COMING TO CANADA FROM OUR NEIGHBOUR TO THE SOUTH
Canada is a beautiful country that shares many similarities to the United States, but also many differences that are wonderful to experience. From the uniqueness of cities like Montreal, Vancouver and St. John to getting to know northern tundra and people like no other in the three Canadian territories, many Americans want to experience the Canadian way of life. As neighbours who share one the world’s longest undefended border, Canada and the United States have an ages-old positive history. It’s no wonder that Canadians immigrate to the United States and Americans immigrate to Canada on a regular and abundant basis. In fact, many people hold dual citizenship with both countries and enjoy the benefits. Plus, with the proximity of the two countries, many relationships are established across borders and require one person to change their country of residence. Others choose to come to Canada for work opportunities or to study. The number of Americans seeking to come to Canada increased dramatically in the last two years, thus applicants should make a plan long before they wish to move north.
The first consideration in coming to Canada is to determine if the move will be temporary or permanent.
TEMPORARY MOVE
Those looking to move temporarily may be doing so for a range of reasons:
- Study – Canada has an enviable and lower-cost, lower–stress environment for studies that is often attractive to Americans. This requires a study permit and may also allow for work options during and after the study period.
- SWAP – The Student Work Abroad Program allows U.S. citizens age 18 to 20 who have been enrolled in full-time post-secondary studies in the last year, to obtain an open work permit for 12 months.
- Visit and Work – Those who have a valid U.S. passport can come to Canada to visit and work without a work permit provided the work they do is still based in the U.S. and they won’t be entering the labour market in Canada.
- Work – Those from the U.S. wanting to work in the Canadian labour market need a work permit and a job from a Canadian employer. There are a wide range of work permit options so we can help determine what makes the most sense for you.
- NAFTA – There are three categories under which a U.S. citizen can work in Canada without a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). These are: NAFTA professional, NAFTA intra-Company Transfer and NAFTA Traders and Investors.
PERMANENT MOVE
For those looking to call Canada home permanently, there are a number of programs that can work depending upon your personal situation and needs. We can help make the move to Canada possible and will explain the options to you. The four programs that are available are:
- Express Entry – Through the Express Entry, point-based system, Americans can qualify to apply for permanent residency through the programs which make use of the selection system.
- Provincial Nomination – If you know the province you’d like to settle in, you might be eligible for that province’s own Provincial Nomination Program (PNP).
- Family Sponsorship – A Canadian citizen or permanent resident who is a relative age 18 or older may be eligible to sponsor you to move to Canada.
- Business Immigration – Those looking to start a new business or take over an existing business of benefit to the Canadian economy may be eligible for permanent residency.
We are always ready to help our neighbours to the south make the move to Canada. Contact us and we can help determine the right options for your needs.
