Western Ivey to US: still feasible?
I’m a high school student in Canada, and I recently applied to the Ivey AEO program at Western. Admissions are already rolling in apparently, and so I’m trying to get ahead of that and make deciding between Ivey and other programs easier should I get accepted. Since my ultimate goal is to get either a sell-side or buy-side job in the states after uni, I was wondering if firms in the US were still taking on Ivey students for analyst jobs. Given the tightening of H1B visas in the Trump administration and the recent border chaos possibly leading to further immigration restrictions, how many Ivey students are still breaking into the US? I’m aware that in the past Ivey has had pipelines such as to Evercore, but is that still in effect? Any insight would be appreciated greatly for a guy just trying to figure out what his best options would be
Stick with bay street. You don't want the headache of work visas
They’re that much of a pain that the extra comp isn’t worth it? How bad has it got?
Terrible take. The comp in the US is astronomically higher than in Canada so any “headache” is absolutely worth it to get out of Canadian finance. Among my many Canadian friends in NY, only 2 ever had a visa hold-up (read: RFE and premium processing) which was subsequently resolved. Any reputable shop that uses a good immigration lawyer (i.e., Fragomen or Ogletree) will get you through the TN economist process with ease. When the time comes (winter half of sophomore year is a reasonable target), highly suggest reaching out to some Canadians in the US (or even making a trip over reading break) to ask about their experience recruiting and any advice on the visa process. Also worth asking Canadians at these firms if they are currently sponsoring TN so you can spend your networking time well to avoid pursuing roles at firms that might only sponsor FT (vs. interns) or not sponsor at all. Most firms will also put you in for the H-1B lottery when the window opens in March of your first FT year. Good luck!
Edit: not sure why the MS. Open to other constructive views.
Thank you for the in-depth answer, this helps me out a lot, especially with regards to getting internships as I hadn’t considered that the visa process would be different for interns vs FT
Canadian attending a US target here. Things are tough for Canadians / internationals in the US even if you have access to STEM OPT (which gives you 3 years of unrestricted work authorization after grad) in addition to the TN…
Have friends at Ivey and I think their Evercore pipeline still exists as there is a whole recruiting team, but not sure about other shops.
Also keep in mind the competition at Ivey will be extremely intense, basically all the smart Canadian students interested in finance but could not afford going to school in the US will be there
Thank you so much for the answer. And yes, I’m prepared for the competition and to grind to be top of my class. Nice to hear Evercore pipeline is still a thing
Definitely still feasible - I'm at Ivey and I know many people going to Evercore this summer. They've reiterated that the pipelines still exist (at least) at Evercore and they're always looking to hire Ivey students.
That’s great to hear. From someone at Ivey currently, how’s the overall job market looking for Ivey students right now?
It honestly is variable and depends on how much work you're putting in. You seem like you're starting super early so with that effort and networking you'll be able to find something. Companies really like Ivey grads, everyone I've talked to has great things to say and the alum network is powerful.
I also agree with what other people are saying on this post though - if you have the opportunity to go to school in the US, you should definitely consider it because it will give you significantly more options to work there. However, if you're working hard to network and recruit at Ivey for jobs in the US, the opportunities should still come (and your tuition is significantly less). Yes, I did only mention Evercore because they have the biggest pipeline but other people are working at different companies in the US from Ivey.
I am at Ivey and had a first round at Evercore earlier this week, so there is definitely still pipelines
That’s great to hear, and good luck to you in the interview process
Evercore recruits from Canada and has a pretty strong legal team that handles your TN very well. Following the employment at EVR, the company will put you in the H1B pipeline each year. So shouldn’t be too worried about visa.
That’s great to hear. Thanks for the answer
Notice how every comment is talking about Evernote as that is the only shot you really have. This website is crawling with sweaty Ivey kids who will no doubt argue but if you are serious abt finance in the US try to go to an American school
I have a college fund, but there’s only really enough to cover Canadian schools. Personally, out of the question for me to go to an American school and take on student loans to pay exorbitant tuition as an international student, especially since I wouldn’t qualify for a lot of financial aid given my parents are upper middle class. Thank you for the insight, though
You can claim that you're a snow Mexican and they'll get you on a bus to New York.
