Issue#19 Cato says 1.8 Million are stuck in the GreenCard backlog. Here’s what I did to take back control.

And what you can learn from my journey...

This month’s issue of This Immigrant Life is about US immigration. Specifically, the Green Card Backlog, the deepest impacts of which are felt by Indian-born immigrants in the US.

This article is written in the context of the recent layoffs occurring in the US, but holds relevance far beyond that for many families struggling with immigration uncertainty.

I will return to issues covering broader ground next month.

Thanks…

And don’t forget to subscribe!

---

The Cato institute has become an unlikely leading voice speaking up for Indian-born immigrants condemned to the purgatory of the GreenCard Backlog.

Their August 2023 analysis of the GreenCard backlog, painted a sobering picture.

The Tl;dr version is this -

Between applicants with pending employer-based petitions, those waitlisted for a Green Card and those waiting for adjustment of status, there were 1.8 million cases pending.

It’s worth noting that this is, by no means, a complete picture.

It excludes family-based applicants, VAWA petitioners and any number of other folks traversing other immigration paths that are beyond the scope of this article.

Of this caseload, 62.77% were Indian-born applicants. That’s an eye-watering 1.13 million.

I should add that this number would surprise no Indian in the US who knows anything about US immigration.

So…

Why am I telling you all this?

There are periods in each of our lives, where we allocate a disproportionate amount of time and emotional energy to narrow endeavors.

I still remember my totally irrational obsession with major milestones in school.

First, it was the board exams in India. Then came college entrance exams, GRE, getting a job, proving myself, getting the right visas…

And some of that context-shattering, single-minded focus is totally normal.

In fact, it is part of the charm of childhood and the early years, that unique blissful unawareness of youth.

But this skewed allocation of both time and headspace is not sustainable. And if you are a recent entrant into the Green Card backlog, this is a reality to seriously consider.

Here’s my story and I hope this helps -

A few years into working-life and some immigration disappointments later, I had come to a clear realization.

Living endlessly on a visa is a lopsided life that demands that too much of your life be directed towards your job and immigration and too little towards everything else that I would consider part of a life well-lived.

I’ve come to see it sort of like an unbalanced diet. It’s fine…for a while. But you can’t get away with it forever.

At the time I was thinking of all of this, my mental real-estate looked like this -

See the problem?

Some crucial areas were not receiving nearly the attention and time they deserved!

Now, you may say that I could have done a better job managing my immigration anxieties. Maybe there was a way to juggle the balls in the air more skillfully.

But here’s the deal.

Even if I was uniquely terrible at managing my immigration situation… Even if you are doing a much better job than I did juggling…

The following 3 points remain true:

1. Immigration - through worry and work - takes up a non-trivial amount of time.

2. That is a totally unproductive use of your headspace, effort, time and emotional energy.

3. These are all resources that could be much better channeled.

Covid-19 taught me an important lesson: Dealing with immigration does not exempt me from the other duties, obligations and complexities that come with normal adult life.

Parents will still need care. Family events (happy and sad!) will still continue.

Financial planning will still be needed. Retirement will still beckon.

Interests will still need my mental investment. Health will still need attention.

My life will still need me to instill it with meaning and purpose.

To top it all off, immigration had dealt a death blow to my career - I had to stop working temporarily because I ran out of work authorization (I never got an H-1B).

Granted, had I just waited it out, I would have eventually found my way to a Green Card via my spouse (through EB-1).

But, it would cost me time.

So, I quit the US and sacrificed some of the earning potential that the country could have offered. I moved to Canada on PR in 2021 and started living with solid ground under my feet.

Why?

Because for me, it was simply not viable to allocate that disproportionate headspace to immigration for the many more years that life in the US demanded.

This is the thing I walked away from…

A system that sees you as a “worker”. Not as a person.

***

So, why Canada?

This is a good, worthwhile question.

