sam5099

hello there,

out of curiosity ,i had to ask this question--why and what reasons/emotions make some Americans to start to think of settling in Canada ?

because i had read that many of them are interested in going up north,after the recent elections...what fears,what else is prodding them ???

Sam

Andrew Miller

The post-election "hype" is already gone - after few weeks of cooling period most realized that immigration process is more complicated than just packing your belongings and driving north...

But there are many Americans who immigrate regardless recent election - their reasons vary. I have many American clients (from recent graduates to established lawyers, entrepreneurs and self employed) and each of them has different reasons for moving to Canada. Some do it to move to slower and safer environment compared to the place they are moving from, some do it because after visiting Canada often they simply fell in love with our country, some (especially gay couples) are looking for more tolerant place with recognizing their partnership laws, others do it for many different reasons - but almost all of them make their decision based on conviction that they will be benefiting from the move in many ways other than money or jobs. Later are reasons behind immigration decision for most immigrants from developing countries, they are not reasons for Americans, Brits, Germans, Australians, Japanese, Koreans, etc..

Chuck_H.

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Being from the States myself, and having already applied for residency, I thought I would add my two cents to this topic. I have to agree with Mr. Miller in that some people just fall in love with the country, as I did on my first visit, back in 2000.

Being that I love cold weather and an outdoorsy person that I am, there was so much to do and see up there, compared to flat, hot, boring and extremely crime ridden, Florida. Yes we have great beaches, but I do'nt care if i ever see them again, as long as I get up to Ontario

But will add this, too. I left for Canada, in Oct. 2002 to just "go up there and look for a job" since I felt a lot of places were'nt taking me seriously, when I would send them my application. I'm sure they thought..."this guy from Florida, is he serious"?? haha I got a lot of responses, but felt that maybe, they were thinking, it was just a whim on my part. So, I packed up my Jeep, with a few belongings and left.

I have to say, the five months I was there, was so bittersweet. It was great in the part, that the Canadian people I met were so sweet, courteous, caring and even tried to help me find a job. Strangers would strike up conversation, after hearing my slight southern accent, and we would get along as if we had known each other for years. I absolutely miss that. Plus, not to forget, Timmy's, Value Village...lol...hey I love a bargain... going to the Falls, the crime rate being so low. Hell, I could go on and on.

The ONLY bad part was the fact, that after several interviews with different companies, HRDC would not allow them to grant me a work permit. That was my only complaint about the place, but that's the government for you. I even went as far as to seek the help of a member of parliament, in the town I was living in. The fact he was caring and helpful, and actually sent out a letter to the ministry of labour, to try and help me out, meant a lot to me and that futher solidified my thoughts in that I have to find a way to live up here. Just a great atmosphere and some truly great people.

Well, that was my two cents, just hope I added some insight. There is a lot more I can add, but did'nt want to go overboard. It's just "different" in Canada, but a good different, compared to the States, and just hope that my residency will come to fruition, sometime next year.

sam5099

hi Chuck,

it was nice to read your experience....it would be great to read more stories from people who have moved there and especially the particular reasons that made them go there...

i was amazed to read somewhere that our neighbors up north had abolised capital punishment decades ago but here in the US ....u know.

friiends lets keep this thread going...sam

ABW

A very similar reason to Chuck_H.
Besides Timmy, there are also poutine and Molson Dry .
I just got back from Winnipeg this Thanksgiving holiday.
The Catch 22 job hunting (specially in IT sector) is also a
major obstacle for me.
I work for the US gov (DOE), so there won't be any company transfer scheme I can use .
the job market in IT sector is extremely bleak in the US or CDN.
I had several job interviews but potential employers would say"We'd like to hire but we couldn't sponsor you, come back when you have a work permit or a PR status." I need a valid/verifiable job offfer to obtain a work permit but I need a work permit to work.
Ready or not, I sent my PR application two weeks ago.

I hope I don't get hassled when I am visiting this coming Christmas. I never get hassled crossing the border. I always have my US passport when driving up there but strange enough, the CDN border folks have never even asked me any ID or passport. They just asked where I was going and let me driving through.
Just curious:
Will I get hassled visiting since I have my PR application in process?

Chuck_H.

ABW is absolutely correct, about obtaining a work permit is a Catch-22 (not just in the IT field) especially when HRDC just loves to turn qualified workers down. While I was living in Canada, I read an article in the newspaper about how Canada is in dire need of skilled workers, but yet will not hire anyone from other countries.

One situation that really irritated me about not getting a work permit, was how one company tried their best to hire me. My field of work is heavy duty equipment mechanic. This company tried to hire me, saying they hardly get any mechanics with heavy equipment experience. I thought, "wow, this could be my lucky break". Anyways, they even looked into having me transfer from another branch in New York. Naturally, HRDC said no, and nothing the company could do, even though I had the experience they needed/wanted.

Then, about a month later, after hearing all of this, I went to Workopolis job site and saw the same company with an online ad in need of four mechanics to work on their equipment assembly line...talk about having your heart ripped out!! So, my only recourse was to file for permanent residency, once the point system dropped.

Didn't mean to go offcourse with this one, and sound like a whiner, but I had to agree with ABW, and just how ridiculous the thought process is, when dealing with HRDC. They apparently need help skilled worker wise, but yet the ones that truly want to be there get turned down. Again, that was the only negative during my brief stay. Oh yeah, ABW, the poutine and Molson are other good reasons

vetal

While we are on this topic...... Whats the ratio of immigrants migrating from u.s. to canada to folks migrating from canada to u.s.?

sam5099

hi

so it was hype--- about CIC website getting 80,000 hits a day after the US election ?

i still dont understand why HRDC and the canada govt..make it hard for people in need of good workers .........to hire easily ??

i heard there are foriegn doctors and Ph.D's working as Cab drivers !!!
why cant they rectify this ? is it hard for a govt. to accredit foreign degrees ?

US gets the cream of scientists because they can come and work here easily....even getting Admissions is hard in canadian universities...is so complicated.

this way canada will lose its competitiveness and get only manual labor and
welfare needy people..!

-sam

JAJ

Andrew
Although Americans do have one advantage over other nationalities, in that they can often use NAFTA visas to get to Canada before their PR is processed.

Is that correct?

Jeremy

Andrew Miller

Not a big advantage as NAFTA provisions won't really apply to most applicants in Skilled Workers class - it applies to business visitors not entering labour market, limited number of professionals, intra-company transferees and traders and investors. Only business visitors don't require work permit, all others need proper work permit, although in most cases not requiring HRSDC validation.

Other nationals can take advantage of similar international trade agreements - mostly GATS.