Posted by There has been an uptick in the overall number of Americans moving to Canada in recent months.
In actuality, 10,000 Americans moved to Canada, according to Canadian statistics.
These figures may reflect the numerous advantages that coming to Canada has on their health, ability to find employment, and access to educational opportunities.
Moving as a Permanent Resident from the United States to Canada
Using Canada’s Express Entry system is one of the best and simplest ways to immigrate to Canada from the United States. By utilizing this immigration program, you might only be able to qualify for Express Entry for permanent residency in Canada.
One of the fastest immigration procedures in the world, Canada’s Express Entry system receives roughly 80% of applications from foreigners seeking permanent residency in Canada. Applications are processed in about 6 months.
The majority of Canada’s immigration application procedures for three (3) related economic immigration streams are managed through the Express Entry system:
Program for Federally Skilled Workers (FSW)
Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
Program Federal Skilled Trades (FST) Program
One of the quickest immigration procedures in the world, Express Entry processes 80% of petitions for permanent status within 6 months.
– Program for Federal Skilled Workers (FSW)
You must achieve a minimum score of 67 on the FSW selection grid in your language proficiency test (either English or French) in order to be eligible for Canada’s FSW immigration program. Additionally, you must have at least a year of relevant professional experience in the field for which you are applying.
– Federal Skilled Trades Program (FST)
You must have two (2) years of work experience in a skilled trade to be eligible for Canada’s FST immigration program.
In order to practice your trade in Canadian provinces, you would also require a Canadian certificate of qualification (PS. presenting a job offer to work in a skilled trade organization in Canada gives you a better chance of having your application request approved).
Additionally, you’ll need to meet the minimal French or English language requirements.
– CEC Program, or Canadian Experience Class
In order to be eligible for Canada’s CEC immigration program, you must pass the minimal language test in either English or French and be able to provide documentation of your employment in one of the following listed skilled professions (NOC 0, A, or B).
To be eligible to apply for the CEC immigration program, you must have worked in your qualified occupation for at least one year in Canada with a work visa that has been properly validated.
The aforementioned programs for Canadian immigration are quite competitive and are ranked according to a particular score rating.
What else?
It is not sufficient to be eligible to apply for these programs. You must be aware that your application request will only be approved if you rank higher than the other applicants who are also applying, as you will be ranked alongside them based on a score given to you.
Moving to Work in Canada from the United States with Permanent Residency in the United States
You must be aware that there are many work permits available to you when migrating to Canada from the US in order to work, depending on your existing situation. These include:
A work permit under the North American
Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
Work permit relevant to an employer
Open work permit for a spouse
These are further divided as follows:
1. NAFTA Work Permit
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a trade pact between the United States, Canada, and Mexico that, among other things, grants certain types of temporary workers access to each other’s markets in an effort to promote trade between the three nations.
If you’re an American citizen moving to Canada, you can apply for a NAFTA permit under the International Mobility Program with a valid job offer from a Canadian employer that expressly states your intention to come and work there temporarily.
Basically, a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) test is not required for this.
Additionally, because of NAFTA, American businesses with offices in Canada are free to swiftly and easily promote their personnel to senior managerial or executive positions in both nations.
2. A work permit issued by an employer
You will be required to take a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) test if you are moving to Canada from the United States to work with an employer-specific work permit.
The LMIA is essentially a document that was produced to demonstrate without a doubt that a hiring manager had tried looking for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident within the country to fill a specific job role before extending an offer to you (a foreign national).
If your position requires you to change jobs within Canada, you will need to apply for a new work permit even after receiving a Canadian employer-specific work visa.
3. Open Work Permit for Spouse
You can be eligible for a Canadian spousal open work permit if your spouse or common-law partner is a temporary foreign worker or student in Canada, or if you are already in the inland sponsorship immigration process in Canada.
The spouse open work permit stays the same even if you change jobs as long as your existing permit is still in effect, in contrast to the employer-specific work permit that must be updated every time you start a new job.
Canadian relocation as a foreign student from the United States
Moving to Canada to study from the United States has many wonderful advantages, including lower tuition costs, a quicker VISA processing period, and, for international students, the ability to work while pursuing their studies.
Even when your program is in session, you are permitted to work up to 20 hours a week with a Canadian student permit.
Additionally, you are entitled to up to 40 hours of labour every week during vacation and school breaks. As opposed to the United States, where F-1 visa holders from abroad cannot work during their first year of school.
One of the main factors influencing overseas students’ decision to study in Canada is all these restrictions on working while they are there.
While having the freedom to work and attend school is a big plus, it would be even great to have more money in your pocket to spend on things.
Fortunately, Canada is one of the most affordable countries in which to attend school. With affordable housing and food costs, students will be more concerned about how to improve their grades than where they will eat their next meal or, worse yet, where they will lay their heads at dawn.
In addition to 2-year Associate degrees, Canadian universities also offer 3-year Bachelor’s degrees.
Your long-term Canadian immigration plans will likely also include moving to Canada from the United States to pursue your academic interests.
As soon as your undergraduate education is over, you can also apply for a PGWP (Post-Graduate Work Permit). The PGWP’s validity period is comparable to that of the Canadian student permit (usually up to 3 years).
Therefore, you have a better chance of successfully obtaining your Canadian permanent resident status and the many perks attached to it if you have good work experience in Canada and a second degree received from a Canadian-based university.
However, in order to stay for the duration of your work offer in the United States, you could need a sponsor company.
How much does it currently cost to relocate from the United States to Canada?
In essence, it doesn’t cost that much to relocate from the United States to Canada!
Regardless of the nation you are coming from, government processing costs must be submitted with your visa application.
