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I've also previosuly heard that foreign students at college to claim citizenships after their studies.
You can't claim citizenship after your studies, but I believe you are given a 30day grace period to stay after your studies to find a job and if you're able to you can apply for a work permit. I remember there being some controversy about this a few years ago, because most foreign students felt this wasn't enough time for them to land a job to keep them in the country. I don't know if this rule ever changed, because I got my permanent residence through marriage right after I graduated from university.
We started a journey of self having sold most of our possessions in the United States and headed north to tent and hike across Canada.
We visited every Province with the exception of NFL and traveled back and forth across the continent three times.
We decided to apply for immigration after this journey and after spending about 4 months living as visitors in Vancouver decided, if accepted for immigration, we would live in Vancouver. While waiting in the queue for almost 2.5 years (this is without any questions on our application and passing the medicals) we studied the history of Canada at a university in the U.S. city where we waited for approval. My spouse speaks both of Canada's official languages fluently. We have lived in many differnet places in the world and the U.S. Our dream was to live a mindful life in what we thought was a mindful society - peace, order, and good government. We eagerly anticipated paying the higher taxes in Canada which bought Universal Health Care, Universal Child Care, Social Housing, Peacemaking, the application of the Kyoto Accord and so on. We did not leave the U.S. - we choose to come to Canada.
Unfortunately three months before we landed Canada had a Federal Election which resulted in the election of Mr. Stephen Harper as Prime Minister. His government has cancelled many of the programs we believe defined Canada and he has greatly enhanced Canada's participation in the Afganistan War.
All this has greatly disappointed and depressed us. Moreover, we, and please be advised on this, are paying double taxes. Yes, there is a tax treaty with the U.S. but it results in minimal savings. So now, we are paying for two nation states to wage war. We feel our fellow Canadians, at least some of them, are in total denial about the direction of this new government and still talk as if the U.S. as the lone state with a neo-con agenda.
Vancouver is also a myth. This is not a sustainable city and it is very unfriendly. Surveys have been completed while we have lived here and all in high percentages state most inhabitants complain of the cold, unfriendly population. Visiting, even for 4 months, is not like living. here We came without a car, no TV, no cell phone to live a sustainable life. We buy a monthly Transit Pass and everyday we are almost run over by cars speeing down the streets and going through red lights and running through pedestrian crosswalks. Buses are very, very crowded. I could go on but Vancouver is a myth in many ways. We have met very nice people here but must say they are not the everyday and in the majority people.
My spouse has given up trying to find employment in his profession. Be advised, very advised, about the employment. Again, he is highly qualified, educated, well-traveled in holding positions around the world and in the U.S. and fluent in French and English. Immigrants have and are having a very difficult time in gaining employment in their fields.
But the worst part is the loneliness. We have no families in the U.S. and had hoped to make Canadians our family. We have tried to make friends, classes, lectures, and so on. We have been told by some Canadians that "You can never really be Canadian" implying it is a birthright. I was in one class and two Canadians started a rant on immigrants. I started to cry and left early. I am in my 50's, a Vietnam Vet, and thought I experienced enough hate and intolerance and the last place I would experience it was Canada. It hurts terribly when you make such a serious journey of self and meet intolerance. Perhaps we are the true Canadians but without a true Canada. We cry at night for our Canada.
While a great number of Canadians, myself included, disagree with some of Mr. Harper's policies, it might be unfair to imply his election has eliminated "peace, order and good government".
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We eagerly anticipated paying the higher taxes in Canada which bought....., Universal Child Care,.....
Canada has never had universal child care, although there have been some activist groups who would like to see the policy implemented.
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Moreover, we, and please be advised on this, are paying double taxes. Yes, there is a tax treaty with the U.S. but it results in minimal savings
I'm surprised. I was under the impression that US citizens were exempt from paying US taxes on the first $80,000 earned out of the country. If neither of you can find employment in your chosen fields, it's a wonder you would exceed that 80K limit.
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Immigrants have and are having a very difficult time in gaining employment in their fields.
Absolutely true in many cases. Just as in US states, Canadian provinces requires practicioners of various licenced trades and professions to hold the valid provincial licences. Foreign licences are not automaticly granted equality; to assure quality services, immigrants are required to prove proficiency to provincial standards before being allowed to practice their trade. General purpose university degrees from bona fide foreign institutions are usually readily accepted.
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I am in my 50's, a Vietnam Vet, and thought I experienced enough hate and intolerance and the last place I would experience it was Canada.
Surely after your experiences of world travel, you have realized hate and intolerance can be found in any locale. The trick is rise above it and get on with life.
