New here and have some questions

[MichiganderToCanada]

Hello all,

I'm a college sophomore and I'm 19. I was born and raised in Michigan and currently go to a university here, and I want to move to Canada when I graduate for a myriad of reasons, but these are the biggest.

-I'm gay and I'm tired of the completely-legal religious-based persecution and discrimination here. I want to live in a place where you can get arrested for spewing homophobic and racist garbage. I want to live in a place where both the federal government, and every jurisdiction in the country recognizes gay marriage and has protections from discrimination, not where it's legal to fire someone because your holy book says that gay people are icky.

-I'm an atheist and I'm looking for real religious freedom, not the freedom to choose whichever branch of Christianity you want like the popular sentiment is in America.

-I want to live somewhere with single-payer health care. We may have the best health care in the world, but we have the worst health care system in the world.

-I want to live in a country where the political discussion is a little more civil, unlike America where the Tea Party wants a violent coup d'état of the US Government because of the simple fact that our President is an African American.

That said, I would like to know what I can do now to improve my chances of being able to emigrate to Canada. My current majors are Aviation Flight Science (Piloting) and Aviation Management and Operations (the ins and outs of the airline industry.) Will this give me a shot in immigrating to Canada? What's the process like for someone fresh out of college? I've got 4-5 years before I graduate, is there anything I can do now to improve my chances to be able to immigrate to Canada?

 

[scylla]

Welcome to the forum.

Fresh out of college immigration is rarely possible. Generally you need at least one year of experience in your profession before you're a candidate for immigration. Often you also need a permanent job offer in Canada. So I would say the first thing you may want to do is assume you'll need to spend a few years working in the US before you'll be able to apply to immigrate.

It's difficult to say what the requirements will be one you're ready to immigrate since they do change regularly. However as a start, you could certainly familiarize yourself with the current programs. While they may change as the years pass, many aspects of them will likely still remain the same. You can find this information here:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/apply.asp

Yet another option would be to come to Canada as a foreign student, complete a degree / diploma here, obtain a work permit and then hopefully qualify to immigrate. The downside of this option is that tuition fees are extremely expensive for foreign students. This route also does not guarantee you will eventually qualify for permanent residency.

You could also check out the SWAP visa which would allow you to live and work in Canada temporarily for a year (provided you meet the requirements). Again, this isn't specifically a path to immigration - but it could lead to that. Information is here:

http://www.swap.ca/in_eng/index.aspx

 

[rhcohen2014]

Hello all,

I'm a college sophomore and I'm 19. I was born and raised in Michigan and currently go to a university here, and I want to move to Canada when I graduate for a myriad of reasons, but these are the biggest.

- not where it's legal to fire someone because your holy book says that gay people are icky.

it is completely ILLEGAL in the United States to fire someone based on sexual orientation. If this has happened to you, and you have proof, then I suggest you contact a human rights attorney IMMEDIATELY, as that company is in violation of discriminatory HR laws. This is a FEDERAL law, as per the US supreme court.

-I'm an atheist and I'm looking for real religious freedom, not the freedom to choose whichever branch of Christianity you want like the popular sentiment is in America.

You realize the mid-west is called the bible belt for a reason, right? There is a limited amount of non-christians living there. I'm surprise you are finding trouble about your religious beliefs in Michigan, as I know people from there, and I've never suspected Michigan to be discriminatory. Perhaps you are near the south or in a rural area?

I am Jewish, grew up in New England, have lived in CT, NY, LA, and Boston. there are plenty of areas that are not solely christian based. Hello NYC - biggest religious melting pot in the world!

As you are 19 years old, and admit to be born and raised in Michigan, perhaps it's time to explore your home country before deciding it is all against your lifestyle. Move to california, vermont, NYC, Boston, Seattle, Miami or any other big metropolitan coastal city or tolerant state and see a different side of the country. There are many states that have liberal beliefs, and tolerance for every lifestyle the US has to offer. Presently there are states that accept gay marriages, and there is no debate about it. Vermont and CT come to mind off the top of my head.

We can't control where we were born or raised. We CAN control where we spend our adult life and create opportunities for ourselves. Seek out a liberal, democratic state, rather than a right-winged republican one. Trust me, they are out there!!!!

As for what you can do to move to canada, I would suggest either applying to a school out there, or looking into a "working holiday", where you can gain experience professionally, and maybe build a network up north for a future opportunity. Start at the CIC website, and see what intriques you.

 

[MichiganderToCanada]

I don't really have a choice where to live right now (And yes I do still live in Michigan) as I can't really afford out of state tuition. I'm tired of the US and still would really like to leave, much like the lesbian couple on CNN a couple years back did. Even in liberal New Hampshire, they were still shown hatred from religious extremists and they fled the United States to a more welcoming place: Calgary.

 

[rhcohen2014]

I don't really have a choice where to live right now (And yes I do still live in Michigan) as I can't really afford out of state tuition. I'm tired of the US and still would really like to leave, much like the lesbian couple on CNN a couple years back did. Even in liberal New Hampshire, they were still shown hatred from religious extremists and they fled the United States to a more welcoming place: Calgary.

yeah, i wouldn't consider NH as liberal. it is a republican state! Religious extremists are going to promote hatred where ever they are. That's pretty much how extremists work.

Just do your research, and keep your eyes open for opportunities where you want to go. If you work hard enough and want it enough, you will get it!

 

[scylla]

I don't really have a choice where to live right now (And yes I do still live in Michigan) as I can't really afford out of state tuition. I'm tired of the US and still would really like to leave, much like the lesbian couple on CNN a couple years back did. Even in liberal New Hampshire, they were still shown hatred from religious extremists and they fled the United States to a more welcoming place: Calgary.

If you can't afford out of state tuition then you should cross off the international student option as a possible route to immigration.

Good luck.

 

[rhcohen2014]

I don't really have a choice where to live right now (And yes I do still live in Michigan) as I can't really afford out of state tuition.

something else to consider here... if your parents are not claiming you as a dependant on their taxes, then technically you can become a resident of any state in the US. You might be able to do this even if you are their dependant (you would need to ask an accountant that question).

All you have to do is move there, find a place to rent (can even have roommates!), and change your driver's license over. once you do that, you may qualify for in-state tution where you are. i believe each state/school has their own rule as to how long you have to live in that state before being eligible for in-state tuition. it's certainly worth checking out. so check out the rules for a desired school and if there is a certain amount of time you need to wait to qualify, then find a job, earn some money to save for school and go back when you can. there are other options out there for you. Just leaving the US isn't going to solve all your problems.

 

[emilineyap]

hi,im new here,i don't where am I going to post,so I just click the reply button

I hope you could help or enlighten me about my problem..

I just received my open work permit today June 6, 2014

application PR/OPW received CIC:march 6,2014
date issued OPW:may 29,2014
received OPW:june 6,2014
expiry date:JULY 13,2014

passport expired: JULY 13,2014 also

this is my problem,my open work permit and passport is going to expire on JULY 13,2014
but I already applied for renewal for my passport last june 5,2014(it took 2 months for me wait to got an appointment date)
right now the processing time of the passport is 8weeks...so probably I would received my new passport by 1st week of august 2014,by then my open work permit is already expired and passport...and it stated on my OPW,have to leave by july 13,2014
what shall I do...honestly it did not crossmind my mind,that the expiration date for my open work permit,will be base also on the expiration date of my passport(I was so ignorant or just no idea about this)...if I only knew,before I apply for my PR/OPW,i should have renewed my passport first..so now im facing this problem...
hope you enlighten me about this...I hope I have stated my problem or concern clearly to you...


thank you
em