A reader writes:
My husband is a geologist who went through a long bout of unemployment; his specialty is water quality, and the environment was not a concern of the Bush administration. At one point, he attended a relocation fair sponsored by the Government of Alberta. The primary target was skilled foreigners frustrated by the U.S. immigration process. Geology was on the list of target occupations,
and at that time, oil companies were desperate for employees.
Had he been hired by a Canadian employer, he would have received a visa not tied to the job. I would have also been given a visa with the right to work, and we would have been eligible for health insurance from day one. He applied for a few jobs in Calgary, but then two things happened: the price of oil fell and Barack Obama was elected. My husband has been employed since January at a firm that is receiving Federal stimulus money.
We know many scientists who have come here from other countries, and we know that the U.S. isn’t offering them the same deal that Canada is.
The Dish 