Keep in mind that banks recruit for IB summer programs when you’re a sophomore (ie you are not even in Ivey yet). It isn’t an even playing field as there is a very heavy emphasis on kids who hold Analyst positions at Western Investment Club and the like. If you’re dead set on the US, going to a US school will provide way more opportunities than Ivey (this is coming from an Ivey grad who works in the US)
Thank you for the reply. Regarding Western Investment Club, how hard is it to get an analyst position? Is it a process undertaken as soon as you start as a freshman at Western? Is it a matter of getting to know the right upperclassmen?
When i attended (a decade ago), WIC only took 2 second-years as analysts so it is very difficult. You need to compile and present a stock pitch.
Ivey is a very fine school - it's academic rigour and students are comparable to significantly better schools in the US than its ability to place in the US would imply. Take that how you will (former Ivey grad).
So essentially, Ivey produces great candidates because it’s a good school, but those candidates may still not get the same opportunities simply because they are Canadian and go to a school in Canada?
Pretty much.
Welcome to reality
this is the case for a ton of great schools outside of america, throughout europe and asia there are rigorous top schools with great candidates that fail to break into the US market. Canada had it better then them due to TN visa but that was changed unfortunately so now we are basically lumped in with the rest of them.
Why don't you wait until the rest of your admission offers come in? I don't think there's any other school in Canada that places better in US IB.
If these degenerates on 90 day fiancé can finesse green cards just hop on tinder and marry an American and there’s your entry point
that was my play - spent several years trying to get to the US and was single for that time. found someone I really liked when I got here and will get that GC. did I stay single in Canada just so I could keep myself free for when I moved? No, it was because girls wouldn't date me in Canada but you can't deny it worked out in the end.
Take a look at the current club execs (WIC/IPC/WCM), a lot of them placed in the US. Out of any Canadian school, I’d say it still gives the best shot at landing in the U.S. and is very feasible if you start working towards the goal in first year. Good luck
Isn’t the TN pathway to working as a banker in the US done?
Thought they shut down the economist thing.
Isn’t the TN pathway to working as a banker in the US done?
Thought they shut down the economist thing.
Isn’t the TN pathway to working as a banker in the US done?
Thought they shut down the economist thing.
I see Canadian grads from McGill still coming to the US. When was it shut down?
Not shut down, TN is just more scrutinized now for certain designations (management consultant or economist) which have seen applications outside of their intended titles. A good immigration lawyer knows how to navigate this, however.
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Yep. Idk why people are acting like this isn’t true
The US needs to stop hiring Canadian graduates from these no-name schools.
More importantly, if you went to a Canadian school that was 1/10th the cost of a US school, then work in Canada, where you get 50% of the salary.
Trump will fix this. This is basically a slap in the face of Americans who actually paid money to go to university.
If you, as an American candidate, can't beat out someone in an interview that went to a markedly worse school for recruiting (in Canada no less) AND would need the firm to pay upwards of $20k in legal fees just to take them, maybe you just need to be better.
Maybe we just need to close the border and not hire people who didn't go to an American school.
It should be American schools only (Oxford and Cambridge too).
Otherwise stay home. No way someone who paid so little for school should be allowed to recruit for Wall Street.
This has to be a satirical comment. Two reasons it’s cheaper: first is that Canadians pay taxes toward education so while they don’t pay up front, the gov’t still gets their money and second it’s not Canada’s fault for having a stronger public education system. What I’m hearing is someone’s salty they have an inferior education system and that they overpaid for the same career prospects. To add, you mentioned “no name schools” so the fact that people from said schools got in over your idea of a top institution means they must’ve clearly been better candidates.
It's not satire.
It's national pride and economics. Reward Americans, they work harder.
The only Canadians that should be allowed to work in the US are ones that paid for American schools. If you went to a Canadian school, try Bay Street or Asia.
Even London doesn't give jobs to Canadians from what I hear....
All Canadians should be second choice to American candidates.
Finally, if we aren't giving top jobs to our citizens first, we're hurting national morale.
The US has become some dumping ground for trash of other countries - it's time to cut all foreign aid and tell people to stay home.
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