There is no such thing as the perfect solution. Here’s why Canada made sense for me:

1. The transition to Canada is one of the easiest ones for an immigrant used to life in the US.

2. Accessing the US economy for purposes of investment or even job opportunities remotely is easier from Canada than almost anywhere else in the developed world

3. The knowledge and skills in my job translate better to the Canadian market than say, Europe.

4. Acceptance of American education and credentials is also much more seamless in Canada.

For both me and my partner, Canada offered job opportunities we were satisfied with.

Comparisons, comparisons…

An important thing to realize is that if you’re deciding on leaving the US, it doesn’t make sense to compare your destination countries to the US.

The US is a unique, large economy and if that’s what you really want, you already have it. You are not going to get all that minus immigration issues anywhere else in the world.

So, I would suggest calibrating your expectations to reality.

With leaving the US, my goal was to leave on my terms rather than be forced to leave either because immigration had become unbearable, due to personal circumstances like family obligations/ health or due to job loss.

Whatever your reason for considering this decision may be, the US is no longer on the menu in a post-US life, right?

So, the thing to do is to compare other countries to your home country.

(For most of you, this will be India since this article is specifically for those stuck in the backlog.)

Because that’s where you will end up if things go wrong in the US. That’s your ultimate fallback.

Understanding Canadian Immigration

If you want to immigrate to another country, you will need to deal with their immigration system and it will take time, effort, understanding and just plain old paperwork.

I do understand though, that at this point you’ve had it with immigration. It is annoying, exhausting and draining.

The single most common questions I get from people online - Some “shortcut” or “explainer” that will somehow expedite their understanding of the “best” immigration pathway to Canada for them.

There’s a reason why this doesn’t work.

Immigration is extremely, extremely case specific.
There is no such thing as single, best pathway.

If you’re in a rush or want a quick evaluation, speak to an immigration professional. In Canada, there are two kinds - a Registered Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) or a lawyer. The former practices immigration law at a more limited level, helping with programs, filings etc. The latter can litigate matters in court etc.

Immigration decisions are hugely impactful to your life. Don’t base your own decisions on information from unqualified sources. Do your own research.

The good news though is that the Canadian system is a much simpler, more intuitive system. While you can use an immigration professional, it is absolutely possible to navigate many immigration programs yourself.

This is what I did.

All told, it took me a 2-3 months to complete the major steps necessary to put together my application.

I used the Express Entry - Federal Skilled Worker Program application.

While the most popular for applicants outside Canada, this is by no means the only immigration program in Canada.

The Federal Skilled Worker program is a merit-based program that leads directly to Permanent Residence, administered through the popular online system in Canada known as Express Entry. Express Entry is not an immigration program in and of itself.

It is an “Expression of Interest” system. Which means, you fill out a profile with your basic information and proof of valid language testing scores (English, French or both) and you receive a score.

This puts you in a candidate pool for consideration.

Based on your profile, you will be considered for appropriate categories within the program by Canada’s immigration agency (IRCC) which conducts regular draws with a set cut-off score.

If your score is higher than the cut-off, you are invited to apply for Permanent Residence.

The major documents required for this program are listed here.

I’m working on an issue of the newsletter that will walk you through all the major steps listed above in greater detail, with input from an immigration professional.

So, stay tuned for that one…

***

All the scary stories

No matter where you want to immigrate, if you do any due diligence, you’ll hear the scary stories. All the scary things that you hear about Canada, I did too.

• It’s impossible to find jobs (also, remember, I’m not in tech…so I got the extra terrible version of this!)

• Housing is expensive

• Healthcare is ridden with wait-times

• Salaries are much lower

I weighed what I heard against my lived reality in the US.

The immigration problem, stripped down to its essence, is fairly straightforward -

The only way to enjoy all the advantages of the US job market, while still fully living life was to get a Green Card in a reasonable time frame.

How much was I willing to give up for freedom to live the life I wanted? A little bit? A lot?

Ans: Quite a bit

There are certain things you don’t do, though. You don’t let go of the hole you’re in, to jump into a ditch of unknown depth, right?

So, I got to measuring…

Studying Canada

I studied the job market. I inquired about the healthcare issues. I found out about housing.

