I just want to point out that Malala received an honorary citizenship which is different from regular Canadian citizenship. It is a symbolic honour; the recipient does not take the Oath of Citizenship and thus does not receive any rights, privileges, or duties typically held by a Canadian citizen.Almost_Canadian said:
My wife and I wish to retire/emigrate to Nova Scotia, Canada
- Thread starter bartbonbrown
- Start date
Canada is a wonderful place to visit and it is a wonderful place to live. But it can prove frustrating and maddening for Americans who move up here. The appeal of Canada, for Americans, is the similarity in culture; but this is also what is likely to get under one's skin the most. Things can be so similar here, that it is easy for an American to forget that things can be so different. It's not the big things, but the little things that will trip one up and drive one crazy. This is especially true the further one is from Central Canada (Ontario and Quebec).
Unless an American has spent some time living in Canada, not just vacationing for short trips, it might not be a bad idea to spend an extended period of several months in Canada to get a feel for the place.
Following are some of the, admittedly trivial, differences I have noticed between the USA and Canada:
1. Most people earn less than their American counterparts, pay higher taxes; and everything costs more in Canada. This leads to much higher rates of petty theft. On the up side, Canada has far less serious crimes than America, and a much smaller population in prison.
2. The differences between living in a monarchy and a republic show up in the oddest places. Thus, when dealing with bureaucracy, institutions in Canada are far more concerned about meeting the letter of the law and being exactingly "fair" (even when this results in grossly unfair outcomes); as opposed to American institutions seeking to meet the intent of the law and bending the rules in order to make sure people get a fair value. Another difference is that monarchical governments generally distrust their citizens and have high bars for citizens to prove they meet the qualifications for whatever service/right they are requesting; as opposed to republican attitudes that citizens are generally to be trusted and if they lie, we can deal with the consequences when that comes to light. This also shows up in a relative lack of respect for private property by crown (government) corporations, for example, after a long black out, you can expect several very powerful electrical surges that will blow out (with sparks flying) household electronics and computers that remain plugged in -- in America, power companies generally take better care for fear of tort actions for damages.
3. Canada is a wealthy nation; but she has a smaller population than California spread out across the second largest country in the world. Canada's resources can spread very thin, especially outside Central Canada. This shows up in many small ways, like traffic lights on freeways (it was cheaper than building an overpass), or freeways that aren't leveled to the same standard in the USA (sometimes consuming as much as three times the gas compared to an American freeway), lack of utility redundancy (every time someone drives into a power pole, expect to lose electricity for hours or more), and telephone companies that won't fix your nonworking phone line because it costs too much to fix, and they are under no government mandate to provide phone service to you (like they are in the USA).
4. Canadians have different attitudes toward commerce. Malls tend to be closed on weekday evenings and weekend mornings. Grocery stores tend to run out of product on their shelves and they are not replenished from the back with the same alacrity as in the USA, and stores are not replenished as often from their warehouses and vendors, as in America -- in America, grocery shelves are often leased to vendors who keep it well stocked, for fear of missing even a single sale. And Canadians often value lower prices over higher quality (especially outside of Central Canada). You will often be offered the lowest priced goods, even when you would prefer the higher quality ones -- you may have to be very explicit and outspoken (almost rudely insisting) that you don't want "cheap" stuff before this sinks in with big ticket retailers.
5. Eating out at restaurants is far more expensive than in the USA. On the upside, restaurant workers earn a livable wage. And Canadians are very cheap tippers, so tipping American style will get you treated like royalty.
In short, Canada is a different country with a different culture and a different way of doing things. The apparent "sameness" is likely to lull the casual visitor into thinking that it's the same as America and the few differences are quaint and no big deal. On the other hand, the "sameness" can also make the small differences quite frustrating and maddening in ways that moving to a very different culture with a different language would not.
As we are speaking of retirement, I suggest caution in moving to Canada if you are not already quite familiar with what life would likely be like on a day-to-day basis.
Unless an American has spent some time living in Canada, not just vacationing for short trips, it might not be a bad idea to spend an extended period of several months in Canada to get a feel for the place.
