The truth - is Canadian citizenship impossible for Americans to attain (home, college)

[Duluth07]

I'm a single male, 34 with no kids and a BAS (college degree) considering going back for this new fast track RN program (if you already have your Bachelors in Science, you can get your RN in a little over a year). I've lived most my life in Duluth, Minnesota which is an afternoons drive from Winnipeg, where I've spent much time and I almost feel more like Winnipeg is my home rather than Duluth (diversity, very pro-gay, just nice people). However...since about 1996 I've kept up with Immigration Canada's website and if you are from the US, either you have to be a neurosurgeon, a billionaire, aboriginal, or have lots of family already in Canada to even consider thinking about making a permanent move. This is the point in my life where I really want to seriously know if this is true or if there are exceptions. I've been told I'd have an easier time moving to Australia or New Zealand than Canada, which is only one area code away from here.

So if you've made the move, is it true? Only the super rich or ridiculously educated get to go there?

[aurorawatcher]

Start checking flights to Australia or New Zealand.

[Air]

Apply to Quebec. Faster and easier, and you can move to another province immediately, if you so desire.

[krichton]

Originally Posted by Air

Apply to Quebec. Faster and easier, and you can move to another province immediately, if you so desire.

How is it faster and easier? I don't get it.

[ajau]

Look at it this way, Canada doesn't treat Americans and differently than Americans treat Canadians. Reciprocal relationships are a fundamental part of diplomacy.

[minibrings]

Originally Posted by Duluth07

I'm a single male, 34 with no kids and a BAS (college degree) considering going back for this new fast track RN program (if you already have your Bachelors in Science, you can get your RN in a
little over a year). I've lived most my life in Duluth, Minnesota which is an afternoons drive from Winnipeg, where I've spent much time and I almost feel more like Winnipeg is my home rather than Duluth (diversity, very pro-gay, just nice people). However...since about 1996 I've kept up with Immigration Canada's website and if you are from the US, either you have to be a neurosurgeon, a billionaire, aboriginal, or have lots of family already in Canada to even consider thinking about making a permanent move. This is the point in my life where I really want to seriously know if this is true or if there are exceptions. I've been told I'd have an easier time moving to Australia or New Zealand than Canada, which is only one area code away from here.

So if you've made the move, is it true? Only the super rich or ridiculously educated get to go there?

Do you have the 67 points needed to qualify for Canada immigration? Have you done the points test.. you did not indicate this in your post..

Australia and NZ are a lot tougher than Canada and New Zealand unless you have a critical skill and work experience, nursing is a critical skill.

[Cornerguy1]

Australia and New Zealand may or may not immigration criteria which would be easier for you to meet; I have no idea what their standards are.

With regard to Canadian immigration policies, they make no special considerations for US citizens. If you meet the criteria, you may pay your application fees, jump through the same hoops as everyone else, and wait in line.

Do you have to be super-rich or ridiculously educated? Nope. I know half a dozen US-born people who have immigrated into Canada who are neither.

[vanee]

RoadtoCanada.com should be useful for you.

[Wisteria]

I saw this thread, and was interested. I'm from a border town, originally, and felt like Toronto was my second home! I wanted to live there, too, but as Duluth said, it is almost impossible without loads of money --- although in Duluth's favor, being young and educated is a good start.

I have a friend from Buffalo, New York, who moved to Toronto at the beginning of the high tech boom (I mean high tech boom in the sense that they were going from those huge computers that filled a room, to smaller deals). This was the time that the computer industry was really taking off (1970s), and he walked into a computer company in Toronto (my friend is probably a genius), and he hadn't even finished his college degree, but the owner of the company had a math problem on the blackboard in his office, and my friend actually solved it on the spot! They also hired him on the spot! He's lived there ever since and now has dual-citizenship and also owns a home there.

However.....fast forward thirty years....when his father was dying, and was in his 80s, they would not even let my friend bring his father up to Toronto to care for him....why? Because his father ..... couldn't get a job! And my friend is a Canadian citizen, and his father was in his 80s, but they wanted him to have a job.... Obviously, my friend's father didn't go to Toronto, and instead my friend had to drive in every weekend (when he wasn't working) and care for his father in the States.

I wanted to go, too, but decided too late in life -- I don't make the point system now. With socialized medicine, I don't think they want anyone older than a certain age.

It's really a shame because I understand Duluth's desire -- when you live in a border town (or close to a country), and spend a lot of time in that country, you really do feel at home there. But it is almost impossible for an American citizen to move to another country. Most people I know who do end up living in another country, do so illegally (sound familiar??). They go in with the visa, and then just don't renew it, and work underground. I know several people who did so in India, and Spain and the Netherlands. It can be done, but doing it legally is the better way to go.

Marrying someone from that country could be a better way to go, although I think there are still glitches attached to that, too.

Good luck to you -- I know how it feels to be so comfortable in Canada, spend a lot of time there, and then feel so let down that even though you're an upstanding citizen in your own country, that they won't let you live there.

I hope you find a solution to this. Good luck.

[minibrings]

Originally Posted by Wisteria

But it is almost impossible for an American citizen to move to another country.

not true. There is no law in other countries specifically discriminating against US citizens. It depends on the laws of the individual country, your age, education, skills. Some countries want immigrants (including Canada, NZ or Australia).

For me it was easy to qualify to migrate to Australia or New Zealand (I qualified) as a software engineer with the work experience and right age (under 45). I was accepted by NZ but decided not to pursue it and decided to stay in Canada.

so nothing is impossible. The answer it depends on your circumstance. And you do not have to be super-rich to migrate to Canada. Just go to the Canada immigration website and take the skills assessment to see if you qualify; if you do you make an application and wait to be told to go for your medical exam and once that is complete you will hear yes or no. Should take 1-2 years, but again, the CIC website has the processing time information.