Jeph Jacques: 3) Canada has plenty of their own right wing shitheads, and they’re probably gonna win the next elections. The ones you won’t be able to vote in, because you’re not Canadian.

As an American who Actually Moved To Canada, here are some things to consider if you’re serious about getting the fuck out of the US, a thread:

1) you can’t just drive to the border and say “trump sucks” and get a work permit. The system up here is INCREDIBLY fucked up. The process takes months, even assuming everything goes right, which it won’t.

2) if you think the US housing crisis is bad: lol. Unless you wanna live in like Manitoba or something you are noooot gonna find affordable housing. Or, uh, housing at all.

3) Canada has plenty of their own right wing shitheads, and they’re probably gonna win the next elections. The ones you won’t be able to vote in, because you’re not Canadian.

4) everything is more expensive here, and the currency is weaker. Your money will not go as far. And have fun figuring out taxes! Of which you will pay 3-3x more than you did in the US!

5) good news: all those taxes do pay for socialized healthcare. Bad news: depending on where you end up, it may be an absolute shambles. There are like a hundred thousand people in Nova Scotia who can’t find a family doctor (me included).

6) no matter what time of year it is, your US family members will constantly ask “is it cold up there? Do you have snow yet?”

IN CONCLUSION: I love living in Halifax and wouldn’t change it for anything. But you are probably not going to be able to flee the US if shit gets completely fucked. And if you’re serious about it, you should have started talking to an immigration lawyer 3 months ago.

My wife moved here from the US 9 years ago and one of the other, less dire things they had trouble with was learning to cope with how far apart everything is. The US is really densely populated and cities are close together. Canada isn't, and major cities can be 8+ hour drives away.

As a Texan I have to disagree with the idea that American cities are close. lol In the Northeast, for sure! But anywhere else and it's going to be a while until the next city.

Also, there are just four major cities in Canada. Fight me IRL. (Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver)

I am also an American who left (for Germany) and the main thing you mention that I don’t think most Americans get is that every country has their own immigration law and they’re all hideously complicated and not only can you not just move in to any country, it’s quite difficult and expensive.

I just wanna live in Cape Breton because of Kate Beaton

(agreeing with you) Furthermore, there's a points system for immigration, and many people don't qualify. Over 45? You'd better be really good at something. www.canada.ca/en/immigrati...

Eligibility for Express Entry programs: Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Criteria - Canada.cawww.canada.ca Express Entry – Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Criteria

yeah. Try being someone whose expertise is in areas of law/regulation specific to the US. Sigh. (My brother's a doctor: HE can emigrate to Canada.)

Not only all of that mentioned, and people who've been disabled for a while will already know, but like. Disabled people are kinda SOL. And uh. With everything going on, with the panini, well... GL people.

you can say "pandemic", this isn't tiktok

This song is stuck in my head now. youtu.be/mQbh7UNCZdc?...

Barrett's Privateersyoutu.be Provided to YouTube by IDLABarrett's Privateers · Stan RogersThe Very Best of Stan Rogers℗ Fogarty's Cove Music & Cole Harbour Music Ltd.Released on: 2011-03...

Damn you. I was going to link the song. Mind you I believe that the home in Halifax version is the best. Also by him to lift the Canadian heart…. youtu.be/GBtksgy70Fw?...

Bluenoseyoutu.be Provided to YouTube by IDLABluenose · Stan RogersHome In Halifax℗ Fogarty's Cove MusicReleased on: 2011-03-01Auto-generated by YouTube.

If you want to be able to move elsewhere with more options, become a nurse. I still get emails asking me to go to NZ. Sadly, being over 60 and disabled I am SOL squared. But huge options to travel as a nurse.

Lifelong Canuck and I can confirm everything you’re saying here. I can also add that if you aren’t white, you may encounter our “polite racism” where you won’t be told that you aren’t getting X because of ethnicity, but instead that “we just hired” or “just rented that apartment”. Sorry in advance.

The road I lived on in PEI before moving to Ontario, was mostly settled by Vietnam draft dodgers when it was just a track through the woods. It was definitely much easier for them to get in then than it would be now.

And if the RWNJs *don't* take over the federal government up here next year, but manage it in the US? Expect the Vulgarian to want to put an end to Canadian independence.

In addition to this, please don't come to Mexico either. People from the US coming to work remotely to Mexico are making things incredibly difficult to the people who already live here. Rents are getting higher and pushing people out of the cities. US Gentrification is killing my country.

Also to stay in Canada you must face the musical test. Every true blooded Canadian will smile and also have a tear in their eye when listening to this. youtu.be/JFGtRKx4ypY?...

Littlest Hobo Maybe Tomorrow theme songyoutu.be this is the theme song from the littlest hobohope you enjoy i loved this show

ADDENDUM: Québec has all these issues, PLUS language politics. Know French? You have some pretty good odds of getting in, especially with certain in-demand jobs. Montréal is very cosmopolitan and welcoming-ish. Outside of MTL? You better be white and speak le French. But no housing available. x_x

for real i gave up on canada a couple years ago, since i saw they were catching our sickness in a pretty serious way

I got my PR shortly after trump was elected, and everyone was commenting on what good timing it was, but I moved for work in Obama’s first term and it just took a while to get it to go through.

You can quickly flee to canada, but only for 6 months as a digital nomad (which to be fair, as fleeing in a hurry goes isn't bad)

A friend who lived there said Montreal had four seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction.

That was was pre-climate change. Now we have it should be winter soon it should be winter now, it's past Christmas, what the hell three ice storms road construction.

"Since we're going to be in Montréal, could we make a trip to Vancouver?"

Plus you have to learn Canadian!

Okay, that does it, I'm out

ok actual Q: does Canada have any sort of remote work visa like Taiwan does? Or is that no? (otherwise my thought if I'm going to expat is "middle income country with fairly solid social services and high enough white collar worker demand that visas are obtainable")

i.e. actually make the lower income but better services/lower out of pocket Life Expenses tradeoff, not try to live in Fantasy America But it's Real land.

Might be worth looking at Estonia? I've heard they are quite welcoming to immigrants with the right skills, and have a good integration program - including language studies - for new residents. Their social security is in the top half of EU, I think.

I don’t know but probably not. They really don’t like non-Canadians coming in and further clogging that job market.

I have a strong sense that this is connected to the housing crises (or rather that housing crisis drives anti-immigrant sentiment)

Yup, it's free, but you'll likely die of old age before actually seeing a doctor.

The best part about being GPless in Nova Scotia is assholes in Ontario will say well it's only a hundred k people, there's more here, and not realize that's like 10-15% of the actual population there. Speaking as an ON asshole who moved here from NS and has also lived in NB and AB.

It's about 900k people in BC (me included) 😭

I think a thing many folks forget is Canada and USA have a pretty strong bilateral trade agreement when it comes to right-wing shitheads (and their shitty policies.) ...sorry about Ted Cruz.

Ah yes, but they’re not armed to the teeth.

oh, and don't forget, the Liberal federal party is LOSING POPULARITY right now, and not to the more progressive party, but the one that's basically the Republican party.

Post