What If Hypothetically You Really Want to Move to Canada ASAP
For some reason, search volume on Google for “How to move to Canada” went up 550% last week . Maybe Justin Trudeau announced a new tourist attraction marketing campaign or something?
Below is a guide for aspiring Americans looking to move to the Great White North, covering both legal and legally dubious means. Before you begin, know this: As close as the United States is to Canada geopolitically, neither country allows its citizens to move at will. Moving to Canada is much harder and more expensive than Cleveland, and the whole process of considering you by the Canadian government can make you feel extremely inadequate.
Become a permanent resident of Canada or become a citizen of Canada?
If your parents or grandparents are Canadian citizens, this will be easier, but for everyone else, you will most likely have to become a Canadian permanent resident before you can become a citizen. One of the most important criteria for obtaining citizenship is legal residence in Canada for three of the last five years, which is usually not possible unless you have some recognized status in the country, such as a school or work visa. As a permanent resident of Canada, you will not be able to vote or hold office in Canada, which is associated with citizenship, but you will be able to work, study and use the Canadian health care system.
Are you a good enough person to move to Canada?
The Government of Canada has created an easy-to-use tool for all kinds of visitors to the country, from weekend tourists to Montreal to expats looking for a new life. The tool invites you to answer basic questions about who you are, what you do, and what exactly you want from Canada.
Canada has over 100 immigration and visa programs, but generally the country doesn’t want some old prude to drive in and stink in the establishment. Just like the United States, only certain types of immigrants are welcome/allowed in Canada, so the first step to finding a northern escape route is to see if you are the person Canada wants.
Who is allowed to live in Canada?
Unfortunately, Canada does not have an immigration program specifically designed for people who are unhappy with the crumbling legitimacy of American institutions. Instead, Canada is mainly interested in people who have something to offer Canada. (Selfish!)
If you have a family in Canada, are a skilled worker, want to relocate your company to Canada, are a creative or athletic person (professionally, at a high level), are a special care worker or agricultural worker, or belong to another specific demographic, Canada may want to talk. If you are some Joe Lunchpale who wants to quit his job and move to Vancouver, Canada might not get back your notorious messages.
Entering Canada with Express Entry
The most popular way to immigrate to Canada is through the Express Entry program. It is for skilled workers and is probably the most likely route to Canada for most Americans. In any case, experienced. To see if Canada considers you “qualified”, here is the official list of occupations .
The Canadian Express Entry program includes three immigration programs:
- Canadian Experience Class : For skilled workers who have Canadian work experience.
- Federal Skilled Worker Program : For skilled workers with overseas experience.
- Federal Skilled Trades Program : For skilled workers who are qualified in a skilled trade.
There are a number of other criteria that can determine your eligibility for a Canadian residency besides experience in a specific profession – it helps if you speak French or English, you can’t have an extensive criminal record, you need enough money to move, etc. Canada uses a point scale to determine eligibility; that’s how the points break . As you can see, a job offer from a Canadian company is worth a lot of points, and that’s where a lot of people start.
If you have calculated and believe that your skills, education and work experience will make you a suitable candidate for Canada, you can create your profile and submit it to the Government of Canada. If you have enough points, your name can be selected and then you can apply to become a Canadian resident. To do this, you must provide documentation of your education, employment and other details.
As you can see, there are some pretty serious hoops to jump through. Becoming a Canadian resident takes a lot of time, tons of documents, and it’s not cheap.
How much does it cost and how long does it take to become a permanent resident of Canada?
Becoming a Canadian citizen through the Express Entry program can cost between $1,500 and $2,000 and usually takes about six months. But there is no deadline: a sudden glut of applications for some mysterious reason can slow down the entire system.
Entry into Canada through the Provincial Nominee Program
Another potential option for American workers or students who wish to become legal residents of Canada is the Provincial Nominee program. Different provinces in Canada have different needs for certain types of workers. They are still generally looking for qualified, educated, experienced people, so it’s probably easier to move to Labrador as a doctor than to BC as a customer service rep.
If you think that none of the many immigration programs in Canada is right for you, there are other possibilities, but I do not want to give you false hope – this does not look good.
Can I enter Canada as a political refugee?
It will be extremely difficult for American citizens to enter Canada and obtain political refugee status. In general terms, Canada provides asylum to people who have fled their countries because of a “well-founded fear of persecution” or because they need protection from torture or other punishment if they return home.
If you think this may apply to you because current US policy amounts to personal harassment, you have a steep legal hill to climb. I do not mean to say that it is impossible, but it is highly doubtful that you will be granted such asylum. Refugees, by definition, are people who have been forced to flee their country and who are likely to be killed, imprisoned or tortured upon their return, and although I don’t know your life, you are probably not forced to flee. USA (At least not yet.)
Can’t I just move to Canada illegally?
Physically crossing the border into Canada from the United States is easy – there’s an app for that and you’ll need to verify your citizenship and vaccination status, but after that you can drive or fly without problems – but you win. By law, you are not allowed to stay there when your visa expires.
If you decide to stay after the six months that most visas give you and you are not seeking asylum, you are probably committing a crime. Various bad consequences may befall you. You will not be able to find legal work in Canada. You won’t be able to buy a house and you’ll have trouble renting a house without doing it “under the table”. If you are identified by Canadian law enforcement, you will most likely be sent to prison until you are sent back to the United States. You will likely be denied entry to Canada in the future, even for a visit, and almost certainly as any resident.
There are many uncontrolled crossings on the US-Canada border: remote areas where nothing prevents you from just walking through the country. If you’re going on this route – and you shouldn’t – make sure you dress warmly and bring enough food and water for the hike.
As easy as it is to walk around Canada, what would you do once you’ve made your way there? If you don’t have any legal reason to stay in the country and you can be jailed and deported if you get caught, what do you really gain? You couldn’t work or study. You couldn’t get none of that sweet, sweet universal health care. You will simply be an undocumented person, a situation best avoided if possible.
Can I become a Canadian resident by marrying a Canadian?
You can visit Canada, fall in love and get married on a simple tourist visa, but that doesn’t automatically make you a Canadian citizen. If you have a family in Canada, they can sponsor your immigration to the country and the family does include your spouse, but there is still an application process , a waiting period, and the possibility of rejection, especially if it seems that you are involved in a Green Wedding. -map”.
Marrying solely for the sake of immigration status can result in you being accused of criminal fraud. In order to prove that their marriage is in good faith, immigrant couples must provide documents proving that their marriage is not a way to obtain a residence permit , and this goes well beyond the scope of a marriage license. It may include proof of a joint bank account, joint mortgage, and other official documents, but may also include photographs proving your “married couple”, letters from friends and family stating how much you are in love, and written “relationships.” stories” from you and your spouse. If you’re only planning to get married for immigration reasons (which, again, you shouldn’t do because it’s usually considered a crime), there’s going to be a ton of fabricated evidence.