Canada is no different than many other countries; it has its pluses and minuses. If you were hoping for Utopia, you may have to accept it's not to be found on this third rock from the Sun.
I appreciate your comments and the time you took to author them.
My comments on Mr. Harper did not intend diminish the idea of Canada as a orderly and peaceful place nor did I mean that today Canada has Universal Child Care. Rather that the current Conservative Government did not implement a number of initiatives put forth by the previous Liberal Goverment and has diminished or eliminated many programs which, in our minds, defined Canada as a recognized leader in compromise, human rights (Mr. John Peters Humphrey as an example), and moderation. Today under Mr. Harper, Canada shouts and has disavowed the middle ground. Forgive the use of this illustration, but, Mr. Harper is a "divider not a uniter" and to us this is not Canada.
Regarding Utopia - never imagined a place such as this except in the mind and deep nature. However, when I lived and worked in Europe for over 5 years I never had a European say to me "You can never really be German, or Dutch, or European" after having lived there even for a short while. We read many blogs here in Canada, in both official languages, and there is much intolerance for not only immigrants but people of different mind sets. Again, we did not expect Utopia but in our travels across Canada and meeting many different Canadians we did not experience this. However, we have noticed a very significant change in the three years we spent in the queue.
On employment - the status of immigant employment is well beyond just credentialization. It is not only that in Canada but in we are new to Canda and we are in our 50's but when my spouse and many, many others cannot gain any employment there is something else at work. Suggest you Google The Toronto Star and Vancouver Sun with the topic immigration/employment for starters to understand the extent of immigrant hiring problems.
My comments are a reccogniztion of the reality that the only true constant in life is change. We understand this and we realize dreams are dangerous stuff. But, we waited and hoped and made a very significant journey. We continue to hope. Perhaps our biggest mistake was believing in a nation state again. Most wonders and mindful efforts in the 21st century seemt to occur at a much lower level.
Our comments to anyone initiating such a significant journey is to ensure that you have all the information and you have significant resources to count when you make the move. We thought we had all the information but we did not count on the huge changes which took place as we waited and just as we landed the signficant change of government. Quite honestly we consider the change to The Harper Government as signficant as the U.S. electing George Bush.
We appreciate and have gained much from those Canadians who have been so kind and minful to us and consider us Canadians as we do ourselves.
I'm not quite sure what your reference to John Peters Humphrey is about, but I assume you are trying to make some corelation between the Universal Charter of Human Rights, the election of Stephen Harper, and some downgrade in Canada's respect for human rights?
It's hardly surprising that an incoming Conservative government would rescind some of the initiatives put in place by the outgoing party; people voted for the Conservatives largely because the party promised it would initiate a change of direction. As you pointed out, however, the only constant is change.
The tone of your posts leads me to believe you lean somewhat left of center politically, and were hoping Canada would prove to be a place where you could find peace and agreement between government policies and your own ideals.
Unfortunately for you, a Conservative government was given a minority mandate, an event which apparently causes you discomfort.
Democracy is a great institution, but its one inconvenience arises when the wishes of the majority clash with our own ideals. It must be recognized, however, that, like them or not, the Conservative's ideals were able to translate into enough Parliamentary seats for a minority government to be formed.
It is very likely that sometime in the next 12-18 months another federal election will be called, at which time Canadian citizens will each be allowed to cast their ballot in favour of those who they feel best represents the direction they wish Canada to follow. If you have Canadian citizenship by that time, I urge you to use your ballot. I would also urge you to try and accept the results of that election as the chosen national direction.
If the results are unpalatable and you find you can not reconcile the direction of the country with your own philosophies, then you are free, as are we all, to seek another spot we find habitable.
You can't claim citizenship after your studies, but I believe you are given a 30day grace period to stay after your studies to find a job and if you're able to you can apply for a work permit. I remember there being some controversy about this a few years ago, because most foreign students felt this wasn't enough time for them to land a job to keep them in the country. I don't know if this rule ever changed, because I got my permanent residence through marriage right after I graduated from university.
By that I meant those who went to the country for study purposes would reasonably have completed 3 years of full residency in Canada by the time they finish their studies, therein being eligible for citizenships. Most, if not all, countries have imposed their own restrictions on days of absence within residency period as a precondition to citizenships. Lets say in Canada, a student doing a 4 year degree plus work experience outside term time, the chance of him acquiring canadian citizenship is looking very promising. Having said that, naturalisation through marriage could be even more easier. How many years of residency is required under the marriage basis?
How many years of residency is required under the marriage basis?
