I wondered how many people would actually follow up their brow-beating, and leave the U.S. for Canada. Not a large number, apparently, but more than I thought. I know D & I talked about it, but realistically, are not ready for such a drastic jump. We could still decide to make the leap though, our business is not tied into Chicago per se, our main clients are in New York, Dallas, San Francisco, etc. As long as we have broadband, we could go almost anywhere. Plus, I was born in Toronto, so that would make it easier.
Some Bush Foes Vote Yet Again, With Their Feet: Canada or Bust:
Some Americans dismayed by President Bush’s victory are proceeding with plans to move to Canada.
... In the Niagara of liberal angst just after Mr. Bush's victory on Nov. 2, the Canadian government's immigration Web site reported an increase in inquiries from the United States to about 115,000 a day from 20,000. After three months, memories of the election have begun to recede. There has been an inauguration, even a State of the Union address.Yet immigration lawyers say that Americans are not just making inquiries and that more are pursuing a move above the 49th parallel, fed up with a country they see drifting persistently to the right and abandoning the principles of tolerance, compassion and peaceful idealism they felt once defined the nation.
America is in no danger of emptying out. But even a small loss of residents, many of whom cite a deep sense of political despair, is a significant event in the life of a nation that thinks of itself as a place to escape to.
...“The number of U.S. citizens who are actually submitting Canadian immigration papers and making concrete plans is about three or four times higher than normal,” said Linda Mark, an immigration lawyer in Vancouver.Other immigration lawyers in Toronto, Montreal and Halifax said they had noticed a similar uptick, though most put the rise at closer to threefold.
“We're still not talking about a huge movement of people,” said David Cohen, an immigration lawyer in Montreal. “In 2003, the last year where full statistics are available, there were something like 6,000 U.S. citizens who received permanent resident status in Canada. So even if we do go up threefold this year, we're only talking about 18,000 people.”
and the code to getting a visa, revealed
Canadian officials decide on potential immigrants by awarding points for certain skills or attributes. Being 21 to 49 years old is worth 10 points, for instance. A bachelor's degree is worth 20, a master's 25, with up to 21 points for certain work experience and 24 points for being fluent in English and French. At the moment, 67 points are required to qualify for the visa.Under the North American Free Trade Agreement, workers in certain jobs can also qualify for residency permits if they land a job in Canada.
Tags: Current Affairs, /Personal