Following are some of the, admittedly trivial, differences I have noticed between the USA and Canada:
1. Most people earn less than their American counterparts, pay higher taxes; and everything costs more in Canada. This leads to much higher rates of petty theft. On the up side, Canada has far less serious crimes than America, and a much smaller population in prison.
2. The differences between living in a monarchy and a republic show up in the oddest places. Thus, when dealing with bureaucracy, institutions in Canada are far more concerned about meeting the letter of the law and being exactingly "fair" (even when this results in grossly unfair outcomes); as opposed to American institutions seeking to meet the intent of the law and bending the rules in order to make sure people get a fair value. Another difference is that monarchical governments generally distrust their citizens and have high bars for citizens to prove they meet the qualifications for whatever service/right they are requesting; as opposed to republican attitudes that citizens are generally to be trusted and if they lie, we can deal with the consequences when that comes to light. This also shows up in a relative lack of respect for private property by crown (government) corporations, for example, after a long black out, you can expect several very powerful electrical surges that will blow out (with sparks flying) household electronics and computers that remain plugged in -- in America, power companies generally take better care for fear of tort actions for damages.
3. Canada is a wealthy nation; but she has a smaller population than California spread out across the second largest country in the world. Canada's resources can spread very thin, especially outside Central Canada. This shows up in many small ways, like traffic lights on freeways (it was cheaper than building an overpass), or freeways that aren't leveled to the same standard in the USA (sometimes consuming as much as three times the gas compared to an American freeway), lack of utility redundancy (every time someone drives into a power pole, expect to lose electricity for hours or more), and telephone companies that won't fix your nonworking phone line because it costs too much to fix, and they are under no government mandate to provide phone service to you (like they are in the USA).
4. Canadians have different attitudes toward commerce. Malls tend to be closed on weekday evenings and weekend mornings. Grocery stores tend to run out of product on their shelves and they are not replenished from the back with the same alacrity as in the USA, and stores are not replenished as often from their warehouses and vendors, as in America -- in America, grocery shelves are often leased to vendors who keep it well stocked, for fear of missing even a single sale. And Canadians often value lower prices over higher quality (especially outside of Central Canada). You will often be offered the lowest priced goods, even when you would prefer the higher quality ones -- you may have to be very explicit and outspoken (almost rudely insisting) that you don't want "cheap" stuff before this sinks in with big ticket retailers.
5. Eating out at restaurants is far more expensive than in the USA. On the upside, restaurant workers earn a livable wage. And Canadians are very cheap tippers, so tipping American style will get you treated like royalty.
In short, Canada is a different country with a different culture and a different way of doing things. The apparent "sameness" is likely to lull the casual visitor into thinking that it's the same as America and the few differences are quaint and no big deal. On the other hand, the "sameness" can also make the small differences quite frustrating and maddening in ways that moving to a very different culture with a different language would not.
As we are speaking of retirement, I suggest caution in moving to Canada if you are not already quite familiar with what life would likely be like on a day-to-day basis.
Hi Bart,bartbonbrown said:
It is difficult to migrate as a retiree but not impossible. Only thing is that you have to invest $120,000 to $200,000 CAD in some provinces like SK, MB, NB, NL (not ON or BC) and they provide you Provincial PR which will then give chance to apply for citizenship. It is a huge risk at the time you want to just relax and enjoy investment. Again the investment you make may not provide you any returns or I don't even know if the principal investment is refundable.
Only thing is that the provincial PR opens and closes even before you are aware of it. So you may need a good attorney who has some insider information. You can ask for an assessment with the lawyers of this website. The initial assessment and consultation is free.
You cannot inherit citizenship unless one of your parent is a Canadian by birth or naturalization. If they got it by descent then you cannot inherit citizenship. It can be passed on to one generation. Also for that citizenship by descent there are some age restriction that you should claim it by age 28 or some.
All the best on your retirement.
Let me know how it turns out.
