Allways pictured myself as an xpat... anyone have advice on becoming a Canadian?

Harmony,

There is no reason to be an expat "Canadian" since dual USA-Canadian citzienship is permitted. See the following thread:

https://merb.cc/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=10233&highlight=dual+citizenship

HarmonyNYC said:

Question 1a: what would it take to live and work in Montreal for at least a year?


Question 2a: what are the pro's and con's of living and working in Montreal for a year.

Question 3a: How do I pursue this goal or the knowledge of all that it involves.
Question 3b: How do I pursue this goal in a way that will result in the most positive results.

Click to expand...

Harmony,

I went to school in Montreal but live in the States now. However, I'm lucky enough to come up to Montreal all the time because I have an office and staff there. My company has offered to relocate me to Montreal but I have turned it down primarily for tax reasons. Make no mistakes, Montreal is a great place to live even if you take the mongering out of the equation. There are plenty of reasons and they are already discussed on this Board. Just do a search. But the taxes in Montreal are too high for my taste compared to where I live now. So my suggestion is to land a position with a multinational company that requires a lot of travel to Montreal. Or become a consultant with plenty of Montreal corporate clients.

What I know is this:

1. If you just want to work in Canada, you have to find a company to hire you. The company then applies to the government for a work permit. Your potential employer has to advertise the job for three months in order to show that there is no Canadian with equivalent skills who wants the job. (I believe it is somewhat similar to the process in the US, right?)

2. If you decide you want to become Canadian (dual citizen of Canada and the US), you apply to Immigration Canada. I believe they have a quota for each country. The application is based on a point system: you gets points for university degrees, English ability, French ability and professional experience. If you have the required number of points, they will ask you to undergo a health exam. If you pass the health exam, they will give you a permanent-resident visa. Once you become a permanent resident, you can live, work and have sex in Canada for the rest of your life. You have all the rights of a Canada citizen, except that you can't vote, serve in the military or hold a few sensitive positions in the civil service.

3. After you have been a permanent resident for three years, you can decide to become a citizen. They give you a little test in which you have to say what a beaver is. If you say "vagina", you fail. But if you say its Canada's national animal, you pass. If the lady interviewing you points to her crotch, don't listen. She's trying to fool you. These test can be very tough. (However, if the person interviewing you asks "Who is Jean Chretien?" and then points down to his or her crotch, then you are really being given the right answer. The answer in this case isn't gender specific.) If you pass, they teach you the secret handshake and give you a lifetime supply of condoms, unless you're gay, in which case they give you a lhassa apso and three months free rent in downtown Montreal.

The whole process of becoming a landed immigrant takes 9 to 18 months.

The grass is always greener on the other side.

I too fantasize about living in Montreal. I also used to fantasize about living in Las Vegas.

But what I have found is that these "vacation" cities are usually not places where you would want to live. For Montreal, as Picasso said, the high taxes make it undesirable for living there. Your Montreal employer would have to give you a proportionally higher salary to account for the higher taxes, in order for you to realize the same quality of life you have now.

And finding a job there alone may be an uphill battle. Does Montreal have the same industry that your current city have? What are the predominant companies in Montreal and what do they do? How good of a match are your current skills with Montreal companies? How "secure" would your job be? Do you have a backup plan in case you lose your job in Montreal?

Becoming a Canadian citizen is no cakewalk either. My understanding is that an American can stay in Canada for 6 months, but work visas are required for longer stays. I've heard that the Canadian government doesn't exactly give out those visas easily. And Canadian citizenship will require you to live there for years, constantly getting visas I presume.

You would need to decide for yourself if this is something you really want to do. Other than hobbying, does Montreal appeal to you? How do you feel about having to become fluent in French?

I think you can do it, but it all depends on getting a good job and the security of it. Which IMHO, it's not going to be easy.

Why don't you just try to get a job in Canada? (if this is possible. It is usually the canucks who are coming to the states).

If you are lucky enough to get a job of your likings in Montreal, then getting a work permit is easy as a piece of cake. You just need to apply for a TN (trade nafta ) visa, provided that you have a college degree and are an US citizen.