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does anyone know how it is for americans going to Canada????
We want to relocate to Edmonton or Calgary and don`t know if we can just move and start looking for a job or if we need to go via Candian Embassy and immigration?????
Really appreciate any tip on this issue thank´s everyone
Getting residency without a job is really tough. Canada doesn't want people moving up there only to live off the government. (We could take some lessons in that regard.)
But if you are moving up there for a job, it's possible. Still a lot of paperwork and such, but possible. Most employers will help you out a great deal if they really want to hire you.
As far as gaining citizenship, it's much easier if you have Canadian family. Not impossible if you don't, but definitely lots harder.
Get on Canada's government website. I'm sure there are pages there detailing the process.
FYI: I know two people who moved to Edmonton. One loved it and the other hated it. I have heard good things about Calgary, but I don't know anyone who has actually lived there.
It's easier to immigrate to Canada than it is to immigrate to the United States. Their immigration laws are more liberal. There is a link somewhere on this website that I can't seem to find that someone posted, that directs you to a Canadian government website where you can take a free test to see if you'd qualify for a skilled worker visa. You had to score a 67 to "pass" and be considered for a skilled worker visa. I scored a 65 and I'm not particularly skilled in anything so I was surprised by that. And going back through my answers and tweaking some of them, I realized I could easily pass if I simply achieved basic or moderate proficiency in French. I'm sure immigration is much harder and involves more aspects than this little online test, but it's a good beginning step to sort of see where you stand. Basically, you get more points the more educated you are, if you speak English, French or both, if you have a job lined up, and if you have family already in Canada.
Hello:
It's really easy to immigrate to Canada than probably any country in the world. The only thing you need is to apply for a skilled worker visa or apply for a job in Canada where the employer helps you to get the work permit and once there you apply for permanent residency. You can only obtain your canadian citinzenship after being lived there for 3 years. You can find all info in the canadian website http://www.cic.gc.ca/ and read every thing that pertain to your specific case. The only thing I can say is that you have made a good choice, Canada offers way more benefits than US. I
I hope this helped.
I hate to argue, but it really isn't that easy anymore. It is nigh impossible for immigrants to get anything but low-paying service jobs... it is very unfortunate, because you will find physicians and PhD educated people driving taxicabs because their educations weren't honored. I'm guessing this wouldn't be as much of a problem for an American, but I would certainly do lots of checking before moving.
If you already have a job offer, then the employer can help you... but there is really NO WAY to go unless you have such a situation. They are at the point where they are really looking to accept professionals only - doctors, professors, people with unique specialties. And that is only if they recognize your education as valid.
I'm only putting this out here to save people trouble and disappointment - not to be negative. I happen to hear from my parents, friends and other family there that there are more and more stories about immigrants having a very difficult time staying afloat.
Calgary is undergoing a TREMENDOUS boom right now. It is a very nice city, growing very quickly. It is close to the Rocky Mountains, which are gorgeous and also provide the occasional chinook - untimely warm weather
The city is apparently becoming very fast-paced and expensive, however, due to all the economic development, mainly in the oil industry. A friend of mine purchased a house there recently, and paid about three times what one might expect for a home in a decent neighborhood - so keep that in mind if you are planning on living there.
Also, there is a certain political bent in Alberta that some may find hard to live with - very conservative, not all that welcoming to foreigners - in fact, they don't even like Eastern Canadians very much. Unfortunately there is a long history of East vs West in Canada - it came to a bit of a head in the 80's during the gas wars - some Albertans had bumpers stickers proudly proclaiming "let the Eastern bastards freeze in the dark" - this is of course because of their monopoly of most of the oil in Canada.
Just keep in mind that some of this sentiment still lives on quite strongly.
Still, I think if you have a job in the oil industry, it's the place to be!!
Hi there I was born in Edmonton, grew up there, moved to Calgary for 2 years to go to school and then immigrated to the US where I've been living for 6 years with my husband. It was a lot of paperwork and crap to go through to get here on both the parts of me and my husband (he sponsered me) I had to fly from Edmonton out to Vancouver to get my fiancee visa. Anyways I can only imagine with Canada being as socialistic as it is that it would be even more difficult. The government is full of bureaucracy and is very inefficient.