Basically, everything people told me was a problem.

First, jobs…

Armed with a subscription, I started working on LinkedIN to find 2 kinds of people:

• Connectors

• Models

Connectors were people who were much more experienced than me. Managers, recruiters, directors, people who might connect me to people who were well-versed in my industry.

Models were people who were my peers. Working in roles in companies that I directly aspired to.

In all, I connected with hundreds of people and cold INmailed them. I spoke to 20-30 of them.

This gave me an understanding of what companies where looking for, the good job aggregators, online hiring events, companies with good reputations and hiring practices and a decent network to start off with.

Best of all, I made actual friends and real, authentic connections.

Lesson# 1: Yes, Canada has fewer jobs. It also has fewer cars, airports, cities and gas stations. All for the same reason. Canada has 1/10th the US population.

Solution: To be successful in Canada, one needs to let go of the expectation that US job hunting strategies can be copy pasted into Canada and still work.

You wouldn’t have that same expectation if you moved to India or Germany or the UK, right? Then why carry that unhelpful expectation here?

Canada is about people. Sure, networking helps everywhere, but it helps even more in a smaller job market.

Once I understood the job market somewhat better, working on application techniques became easier.

By the time I got PR, I had a job offer in hand.

Next, healthcare.

Through the networking I did for jobs, I made a very good friend.

She had lived in Canada for decades at this point and was a wonderful person to guide me. Yes, this is luck. But it is also finding that needle in a haystack.

It takes work.

Over many conversations with her, I learned that one of the first things I should do after I arrived in Canada was to look up family doctors accepting patients and get myself a dedicated family doctor.

A complex combination of factors has led to a shortage of family doctors in Canada. The consequence is that while one can still get treated at walk-in clinics for most typical issues, many are left without a dedicated family physician overseeing their care.

Which, to say the least, is not ideal.

Lesson#2: Many newcomers miss this pivotal step - knowing that this issue exists. And when they know, engaging with it to resolve it.

Solution: It is important to know the top few issues that concern wherever you are moving to. And knowing isn’t enough. It is a priority to get ahead of it.

I found not just a family doctor, but one I like and am comfortable with within the first 2 months of arriving in Canada. I have never ever had a problem getting appointments to see my doctor.

Same day, even!

Now, it is worth adding that things may have changed on the healthcare dimension since my experience in 2021. I’m not trying to tell you there isn’t a problem with Canadian healthcare. There very, very obviously is. Also, sidetone, I work in Medical devices…I’m VERY aware of the problems.

The point I’m making here is that every issue in the headlines is more or less acute based on many factors. And you need to spend the time to out just how much of a problem it will be for you and what possible solutions exist.

And you’ll need to do this no matter where you are.

The US has a gun violence problem. Drug addiction issues. Racism issues. In some cases, housing affordability issues too!
You have already navigated those, made your own assessments, mitigated those problems appropriately and carved out a life.

That’s what you’ll need to do for Canada.

Finally, housing…and we’ll roll this one in with affordability generally.

It is undoubtedly true that Canadian salaries are lower and depending on where you’re moving from, cost of living may well be higher. Housing costs are almost definitely going to be higher.

This is a very, very real problem for international students or immigrants (or Canadians for that matter!) even those working in typical technical professions with otherwise good salaries.

If you’re considering Canada, you’re probably thinking deeply about the salary cuts you’ll face coming to Canada. As you should, of course!

But, don’t forget that you do have an advantage here. You have earned, saved and may be even invested in USD for a few years at this point.

If you have strong savings (which would benefit from the favourable currency conversion from USD to CAD), consider this…

Are you over-weighting the lower earning capacity and under-weighting your long-term risk from continuing on in the Green Card backlog?

The recent round of layoffs in January serve as a timely reminder of just how present this risk is for immigrants in the US.

Now, risk tolerance is a deeply personal thing. No two people will agree on this.

