@GottaLaff DO you know if there any banks in the US that you've dealt with that also has presence in Canada? Like when you go back and forth now did you use US or Canadian banks?
@fulanigirl@GottaLaff Oh, hey, I do. RBC has their regular branches, then there’s also a “N.A.” (North American” branch - when I lived in Vancouver I used that for paying my California mortgage.
@deborahh We don't have NEXUS yet, we'll apply. But the worst part is the wait. Sometimes the lines are long, about 20-30 minutes, but other times, under 5. They ask standard questions.
Moving is different. You have to go into the Border office and show what you're bringing in.
@GottaLaff
Great news for you and your family! I really appreciate the updates to your blog posts because I have a family member who has thought about emigration... this will help with specifics.
@GottaLaff I need to look into how they handle remote workers. The spouse is very lucky to have a career that can be done from just about anywhere (though being near a tech hub is best.) But I don't know if they'd want to make sure he's working for a Canadian company, or at least a company with an office in Vancouver or something. And I also do have to look into the health thing.
@GottaLaff Firstly, yay! Port Moody is gorgeous. A bit too rural for my tastes, but at least you’re one ride away from downtown Van, so it’s all good. If you get a chance, check out Victoria and Van Isle in general. It’s beautiful out here.
So, on to the questions:
As someone who’s lived most of their life in Canada, I’m very familiar with how the country and people are perceived by many folks in other nations, and acutely aware of the discrepancies between that and some realities - both for the good and the ill. How have you found that in your case?
Also, on a grimmer note, how have you dealt with seeing our politics and culture war riding the coat-tails of what you were trying to gain distance from?
@GottaLaff The idea of Canada being super inclusive, progressive AF, non-racist, et c.. when a lot of that is mainly due to comparison with the US. I mean, don’t get me wrong, we’ve got it relatively great here, but it’s not the utopia so many folks in the US seem to portray it as.
@GottaLaff for my partner and I it looks grim. Income wise and also the fact that we're already old.
We are planning on visiting Canada this summer, because to the very least, we might be able to vacation there see if we have other options.
Maybe Quebec (I was born and raised in France, I'm 100% bilingual)
I don't know...
It seems overwhelming already 🤷🏻♀️
@Liliki@GottaLaff I'm feeling bad now, because I know my 55 thing might be out of date. This link talks about routes into Canada for people over 50. These folks are likely better informed than me!
@NovaNaturalist Don't feel bad. There are SO many ways to apply, and nobody is wrong, really. You do get 0 points for high age question, but you don't get eliminated. @Liliki
@GottaLaff@NovaNaturalist hmmm.
We're both retired, I have a side fixed income... Like I said it sounds like we need to go there, check it all out and look at options.
@GottaLaff
I don't think I ever said so in this virtual place, but before we decided to move to France, Canada was our prime choice. We both have native level English and French and I even have a column in a Canada-based publication, but for us it was nyet.
Need to say though that France has been nothing less than wonderful for us. @Liliki
@GottaLaff I've always assumed (without evidence) that as an experienced, working-age RN, it would be relatively easy for me to emigrate to Canada; they're short on nurses too, eh? Can you speak to this at all?
@GottaLaff I think its worth covering other routes than the points system (?Express Entry?).
I was a Provincial Nominee (in NS) - I was offered a job that had been advertised nationally for 3 weeks, and which my employer showed they could not fill. This was my only feasible route in - in my late 40's, without a post grad qualification and not being bilingual, I'd always have failed to get enough points to get in.
The Atlantic Pilot scheme came soon after, and made even this process easier.
@GottaLaff oh and another thing. Canada's generally very warm attitude to migrants.
I was amazed in 2018 when I met one of the province's "immigration outreach officer". In the UK, the only immigration outreach was Theresa May's Racist Vans (duck duck go it). Canadians know it thrives through immigration and is built by it, and are very accommodating and welcoming. Mind you, there is, as elsewhere a problem of migrants doing more menial work, at least initially.
@GottaLaff As someone who did it all more than 30 years ago, I don't really have questions; I'm just interested and a little amazed at how much worse it has got in that time. My process wasn't the instant landing people allegedly got in the 1970s, and was not easy by any means, but it was far simpler and saner than what you seem to have been subjected to. No fancy English exam for a start. Different and (perhaps by accident) easier security check. Details only if you want.