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I just took the test for fun (not interested in Canadian citizenship.. though, honestly, dual citizenship would be cool) and scored a 77. I think it was mostly my education and age that bumped me up - I don't have any Canadian work experience or family, and I've worked full-time for less than five years.
It's not that difficult to get Canadian Permanent Residency if you are employable in Canada, but it can be expensive, particularly if you get an immigration consultant, which is what I did. The consultant was a huge help and essentially led us through the process very responsibly. The problem with the Canadian Permanent Residency process, though, is that it results in a poorly conceived PR visa. For example, the PR visa has a number of deadlines once it is issued to you and, typical for Canada, there is no flexibility. The result is that you never know when you will get the visa...it could be months or years...and once you get it, you have to up and move quickly, which may or may not suit the nature of your profession (departing from some jobs in underserved areas, for example, can be quite disruptive if you don't give notice long in advance). In the end, we did not move to Canada as soon as we received the visa, because job prospects were not strong enough within that narrow window.
I had the points for the visa due to education and the fact that my dad was a dual citizen. I grew up going between Ontario and Michigan. It's a toss up in many ways for me whether Canada or the States is a more logical place to live. Some day, when Canada gets a private health insurance option and the US has a public option (both of these things will some day occur, but possibly not in our life time), going back and forth will be much less of a hassle.
It's not that difficult to get Canadian Permanent Residency if you are employable in Canada, but it can be expensive, particularly if you get an immigration consultant, which is what I did. The consultant was a huge help and essentially led us through the process very responsibly. The problem with the Canadian Permanent Residency process, though, is that it results in a poorly conceived PR visa. For example, the PR visa has a number of deadlines once it is issued to you and, typical for Canada, there is no flexibility. The result is that you never know when you will get the visa...it could be months or years...and once you get it, you have to up and move quickly, which may or may not suit the nature of your profession (departing from some jobs in underserved areas, for example, can be quite disruptive if you don't give notice long in advance). In the end, we did not move to Canada as soon as we received the visa, because job prospects were not strong enough within that narrow window.
I had the points for the visa due to education and the fact that my dad was a dual citizen. I grew up going between Ontario and Michigan. It's a toss up in many ways for me whether Canada or the States is a more logical place to live. Some day, when Canada gets a private health insurance option and the US has a public option (both of these things will some day occur, but possibly not in our life time), going back and forth will be much less of a hassle.
I know this post is extremely old, but I need to correct a few errors here.
First of all, the PR visa is good for ONE year from when it is issued. Meaning, you have an entire year to land in the country.
Second of all, once you land in Canada, you will receive a PR card which is good for 5 years. You only need to live in Canada for 2 out of those 5 years in order to maintain PR status.
So theoretically you could wait almost four years from the time you receive the PR visa from Canada, to start living in Canada, as long as you "landed" within the one year validity time for the PR.
This is EXTREMELY flexible, especially compared to U.S. Green Cards which can be revoked is someone leaves the U.S. for more than 180 days.
The other thing I need to clarify is that Canada does have private health insurance companies. They offer supplemental coverage on top of the public plans, and also full coverage for people who do not qualify for public health care plans like OHIP (usually students and temporary residents).
There is high unemployment in Canada at 7.3 %, nearly as high as in the U.S. (at 7.9 %) ---- that's over 2 million unemployed Canadians. It is hard enough for Canadians to get jobs here, let alone immigrants.
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?
Maybe you should make the actual application before relying solely on hearsay and speculation.
How many points are you away from being a viable candidate for Permanent Residence status? Welcome to Citizenship and Immigration Canada
My move happened back in the mid 70's and i guess it was a lot easier as i listed my occupation as truck driver,never had a problem,although having an uncle sponsor me and guarantee me a job upon arrival probably helped the process substantially..
Just noticed the topic was started back in 08, Duluth how'd it go?Did you ever make it?
I think they figure that living in the US is basically just as good as living in Canada, so in order to move there, you really have to deserve it. On the other hand, if you're from say, Sri Lanka they're going to take pity on you and let you move there as a refugee.
There is high unemployment in Canada at 7.3 %, nearly as high as in the U.S. (at 7.9 %) ---- that's over 2 million unemployed Canadians. It is hard enough for Canadians to get jobs here, let alone immigrants.
2 million? You mean all 32 million Canadians are employable and are part of the workforce?
There is high unemployment in Canada at 7.3 %, nearly as high as in the U.S. (at 7.9 %) ---- that's over 2 million unemployed Canadians. It is hard enough for Canadians to get jobs here, let alone immigrants.
Actually, if Canada used the American method to calculate unemployment, it would be much lower. This is an old graph, but still relevant:
Actually, if Canada used the American method to calculate unemployment, it would be much lower. This is an old graph, but still relevant:
Actually, other analysts argue that Canada's unemployment rate is actually higher because it misses many people like the following person.
"Corinne Isaacs-Frontiero has been looking for a job since moving back to Windsor, Ont., from the U.S. in 2010. Despite a slew of professional credentials and a background in psychology, writing and consulting, the 50-year-old has yet to land anything substantial.
Since last fall, she has been working five hours a week as a school aid in a kindergarten class, earning just above minimum wage. She is currently making ends meet with social assistance and frequents the Unemployed Help Centre, where she accesses the same services as those who are officially designated as unemployed."
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Nafta