However, these costs differ depending on the kind of immigration program you are eligible for.
However, if you’re travelling to Canada from the United States to work, your work permit will only cost you $155; likewise, if you’re moving to Canada from the United States to attend school, your application for a Canadian study permit will only cost you $150.
Finally, there is a $490 RPFR (Right of Permanent Residence Fee) that must be paid if you are relocating permanently from the United States to Canada. This fee is due when your request for permanent residence is approved.
Relocating for the holidays from the United States to Canada
You won’t require a Canadian visa or electronic travel authorization (eTA) as part of one of your immigration criteria if you relocate to Canada from the United States and have a current US passport, which is just one of the many advantages of doing so.
You must have an eTA in order to transit through a Canadian airport if you have a green card from the United States.
You will need a visiting visa if you are moving to Canada from the United States or any other country that does not require a visa.
You are permitted to reside legally in Canada for up to 6 months on a visitor visa. You can use this to go on vacations with friends and family, to look for work, or even to enrol in a few short-term educational programs in Canada.
Finally, it’s crucial to remember that all applications for Canadian study or work permits must be submitted before travelling to the country.
The unacceptability of Immigration from Canada
Candidates who are eligible to move to Canada from the United States but are not now accepted or permitted to do so because of a variety of reasons, such as the following:
A medical bar to admission
Inadmissibility for crimes
This only suggests that even if you fulfil all the prerequisites for relocating to Canada from the United States, you won’t be allowed entry if you fall into one of the aforementioned groups.
This means that if you have a medical condition that could endanger Canadian citizens or raise demand on the country’s publicly financed health and social sectors, you would be considered medically inadmissible to Canada.
On the other hand, you are considered criminally ineligible to Canada if you have any criminal history that has been noted about you. Even the smallest infractions, which might not even result in jail time, could result in criminal exclusion from Canada.
What You Should Know About Relocating to Canada for Settlement from the United States
As was previously said, there are a variety of advantages to settling in Canada rather than the United States, some of which are as follows:
Job and employment standards
Tax regulations
Accommodation
Healthcare
These are further divided as follows:
– Job and Employment Standards
If you’re moving to Canada from the United States, there are many work prospects open to you. The at-will employment element is one of the key contrasts between the two countries’ availability of jobs for foreigners.
At-will employment essentially means that a worker may be fired at any moment, without cause, and without notice. This type of employment is most common in the United States.
After you reject the job offer, the employer is no longer required to pay you severance as an ex-employee, which could result in your deportation.
However, in Canada, companies are required to give you two (2) weeks’ worth of advance notice, normal pay, or severance pay before terminating your employment. This also relies on how long you have been employed by the organization overall.
The ability of employees to take maternity or paternity absences is another significant distinction between the two nations’ workplace cultures.
Yes, qualified American workers are permitted to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave, but it’s crucial to remember that you won’t be receiving your regular salary during this time.
The laws, however, are very different in Canada.
For maternity or paternity leave, both parents may take a conventional paid leave of up to 35 weeks, or an extended 61 weeks. You will continue to receive a portion of your salary during this time, and your job status will remain the same until your return.
– Fiscal policies
You won’t be able to stop submitting taxes if you move from the US to Canada.
You must comprehend the ties between the American and Canadian governments that shield citizens from double taxes and fiscal evasion.
Therefore, even though paying taxes in both nations may appear to be the same, there are still some significant distinctions to take into account when migrating from the United States to Canada and submitting your taxes.
To begin with, you will probably have to pay additional taxes if you are an employee working in Canada. Considering where all of this tax money is going may make the United States look particularly bad in this situation.
The majority of Canada’s social services, including its universal healthcare and educational system, are funded by taxes, in contrast to the United States, where tax money is mostly used to support military and defence activities.
It’s also a good idea to be aware that there aren’t any joint tax returns that apply to you if you’re a couple, a married person, or a member of a common-law partnership in Canada.
– Facilities
A move to Canada from the United States has a somewhat lower cost of living.
The process of looking for a rental or purchase property in Canada is comparable to that in the US. Online, through a real estate agent, or more conventionally through newspaper ads are all options for finding properties.
Following your selection of a property, you can ask your realtor or the property owner to arrange a visit so you can see it. You must sign a lease for the duration of your intended stay once you’ve selected a place to live.
Remember that each province or territory in Canada, like in the US, may have various regulations regarding the signing of a lease.
– Medical care
The healthcare systems in both Canada and the United States represent one of the biggest contrasts between the two nations.
Your home province’s health insurance coverage, which covers all of your necessary medical expenses and physician services, is immediately accessible to you when you move to Canada from the United States if you have Canadian citizenship or permanent residency status.
On the other hand, in the United States, your healthcare plan is typically connected to the business you are currently employed for.
Therefore, it may prove quite difficult for you to purchase and have access to private insurance programs within the country if your firm is not a member of an insurance program, or perhaps you have yet to find employment in the country, or for any other reason.
How to Apply for Canadian Citizenship in the US
It is not at all difficult to move from the United States to Canada and obtain Canadian citizenship… You basically qualified to apply for a Canadian citizenship program if you have your Canadian PR card and have been physically present in Canada for at least three years throughout the five (5) years prior to the time you sign your citizenship application form.
Additionally, you are eligible to apply for the Canadian citizenship program if you have ever studied or worked in Canada before receiving your permanent resident status during the last five (5) years (one-half day), including a maximum of one (1) year (365 full days) toward your presence.
That means that staying longer in Canada is essential to obtaining Canadian citizenship.
Therefore, the sooner you begin your stay in Canada, the sooner you will start the process of becoming a citizen.