While that is generally true, if the parent was a British subject living in Canada for a sufficient number of years immediately prior to January 1, 1947, the child can also inherit citizenship that way. A person born in the U.S. to a British subject father was also a British subject.chikloo said:
However, it seems that Bart has disappeared, so we may never hear whether his mother ever lived in Canada.
Sorry, didn't disappear, was otherwise occupied for awhile. To answer your question, my mother was born in Trout River, NY, and did NOT grow up in Canada, so I'm out of luck there. From all the other replies I've read, it appears I'm out of luck, period. Someone mentioned that I should talk with David Cohen, whose name seems to ring a bell as an immigration attorney. I've been trying to arrange a one-hour, $CDN200 phone conference with immigration attorney Damien Barry at Sampson-McPhee in Sydney, Nova Scotia, but the holidays have made hooking up difficult, though he was supposed to be back in his office as of today, January 3, 2017.alphazip said:
I was under the perhaps mistaken impression that northern Nova Scotia in general, and Cape Breton Island in particular, was actually looking for immigrants, because of the drop in population due to major industry -- paper mill, coal, fishing -- closures and downturns, but perhaps it was a one-shot internet hoax.
My wife and I, and our daughter, son-in-law (who'd probably have an excellent chance for Express Canadian Citizenship as a highly-skilled worker -- he's 3D interface design department head at the US' number one GPS device manufacturer), and grandchildren, want to leave the US, for a number of reasons, primarily because of the political climate, which has become worse and worse in the past twenty years, and also because my wife and I live in Connecticut, always the first- or second- most expensive state in which to live in the US in the Forbes listings. Most of all, however, because I don't want my grandchildren to grow up in the violent and hateful socio-political environment the US has become.
I don't really understand CIC's seeming bias against retirees -- we're both only in our 60s, healthy, will have a substantial -- especially as it's in US Dollars -- retirement income, and something well over $US200,000 cash with which to buy a home, which I assume we'd pay Canadian taxes on.
My most sincere thanks to everyone who has posted, and yes, my grandmother's story as a British Home Child in Canada is quite remarkable. There are several video documentaries on YouTube about the British Home Child fostering/indentured servitude schemes which ran from the mid 19th century to as late as 1939, taking orphans and street children from the the "dark, satanic mills" of midland England and industrial Scotland, and "With the Best Intentions," as one of the documentaries is titled, shipping these orphans and foundlings to the healthy, fresh air of primarily Canada and Australia, still part of the Empire, then the Commonwealth, of the time.
Fortunately for my grandmother, she was fostered to a very kind family, but that was far from being the case with many of these children, sent to work as farm laborers and domestics at ages as young as three, and bound by contract to their foster families, with no pay for their work, until their contract was up at age 18, 2 years later than contemporary Canadian-born children of the time reached their majority, and could go off on their own. With such a vast number of Home Children, there was inevitable abuse, and there was also a deep social stigma of being a "Home Child" -- many of the people interviewed in these documentaries, most in their 80s and 90s, were -- and still are -- ashamed to tell their own families that they had been Home Children, and several never did.
Interestingly, the leaders of England, Australia, and Northern Ireland have officially apologized for practicing what amounted to governmentally-allowed and regulated serfdom or the outright slavery of minor children, but Canada still refuses to do so, though it imported the greatest number of Home Children, by a huge margin, than any other Commonwealth country.
It seems from what I've been told in this forum that our quest to live in a better country is not going to happen, but again, thanks for all the information and advice.
Bart Brown
Yes, I've heard of this -- my questions are:dpenabill said:
If you can only spend 6 months at a time in Canada, how long do you have to stay OUT of Canada before you can come back in for another 6 months?
What kind of residence would I have to maintain in the US, and who checks on it?
Thanks!
Bart
Nova Scotia is looking for working age economic immigrants. They aren't looking for retirees.
Canada doesn't seek out retirees because they typically cost Canada far more in social and health care services than they bring into the country since PRs are entitled to free health care. The age you are approaching is by far the most expensive in terms of health care use (quite easy to use up hundreds of thousands if not more in health care which is tax payer funded). Hence the focus on economic immigration since the assumption is that they will work in their younger years and contribute significantly from a tax standpoint to off-set what they use in later years.