I’m going to tell you my thought process on this…

To me, the idea of building a life on the assumption that I would always be working, much less in the narrow realm of the degree I chose when I was 21, is almost absurd.

The future is inherently unknowable and there are any number of reasons why I may not be able to continue working in this exact manner.

I could fall sick. I could be laid off. My family could need me back home. I could hate my career trajectory and want to completely change it up.

This is why I rank optionality and freedom higher than earning potential.

If affordability issues of Canada make me choose a scaled-back, but sustainable life on PR over a higher standard of living on the Green Card backlog in the US, I would take the first option any day of the week.

It is worthwhile to take a minute to acknowledge that as knowledge workers, many of us are in the highly privileged position of being able to make this bargain.

Earnings can be supplemented through smart investing, tax planning, side hustles, even significant lifestyle cutbacks to enhance savings (which I’m not opposed to!).

But freedom is not a sliding scale. You either have immigration freedom or you don’t.

Lesson#3: Affordability is an inherently subjective issue. Don’t go by the headlines. Do the work it takes to decide whether this is a problem for YOU.

Solution: This takes some engagement. Look at real-estate/ rental costs vs. income in major cities that you might live in. Compare to what you’re paying in the US now.

Speak to people working in your field, at your level, already living in Canada. Ask them about affordability.

Get the real picture. Not headlines.

Note: If you work in a remote-friendly job, you can move to Canada and keep your US job with your same salary which should more than ensure a comfortable life here.

Have you considered that? Read my article on how to do this here.

Money ≠ Salary

Here’s the deal.

Many are singularly focussed on salary when they think about affordability and building wealth.

But, if the temporary mindset of your visa life is causing you to neglect investing, even the USD 100k+ isn’t getting you where you need to be.

Lesson#4: The money question can be answered not just by salary, but also by investing

Solution: If you can make up the drop in salary through investing in your financial future using your immigration independence, you might just be better off in the long run.

My Affordability Thought Experiment

Let’s say the US government tomorrow came up with a subscription program.

You pay an annual amount and you get a Blue Card that essentially gives you all the privileges of Green Card holder for as long as you’re enrolled in the subscription program.

Stop paying and you’re essentially back to whatever your previous visa status was. You don’t lose your place in line though, you keep chugging along towards towards the Green Card.

Of course, this is not going to be cheap.

Here’s the thought experiment part -

What is the maximum you be willing to pay for this program annually?

For easy calculation, let’s consider this as a percentage of your pre-tax salary.

30 percent? 40? 50?

Now you have a quantitative metric for just how much you value your freedom.

Use this to evaluate your decision when it comes to affordability issues and pay-cuts when it comes to Canada.

What you get when you choose Canada

When I was a kid, I went through a tiny phase where I was just SO JEALOUS of my dad’s CEO’s children.

It’s not like I actually knew the kids or anything...

We had attended a few events at the CEO’s farmhouse-style home. My rich imagination of their life fueled the sort of short-lived but emotionally intense envy that sometimes consumes children.

My Mom decided something needed to be done to nip this in the bud. She asked me if I’d like to be the CEO’s child.

“Yes!”, I enthusiastically said.

She asked me if I’d be ok rarely getting to see Dad. Because of course he’d be busy jet-setting around the world on business!

No more eating snacks at my favourite shop, standing at the counter either. No riding my bicycle on the street…security concerns!

I was surprised. I asked why the 💰💰💰💰 version of me wouldn’t be able to do all those things.

She explained that it would be an entirely different life. I’d get the big house and all the toys I wanted, but some things would have to go.

Here’s the thing…

When we imagine a new future, we only add. We don’t subtract. We keep everything we have and plug in the holes that are currently making us unhappy.

And that’s not just kids. That’s what we ALL do.

One of the reasons why many immigrants who move from the US to Canada find themselves disappointed is because they buy into the fantasy version of the decision. Not the real one.

I’m giving you the real one here -

When you choose Canada, you’re choosing to exchange earnings (at least by way of salary), for a real shot at immigration freedom.

You get a chance to build a richer, more expansive life.

