when priority date is current).
   • For many Indian nationals, the priority date wait can be years, even with approved petitions.
4. Additional delays
   • RFEs, project scope changes, and company restructurings can trigger more filings or pauses.
   • Consular processing may involve multi-month appointment waits.

For a family coordinating school start dates and mortgage decisions, every delay reverberates.

The TN route and its limits

• The TN visa for Canadians and Mexicans can support quick entry for some roles, but it is not a direct bridge to a green card.
• Many who start on TN later shift to H-1B to begin permanent residence—putting them back into the lottery and bottleneck.
• This dynamic makes the TN feel like “building a house on sand” to some families.

India’s rising appeal

India’s tech scene has matured rapidly:

• Roles in product, AI, and cloud infrastructure now offer impact at scale and leadership pathways.
• Compensation bands have risen and senior product roles are more common.
• Proximity to extended family offers practical childcare and support, which matters during product sprints or travel.

None of this makes moving to India frictionless. Families still must assess school quality, curricula, neighborhood fit, and health coverage. Some report extra time on local paperwork. But stacked against the U.S. immigration queue, the trade-off can feel rational.

“I don’t want my career growth to slow down,” the product manager said—an observation about time, risk, and control, not a knock on the U.S. market.

Policy and employer responses

• Industry advocates call for faster, clearer pathways for high-skilled workers and reforms to the annual cap and portability rules.
• Both administrations in recent years made administrative tweaks, but the core structure—lottery then multi-year filings—remains in 2025.
• Employers respond by:
  • Building timelines around the H-1B cycle.
  • Expanding teams in India to hedge against cap-season misses and long green card waits.
• The result: more flagship teams and senior product roles in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, and a slow-shifting global tech map.

Practical steps for families considering a move

If you’re on a similar crossroads, consider these practical pointers:

• Ask your sponsor for a mapped timeline: registration month, petition filing date, expected start, and green card plan. Clarify premium processing and who pays the fee.
• If PERM is planned soon after joining, discuss role stability—large duty changes may require updated filings.
• If your spouse will be on dependent status, check work authorization timing and have a backup plan if delays occur.
• For school timing, build buffer months for consular appointments and potential RFEs.
• If India is an option, benchmark total compensation: base, bonus, equity refresh, tax impact, and support from extended family.

Key forms and official resources

When employers sponsor, they typically file:

• Form I-129 — Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker (H-1B)
• Form I-140 — Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker (after PERM)
• Form I-485 — Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (when priority date is current)

USCIS outlines the H-1B registration timeline and mechanics at its official page: https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations/h-1b-electronic-registration-process

How families decide: a checklist

For Canada-based workers, the decision often revolves around:

• Immigration certainty: How long until permanent status? How many steps remain?
• Cost vs. net benefit: Real take-home after housing, childcare, healthcare, travel, and filings.
• Family stability: School continuity and proximity to trusted family support.
• Career trajectory: Opportunities to manage larger teams, own P&Ls, or lead key product bets.
• Five- to ten-year plan: Which country offers steadier healthcare, education, and political conditions?

In the product manager’s case, India scored high on stability and near-term growth, while the U.S. scored high on scale and brand. The H-1B entry gate and long green card tail pulled the U.S. down in the short- to medium-term.

Bigger picture and what’s next

• Growing reverse migration: Recruiter pipelines and returnee stories indicate more professionals view India as a peer option, not a fallback.
• Employer shifts: Global firms staff more product decision roles in India; local startups pay more for senior PMs and directors.
• Policy pressure persists, but as of 2025 the main pillars—lottery plus multi-stage filings—are intact.

Ultimately, the best move depends on each family’s priorities:

• If long-term U.S. residence is the goal and an employer will sponsor quickly, the H-1B → green card path still works—with patience.
• If career speed and school stability matter more in the short to mid term, India may be the better bet, with the option to revisit a U.S. move later.

The product manager’s decision—shaped by the H-1B lottery, green card wait times, and family needs—captures this moment. It’s not about giving up on the United States; it’s about choosing a path with fewer dice rolls and more control. As more professionals weigh both pay and agency, India’s combination of competitive salaries, leadership opportunities, and family support will continue to draw talent—unless and until U.S. visa lines shorten and employers can promise a faster, steadier climb.