If you’re reading this right now, you are bound to be one of the many liberals who swear on picking up everything and starting over in Canada if this year’s presidential election goes toward the conservative side. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as you would think. Let me walk you through the steps involved in moving to a new country and let’s see if I can change your mind.
Step 1: Visit Canada and decide where you would want to live. You can’t just move there without a plan. Warning: It costs almost a thousand dollars to book a round-trip flight to and from Canada.
2: Apply for residency. If you’re wanting to be a permanent resident of Canada, then your application for permanent residency must be accepted before you can move there. Warning: It can take up to 2 years to get accepted!
3: Every Canadian resident must have a "permanent residency category" in alliance with their career. These categories include: Skilled Workers and Professionals, Quebec-Selected Skilled Workers, Canadian Experience, Investors and Entrepreneurs, Provincial Nominees and Family-Sponsored. Each category has their own unique requirements, so make sure you qualify for the category you want here: cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.asp. Warning: Having a degree is not enough; you must qualify for your permanent residency category as well.
4: Print out the application for your permanent residency category, fill it out, then send it to the Citizenship and Immigration office along with the processing fee and the other required paperwork: U.S. passport, proof of English language proficiency, proof of French Language proficiency, birth certificate and financial records.
5: Wait around forever for the Citizenship and Immigration Office to get back to you. When they do (if you get approval), you are free to move to Canada.
6: Hire a moving company that will transport all your belongings to another country (expensive much?) and also make a list of every item being moved there as well as each item’s approximate value. Give the list to the Canadian Customs Officials when you first arrive.
7: Start your life completely over.
Bottom Line: It takes almost two years to get approved to move to Canada. Which means that if you’re serious about moving there, then you better get on the ball. But in two years time, Trump’s presidency will be halfway over, so why not just stick out the remaining two years? OR, if Trump being president bothers you that deeply, then move to a country that doesn’t produce Justin Biebers and sweatshirts with maple leaves all over them.
