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emigrating to canada


butterflydreams

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butterflydreams

Has anyone here emigrated from the US to Canada (or from the US to somewhere else)? I've heard that going in the opposite direction can be a bit of a pain in the ass, but that's America for you. They like to give little 'ol me a hard time coming back from Montreal, and I have a freakin' passport and look about as non-threatening as your average Canadian (which is what happens when Pollocks and Canadians breed, you get me) :P

I'm thinking I need a big change in my life, and there's literally nothing holding me down anywhere. No family of my own. No friends. No relationships. Hate my job. Hate where my life is headed (which is nowhere). Can't imagine a future anywhere really. Figure if that's the case, I might as well live somewhere that seems cool to me.

I like Quebec (where my grandfather was from, still a good chunk of family there), and that's where I've spent the majority of my time. I thought New Brunswick was okay. Never been to Nova Scotia or Newfoundland, but I think I'd fit in there. I don't think I'd fit in as well out west in somewhere like BC as I've talked to lots of people and met a number of people from there. Seems like the culture isn't for me.

I dunno, I feel like every time I get a particular type of news about my family, my first reaction is to say "f this noise" and think about bailing to Canada. Got more of that news last night, so the thought is on my brain again.

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Paths to immigration to Canada are easier if you're younger, as you can apply for youth work visas or student visas. Knowing both French and English would be very, very helpful. The quickest way, though, is if you happen to a professionally certified tradesperson. With Alberta sucking up all Canadian tradesfolk, there's plenty of demand for tradespeople elsewhere.

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butterflydreams

Ohh, that's a good point, I hadn't thought about that. I half jokingly told my boss that if some 19 year old kid could go to the tar sands and get paid 80-100K CAD to drive a truck, I just might have to quit and learn to drive a truck.

I have been thinking about getting trained in some kind of trade, like electrician. Although I imagine at this point, IT is almost a trade, and at least as valuable in many cases, and it's far less of a leap for me.

Thanks for the info!

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I love Quebec. I visited Montreal and Quebec City when I was seventeen and I loved it. I cried all the way from the outskirts of Montreal until after we had crossed the border again into Vermont. True story. I didn't want to leave.

I started to play with the idea of emigrating to Canada or elsewhere back when I was about 19 or 20, but not seriously until about a year ago (at 23). It's gotten to a point where I'm thoroughly disgusted with this country and don't wish to spend the rest of my life here. There are some nice places. I like New York and Boston and San Francisco, but not enough to stay, I don't think. Like you, I don't really have anything keeping me here, either. No family, really. No friends.

I know that to emigrate to a different country, at least to any of the countries in the EU, it's very difficult unless you have family members who are citizens or permanent residents of those countries, or you are a professional. Not sure if it's the same for Canada, though I'd assume it is, or similar.

Though I don't think I'll ever be able to do it, because I am already so old. Or so I feel...

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butterflydreams

Yeah. I normally hate cities, but Montreal? We go together like Bert and Ernie! It's only about an hour and a half drive for me now, so I try to get there at least sometimes. I've gone to the international auto show there a few times and loved it. In my experience the people there are a lot more friendly than the ones who find their way south of the border.

I imagine that if you can get a job with a company there, and you're relatively young (under 30?) it's well within reach.

I don't really hate the US or think that Canada is necessarily a better country. They both have pros and cons. I just feel frustrated with my life and want to shake myself really, really hard. Maybe the whole idea is moot. Depression will probably make sure I never leave or change for the better anyway.

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Yeah. I normally hate cities, but Montreal? We go together like Bert and Ernie!

Dude, for real. Montreal is the shit. It was honestly the first place that I felt I could call home. It's a lot like New York, but cleaner, calmer, and European-ish. What really struck me most about it, and about Quebec in general, was that the people were nice. Like, just the way people talked to each other and treated each other was a lot different than what I've experienced in the US. There are mean people everywhere, obviously, but just the general way people behaved toward each other in public seemed a lot different. People were polite and respectful. There was a lot less "I feel like I have to bust this person's balls because they are different from me" and a lot more "You're a person, too, even if we don't have many similarities".

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butterflydreams

You are so right. So many people here (Vermont) like to talk shit that Montreal is gross, and the people are rude, blah blah blah. But aside from one very French coffee shop clerk who gave me the stink eye for not speaking prefect French, I've seen nothing of the sort there! I always felt safe and welcomed, even alone. Suffice it to say I've never felt that way in Boston. And the metro is far cleaner, easier and smoother than the T ;)

But I also try to be respectful when there. They tour around here a lot, and they are kind of rude. They always try to pass off Canadian bills, which is just not cool, and they are lunatics on the roads. But who knows. I could say the same about tourists from NYC I suppose.

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