Hey Leam...

Sophia's neck of the woods (pun intended), this is where you should head for any meet-and-greet you'd like to partake in, as well for any discussion that isn't related to role-playing. Have fun, go crazy - but keep your nose clean.
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Karl the Mad
 

Posts: 1260
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2013 4:27 am
Location: Oregon

Hey Leam...

Post by Karl the Mad »

Is it very hard to emigrate from America to Canada? Do you know what kind of paperwork and proofs of identity a person needs? Which cities are more accepting of Americans?
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IamLEAM1983
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Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2013 4:54 am
Location: Quebec, Canada

Re: Hey Leam...

Post by IamLEAM1983 »

I'd start by visiting http://www.immigration-tocanada.com/index.php and reading through the material on offer. I'd maybe wait a day or two to do that - you're one of millions to hit the website in a kind of post-election panic. American influx effectively crashed the site last night.

Being a native, I don't have a clear grasp on what you'd need to apply. I assume you'll need a valid passport and various items that prove you're an American citizen - along with a follow-through plan. All I know is the immigration request form is available on the website I linked, and that if you're eligible, you might be asked to stop by the Canadian Embassy in America.

As for what you'd do after emigrating, you can start perusing job offers on sites like Indeed, that specialize in international job postings. That way, you could maybe have a job set up and waiting for you by the time you move in.

Keep in mind, though, Canada maintains a few policies that some Americans have trouble endorsing. We're a Social Democracy, which means that your (notably higher) taxes are put to use in order to afford public universal healthcare, fund State-owned water and power infrastructures and democratize access to a few basic luxuries. Canada doesn't so much have liquor stores as it does Liquor Boards, which allow each province to reach out to wine and spirit producers to build a kind of personalized "booze palette". Some wines, for instance, are easier to find in Quebec, whereas others are cheaper in Ontario. They're businesses and operate like a standard outfit, but part of the profits generated roll back to the government. If cannabis is ever legalized up here, it stands to reason the Boards would also be given license to distribute and classify pot strains, for instance.

That said, our healthcare system is twofold: if you're not too hot about funding healthcare for the masses, you can opt out of the medical insurance program and just pay your consultations and exams at a private clinic or in a hospital, the way you would down in the US. As a disabled person who's stuck with asthma and who's only just starting to leave the poverty line behind, I've never felt bad about my own tax dollars paying my asthma inhalers or my leg operations.

As to whether or not you'd need to learn French, I'd say that's a matter of preference. It's not required anywhere between British Columbia and Ontario, but it's a definitive cultural plus for Quebec. It's not mandatory - what with most of us Quebec-native Millennials being bilingual, trilingual or more - but it's a nice cultural perk. There's large swaths of Montreal's greater area where you don't have to so much as hear a lick of French in a single day if you don't want to.

The short of it is that there isn't a single place in Canada that's more or less accepting of Americans than others. We're, generally speaking, a pretty open-minded and welcoming bunch. :D
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