Here’s the US dashboard. It doesn’t let you dig to major which is a shortfall for such a pricey and high end university - but you can ask for deeper data.
It lists location (.25% Canada, 98.3% US) - but you should ask the school for specific outcomes of Canadian students) - what % found jobs and where? What majors?? Perhaps a CS will get a sponsor but a sociology won’t?
Dig deeper. You’re making a life decision - so asking questions of the career center or department and requesting more detailed info is not too much to ask. This is a $400K US investment.
In the end, I believe it’s the kid moreso than the school. You see a lot actively seeking - that’s likely in part why.
I ran across one college dashboard (Franklin & Marshall) that actually does a breakdown of outcomes for domestic versus international. This isn’t a school you’re considering, but it might give you an idea of expectations.
They note that for the class of 2024, overall 54.6% went to work and 27.2% continued their education. But if you look at domestic versus international, it’s much starker with 61% of domestics going to work and only 22% of internationals saying the same. Instead, international students tended to go and continue their education (66%).
In northern Vermont, on the Canadian border, sits the tiny town of Derby Line (pop: 666), incorporated in 1791. Across the border in Quebec’s eastern townships, the adjacent Canadian community is Rock Island (pop:927), settled in 1796, incorporated in 1892.
Needless to say, for all practical purposes this is one community - both historically and currently. So much so that they share one library. The library straddles the international border. There is a stripe painted down the middle of the library to show which country you are in as you move about the library. It’s charming. And historic.
The US government is now hassling Canadian citizens who want to use the library and making it difficult for them to get access despite the fact that the library is jointly funded by the two towns.
Let me repeat . . . No. You get the point. This is what it’s come to.
I would pause before I decided to make a decision to attend college in the US for the next 4 years as a Canadian citizen. There are just too many unknowns right now.
Back to my story. Across the street from the library sits a private home. It too straddles the border, so depending on which room of the house you sleep in, that determines which country you are in. And which laws you are subject to. How long will it take before, as it has in the library, the US government will be monitoring people’s behaviour in their bedrooms?
Your chances of getting in off a waitlist are usually quite low. It does happen, but usually does not – at least for students applying to undergraduate programs. I also agree that this will vary from year to year.
In a normal year for an international student if money was not an issue I would consider this pretty much a coin toss, but a coin toss between two excellent schools. This year, given the state of the US, I would prefer Waterloo for an international student even if they were not from Canada.
Just as one example, some universities in the US are currently unsure what their budget will be for next year due to possible government budget cuts. There is some significant uncertainty right now, and there are for example some nervous doctoral students (some programs might be cut). You do not need to get involved in this.
There are a number of US high tech companies that have facilities in Canada. One possible way to get a visa to work in the US is to first get a job in Canada with a US based company, and then see if they will sponsor you for a move to the US.
However, I have actually seen this go more or less the other way. I know many people from India who are working in the US. Some are on temporary visas (multiple others are on permanent resident visas or have US citizenship). In several cases when these visas have expired they have needed to leave the US because we were not able to sponsor them for a permanent visa. Most have returned to India, but a couple instead moved to Canada. Even though they had been employees for a few years and had been working in California, it was easier to get them a visa to work in Canada than to get them a permanent resident visa for the USA. Some of this occurred a few years ago, so this uncertainty is not just limited to the current administration.
I think that your chances of getting employment at a US based company in a site in Canada are probably at least as good with a degree from Waterloo as compared to USC.
And Waterloo is a very good university. Congratulations on your acceptance! (and Toronto and UBC are also very good choices).
There was a TN Visa for Canadians to work in USA, if US employer sponsored Canadian.
Did Canadians you know working for Google in US use TN Visa?
“ The nonimmigrant USMCA Professional (TN) visa allows eligible citizens of Canada and Mexico to work in the United States as USMCA professionals in prearranged professional level business activities for U.S. or foreign employers. Permanent residents of Canada and Mexico are not able to apply for TN visas to work as USMCA professionals. Select TN USMCA Professionals on the USCIS website to learn more about TN nonimmigrant status.”
Anyone with a student visa can get an OPT (with a STEM extension if you graduate with a qualifying major) upon graduation. Your being Canadian has no bearing on this.
If you get a job offer you can work for 1 (or unto 3 with STEM extension) for any employer without them having to sponsor you. However, most employers are hesitant to take on an employee for such a limited time, so typically they will only hire such students if they are willing to sponsor them for a work visa (H1B) which can lead to a green card, with additional paperwork.
And yes, you can work on a TN visa if the employer is willing to support that and the position meets the eligibility requirements for a TN. However, I don’t think that leads directly to permanent residency. The couple of TN visa holders I’ve known in the past transitioned to H1B visas before getting their green card.
Keep in mind though, that immigration rules and policies can change (plus employers are typically less willing to sponsor when the economy is not doing well), so you should be prepared to go back to your home country upon graduation.