These are the options for US H-1B visa holders who want to move to Canada

Holders of H-1B visas pursuing U.S. green cards may find it quicker and easier to obtain Canadian permanent residency instead.

Canada’s Express Entry system is pool-based, allowing the highest ranking candidates to move to the front of the line for permanent residency. Many H-1B workers can be competitive candidates in the Express Entry system, which prioritizes skilled foreign workers by awarding points based on higher education, skilled work experience, and strong language proficiency.

In contrast, the US’s H-1B system’s pathway to a green card is much more complicated. Not only is it dependent on external factors including a lottery system and employer sponsorship, but the wait times are based on the applicant’s country of origin and can vary greatly.

Express Entry

One way you can obtain permanent residence is through Canada’s Express Entry system.

Express Entry is an online application management system that ranks candidates based on factors such as their age, education, work experience, and language proficiency.

Periodically, the federal government invites the highest ranking candidates to apply for PR through Express Entry.

That means that well-qualified candidates go to the front of the immigration line. Moreover, once you submit an application for PR through this system, the standard processing time is just six months.