The equivalent of 3 years (1095 days) of Canadian residency is required before a person who acquired Permanent Residency through marriage is eligible to apply for citizenship.
If a person applied for Permanent Residency through marriage while they were within Canada, and if they remained in Canada while their Permanent Resident's application was considered, they are able to apply 50% of their time in Canada towards that 1095 day requirement.
In other words, let's say you married a Canadian while in Canada and then applied for Permanent Resident's status. Let's say you were in Canada 400 days between the time you aplied for status and the time it was granted. You would be able to apply 200 of those days toward the 1095 requirement.
The amount of time foreign students spend within Canada for their studies gives no entitlement to gain citizenship. If it were so, Citizenship and Immigration Canada likely couldn't hire enough people to process the student visa applications. Every person who wishes to gain Canadian citizenship must first apply for status as a Permanent Resident, and must meet the various requirements for that status.
I appreciate your comments and the time you took to author them.
My comments on Mr. Harper did not intend diminish the idea of Canada as a orderly and peaceful place nor did I mean that today Canada has Universal Child Care. Rather that the current Conservative Government did not implement a number of initiatives put forth by the previous Liberal Goverment and has diminished or eliminated many programs which, in our minds, defined Canada as a recognized leader in compromise, human rights (Mr. John Peters Humphrey as an example), and moderation. Today under Mr. Harper, Canada shouts and has disavowed the middle ground. Forgive the use of this illustration, but, Mr. Harper is a "divider not a uniter" and to us this is not Canada.
Regarding Utopia - never imagined a place such as this except in the mind and deep nature. However, when I lived and worked in Europe for over 5 years I never had a European say to me "You can never really be German, or Dutch, or European" after having lived there even for a short while. We read many blogs here in Canada, in both official languages, and there is much intolerance for not only immigrants but people of different mind sets. Again, we did not expect Utopia but in our travels across Canada and meeting many different Canadians we did not experience this. However, we have noticed a very significant change in the three years we spent in the queue.
On employment - the status of immigant employment is well beyond just credentialization. It is not only that in Canada but in we are new to Canda and we are in our 50's but when my spouse and many, many others cannot gain any employment there is something else at work. Suggest you Google The Toronto Star and Vancouver Sun with the topic immigration/employment for starters to understand the extent of immigrant hiring problems.
My comments are a reccogniztion of the reality that the only true constant in life is change. We understand this and we realize dreams are dangerous stuff. But, we waited and hoped and made a very significant journey. We continue to hope. Perhaps our biggest mistake was believing in a nation state again. Most wonders and mindful efforts in the 21st century seemt to occur at a much lower level.
Our comments to anyone initiating such a significant journey is to ensure that you have all the information and you have significant resources to count when you make the move. We thought we had all the information but we did not count on the huge changes which took place as we waited and just as we landed the signficant change of government. Quite honestly we consider the change to The Harper Government as signficant as the U.S. electing George Bush.
We appreciate and have gained much from those Canadians who have been so kind and minful to us and consider us Canadians as we do ourselves.
Again, thank you for responding
Hi Papillon,
I am still considering moving to Canada from US. I guess you might have had very high expectations about the destination country. I mean, no country/state is perfect - as long as it offers something that is very important for you, then be happy and keep hoping for other pleasant things to come along. I heard that things are not easy for new immigrants in Canada, especially for those who first language is not English. Some incidents that you described such as ranting over immigration could be isolated cases and the country in general is pro-immigration. Also only ignorant people would make that kind of comments as "you can never be canadian". I believe things will get MUCH better when your spouse get first professional job. Please keep us posted of your great progresses!
I have always been under the impression, it was very difficult for a US citizen to become a citizen of Canada, or a citizen of any place else for that matter. I was never sure if it was because it was something that was not done in any large numbers, since so many come to the USA to become citizens, or as lately to live here illegally. Either way, I just thought it was a difficult procedure to gain Canadian citizenship, and most americans would be put off at the difficulty.
Pappillion,
It looks like your utopian bubble burst. The problem is you're looking for peace on earth. It doesn't exist, never has, never will. Evil exists, you have to face that fact our you'll be stuck in this, "university professor, blame america first" mentality for longer than you deserve.
People are people where ever you live. My wife and I left Los Angeles for the exact opposite reasons you went to canada. lol Full of secular fundamentalist neo-libs that hated America and christianity and thought that they were intellectually superior to everyone else. They professed tolerance but only for those with whom they agree. Hollywood was full of egomaniacal narcissists, only looking out for themselves.
Bottom line; there is no such thing as heaven on earth, as you've found out. Hope you find your spot.
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Immigrating To Canada