I wouldn't bother spending money on a phone consultation. Unless there's a detail you left out - you don't qualify for citizenship and also don't qualify for any immigration program.
Your daughter and son in law may be able to immigrate along with their children. It may be worthwhile for them to do a phone consultation. Or they can research the options themselves here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/apply.asp Once they are PRs and have worked in Canada for at least four years, they may qualify to sponsor you for PR. That's about the only option available to you for immigrating (although it's a future opportunity that's dependent on your daughter immigrating).
Canada doesn't seek out retirees because they typically cost Canada far more in social and health care services than they bring into the country since PRs are entitled to free health care. The age you are approaching is by far the most expensive in terms of health care use (quite easy to use up hundreds of thousands if not more in health care which is tax payer funded). Hence the focus on economic immigration since the assumption is that they will work in their younger years and contribute significantly from a tax standpoint to off-set what they use in later years.
I wouldn't bother spending money on a phone consultation. Unless there's a detail you left out - you don't qualify for citizenship and also don't qualify for any immigration program.
Your daughter and son in law may be able to immigrate along with their children. It may be worthwhile for them to do a phone consultation. Or they can research the options themselves here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/apply.asp Once they are PRs and have worked in Canada for at least four years, they may qualify to sponsor you for PR. That's about the only option available to you for immigrating (although it's a future opportunity that's dependent on your daughter immigrating).
There is no set time you have to stay out of Canada before you re-enter. However, there are some downsides to adopting this strategy. First, it is basically at the discretion of a CBSA officer whether you will be admitted to Canada...there's always the possibility that you could be refused entry on one of your trips back into the country; second, being in Canada for more than 180 days makes you taxable in Canada (unless you can prove a closer connection to the USA under the tax treaty); and third, you would never become eligible for coverage under the government health care program in Canada. U.S. Medicare generally doesn't pay for care in Canada.bartbonbrown said:
I know of people who were seasonal residents (cottage in Canada), and all they had to show to CBSA to indicate that their principal residence was in the U.S. was their U.S. driver's license. In other words, the U.S. address is not something that is usually investigated.
But as I said in my post above, if your daughter was successful in immigrating, she could sponsor you for permanent residency after several years. That's the avenue that's open to you (again, provided your daughter is able to immigrate).bartbonbrown said:
Well, maybe not the tin hat quite yet: I found out yesterday that though my wife and I are in our 60s, the combination of her advanced degree in Biology and 40+ year history in advanced biological research, and my BFA in Graphic Design, with 20 years in the design and Mac IT fields, plus my previous 20 years in experimental machining and prototyping, more than offset the points we lose for every year of age after 36. Campbell Cohen says we qualify for Express Entry for Permanent Residency. Whether that's actually true or not remains to be seen, but we're not dead in the water quite yet. AND we're both more than willing to continue working.
Thanks again for everyone's help. Any hot tips on the Express Entry system gratefully received.
Bart
Thanks again for everyone's help. Any hot tips on the Express Entry system gratefully received.
Bart
Try calculating how many points you think you have using this (free!) online tool:bartbonbrown said:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/crs-tool.asp
If you have 460 or above - then it may work out for you.
EDIT: If your wife has a higher level of education than you do, she should be the primary applicant when you complete the online tool.
Just to add to my note above - "qualifying" for Express Entry means nothing. Someone with 295 points technically qualifies for Express Entry - meaning they can submit their profile. What matters is being selected - which is based on how many points you have. Historically, no one with fewer than 450 points has ever been selected under the FSW / Express Entry program.
Once selected (i.e. once you receive ITA), processing times for FSW/Express Entry applicants seem to be within the 6-10 month range. For NAFTA visa (work permit), one of them would need a full time job offer in Canada first.marcher said:Did you inquire about the waiting time for such a visa? Since you are American you might also look into the special work visa available through NAFTA agreement; at least before Trump gets hold of that agreement.