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yes, i know there are TONS of threads about people who are moving to Canada and have questions. None of which seem to answer mine.
I was browsing before i registered..
I went to the Canadian Immigration site, im a bit confused, but I also gathered from browsing, that you cant stay in Canada as a visitor for more than 6months..and you cant apply for citizenship until you've lived there for 3 years..
But What I want to know are what areas are safe and nice as well for a multi-racial english speaking family of 4? including one pre-teen and a 20 year old.
If one of the parents/legal guardians works, and the other does not..would that be a problem?
Right now we live in Southern California.
We wouldn't mind the cold/hot as long as it doesn't rain/snow 24/7.
There are literally thousands of locations in Canada where an English-speaking , multi-racial family could live safely and comfortably.
Do you want east coast, west coast, or somewhere in the middle?
Urban, suburban, or rural?
Expectations regarding the facilities avaialable in prospective community?
You are correct in regards to most US visitors to Canada being limited to a term of up to 6 months. As a visitor, it's not possible to legally work, and you won't be covered by provincial health insurance.
If you decide to apply for Permanent Resident's status, check carefully that your 20-year-old family member would be permitted to piggyback on the family application.
350K pretty well rules out downtown Vancouver or Victoria. There are plenty of subuirbs of these cities, as well as many smaller ones, where you should be able to find a house.
If you want to apply to be Permanent Residents, the main thing they will be interested in is whether you have enough income, from a job or otherwise, to be self-supporting, the lack of a criminal record, and whether you speak English or French. Once you are a Permanent Resident, you can stay in Canada as long as you wish, get a job, and, in general, have all the rights of a citizen except military service and voting.
Aftyer three years, you can take a fairly simlple test and become a citizen. This need not, unless you wish, involve your giving up your US citizenship.
I also gathered from browsing, that you cant stay in Canada as a visitor for more than 6months..and you cant apply for citizenship until you've lived there for 3 years..
You can stay as a visitor for 6 months but that is not the same as residency. As a visitor, you will not be able to work or get provincial healthcare.
You also cannot apply for citizenship until you have been a Permanent Resident for at least 3 years. Time spent as a visitor in Canada will not count towards the required 3 years.
The process to become a permanent resident can take 2 - 5 years. If you plan to move to Canada, you should get started right away since the immigration process is very long.
For what it's worth, for those who might find this discussion forum later on, this website breaks down the Province of British Columbia (the only province on Canada's west coast) and it gives you a taste of how housing prices differ:
Note that Vancouver & environs is a very expensive. $350,000 would not buy you a house, even in the suburbs. It would, however, buy you a one bedroom condo or a townhouse in the suburbs.
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