And that’s worth a LOT if you care about a life well-lived.

And again, Money ≠ Salary, right? There are many ways to earn, grow and build wealth.

My head-space now

Below is the much more balanced headspace of a me who gets to live a much fuller life-

I am now able to more fully attend to the many needs, obligations and pursuits that I have as a person.

It happened because moving away from the artificial temporariness that deprioritizes everything else other than work and immigration was an urgent priority for me.

Temporariness is unsustainable as a permanent state of being.

The “piece of paper” matters. A lot!

Every now and then, good intentioned conversation around immigration will come around to the idea that a “piece of paper” does not define you.

That it is a limiting way to think… That it is a constraint that can be overcome through grit… That this way of thinking turns over agency into the hands of a bureaucracy…

There’s some value to that kind of pep-talk. Sometimes you need all the help you can get to lift up your spirits and keep going.

The piece of paper may not define YOU, but it certainly does define the playing field in which you get to operate.

It restricts opportunity, constrains choice and limits the fullness with which you can live your life.

And living that life for an extended period of time, casts long shadows.

I received my PR in Canada and moved in 2021. In 2022, I visited India and returned to Toronto. Making my way to immigration at the airport, a familiar anxiety bubbled up inside of me. All those years of living life on a visa found voice and I asked my husband, “Will they ask me where I work?” He looked at me strangely and stepped off the escalator.

My mind conjured up an unfriendly officer behind a window, grilling me. Questions intended to trip me up.

The experience would turn out to be the polar opposite.

I walked up to a relaxed looking officer who smiled at me, took one look at my PR card and said “Welcome home!” and waved me through.

Welcome. Home. My heart was full as I stepped out into the crisp night.

My husband asked, “Did you hear that?” Our smiles documented several years’ worth of struggle that had led us up to this point.

I shared this story in an article published in the CBC.

This one incident captures more eloquently why I spend my energy talking about immigration freedom than my words ever could.

I had a choice -

Stay on with significant restrictions in the US for the several more years it would take to make EB1 possible. Or leave and start living a meaningful and free life now.

I chose the latter.

Belonging matters. The paper really does matter.

So, what’s the take home for you?

Have a good “Why?” for coming to Canada.

If you’re unclear about what gaps Canada is filling in your life and if it will do so well, you may end up disappointed.

Study Canada before you make the move

The scare stories are both real and untrue. It depends on your individual circumstances. Study each significant issue you hear about as it pertains to you!

Appreciate the opportunity cost of immigration

Immigration instability takes a lot out of you, even if you don’t actively think about it all the time. It is making important aspects of your life take a back seat. And those things can’t be de-prioritized forever.

They will push their way in when the time comes. Whether you want them to or not.

Understand the trade-off

If you’re looking for everything, you’re not going to find it. Understand clearly what you get, when you move to Canada. And at what cost. This bargain is different for everyone.

Decide if it is worth it for you.

Affordability is a personal issue

Yes, cost-of-living is an issue in Canada, broadly. But will it be an issue FOR YOU? Evaluate it like the personal issue it is.

Also remember, money isn’t just salary. It’s also investing.

You get some. You lose some.

If on some level, you’re looking to keep all you have just minus immigration, there’s only one way to do that - Get a Green Card.

And the time it takes to get to that point, has its own opportunity costs.

Exercising a different option will include tradeoffs. But there are many ways to make it well worth your while.

The paper really does matter

It’s all well and good to give yourself the occasional pep talk - transcend your status, carpe diem and all that. But ultimately, your opportunities, freedoms, rights and even small joys (like attending that childhood friend’s wedding!) are dictated by immigration paperwork.

There’s no getting away from that reality.

Quantify how much you value freedom

Do the affordability thought experiment honestly. You will now have a more tangible way of assessing how much you value immigration freedom. Use that to make your decisions regarding Canada (or any other country that entails a pay hit).

Until next time,

Sindhu

Liked this article?

Check out -

1. Canadian immigration gets many things right

2. Immigrating to Canada - real talk