I have to argue with suse that there are more benefits to living in Canada though. I guess it depends on what you mean. I absolutely love Canada and it is incredibly gorgeous but overall I am glad that I now live in the US.
And kitty; I have no idea what you're talking about about the political bent thing in Alberta. I don't mean to be confrontational or anything but in all my years there I never experienced anything like that. Alberta is a conservative province as far as voting is concerned but at least as far as Edmonton is concerned it is getting a little to socialistic for my taste. A member of my family is a conservative in voting but his general attitude doesn't always mesh with that ideal. And I would guess there are others in the same situation. Although I think "conservative" may have a different spin on it in Canada then in the US.
Anyways if you have any other questions about moving to Edmonton or Calgary I would be happy to answer them. Ofcourse it would be only a personal opinion. Good luck to you!! eh!
Hi there I was born in Edmonton, grew up there, moved to Calgary for 2 years to go to school and then immigrated to the US where I've been living for 6 years with my husband. It was a lot of paperwork and crap to go through to get here on both the parts of me and my husband (he sponsered me) I had to fly from Edmonton out to Vancouver to get my fiancee visa. Anyways I can only imagine with Canada being as socialistic as it is that it would be even more difficult. The government is full of bureaucracy and is very inefficient.
I have to argue with suse that there are more benefits to living in Canada though. I guess it depends on what you mean. I absolutely love Canada and it is incredibly gorgeous but overall I am glad that I now live in the US.
And kitty; I have no idea what you're talking about about the political bent thing in Alberta. I don't mean to be confrontational or anything but in all my years there I never experienced anything like that. Alberta is a conservative province as far as voting is concerned but at least as far as Edmonton is concerned it is getting a little to socialistic for my taste. A member of my family is a conservative in voting but his general attitude doesn't always mesh with that ideal. And I would guess there are others in the same situation. Although I think "conservative" may have a different spin on it in Canada then in the US.
Anyways if you have any other questions about moving to Edmonton or Calgary I would be happy to answer them. Ofcourse it would be only a personal opinion. Good luck to you!! eh!
Hi dreameyes, sorry if I offended you - it really wasn't my intent. I will definitely defer to your opinion of Edmonton considering you lived there! I will say though that the bumper sticker thing I mentioned really did happen, and I'm glad that YOU don't have those feelings, but they are definitely there. I guess I should have included SK in my description of the anti-east sentiment.
From personal experience after moving out west and known to be from Ontario, myself and my parents were systematically berated and told about how the eastern *** (insert various words here)! had control and how they were making things bad, thought they were superior etc. We had no idea of any of this until we moved! Perhaps more educated, (and nicer!) people don't have those feelings against the east - but I was very shocked to find that even schoolchildren had opinions on this! I have friends who have experienced this too, so I'm not just making it all up.
Again, I don't want to fight at all, just clarifying my own experience as also felt by others I know. I'm sure not all westerners feel this way.
I must add too that Alberta is one of the most scenic and beautiful provinces I have seen, especially towards the Rockies. People are flocking to live there by the thousands, so obviously it is a good place to live as well.
Thanks kitty. Absolutely no offense taken. I'm sure that sentiment does existent. I found Calgary to be a bit more opinionated than Edmonton but that is just my experience. Everyone has very different experiences of things. I totally understand that what one person may experience another will not.
My opinion. Either city is a great choice. I live in Red Deer. Which is directly between Calgary and Edmonton. It's roughly a 1 hour drive either way. I've found both cities quite enjoyable. I personally prefer Calgary as I can find my way around easier, but I have friends in Edmonton that would disagree with me. Either way, centeral AB is quite nice. The weather can change at the drop of a hat. As mentioned earlier, there's lots of work. The big issue is housing. At the start of this winter there were people in Calgary, Edmonton, and Red Deer who were living with their families in the campgrounds as they could not find a home or were waiting for theirs to be built. And when the campgrounds closed, they had nowhere to go. Some to the streets even though they were making 60K+ per year. Don't let that get you down about moving to the area. Just be sure you have somewhere to live first. Job finding is easy, take it as second priority.
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