Advice On Moving To Canada

Started by Virtual Chatot September 27th, 2010 1:18 PM
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Age 31
Male
Seen November 9th, 2021
Posted March 17th, 2015
3,517 posts
18.2 Years
So I'm thinking about leaving the United States and moving to Canada. I was born in Australia*, but I moved to the States when I was eight. I'm attracted to Canada because the standard of living is much higher, and I'm tired of all the nationalistic religious nutjobs here like Glenn Beck.

My current idea runs on me immigrating to Canada and joining up with the military. I have a fairly good working knowledge of French (Hey, everything that helps me!) and I already have a fair idea of how the politics in Canada work (being from Australia, another member of the commonwealth). I love cold weather and could see myself living in America's hat.

So, any advice for me?

*No, I don't want to move back to Australia. God knows I hate the heat.
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Yuoaman

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Age 30
Male
Ontario, Canada
Seen January 28th, 2023
Posted December 12th, 2018
4,582 posts
17.8 Years
Move to Sault Ste. Marie, it's beautiful here and it's on the border if you ever decide to rob the Americans across the bridge. :D

Hmmm... advice...

1. Don't believe the stereotype that all Canadians are polite and nice. Though there are a lot like that, there are many *******s, just like any place.

2. We use a weird mix of Metric/Imperial, so be sure to listen around to see what people use. For example distance is usually in kilometers (and sometimes measured in the amount of time it takes to get there on average), while height and weight are in feet/inches and pounds - when relating to people at least.

3. Make it known that you don't like the nutjobs in the States, you'll make a lot of friends.
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Age 30
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Not Okazaki, Japan
Seen October 18th, 2010
Posted October 15th, 2010
1,101 posts
12.8 Years
So I'm thinking about leaving the United States and moving to Canada. I was born in Australia*, but I moved to the States when I was eight. I'm attracted to Canada because the standard of living is much higher, and I'm tired of all the nationalistic religious nutjobs here like Glenn Beck.
I love you.

My current idea runs on me immigrating to Canada and joining up with the military. I have a fairly good working knowledge of French (Hey, everything that helps me!) and I already have a fair idea of how the politics in Canada work (being from Australia, another member of the commonwealth). I love cold weather and could see myself living in America's hat.

So, any advice for me?

*No, I don't want to move back to Australia. God knows I hate the heat.
Anyways, to answer your question..

French will definitely help you when applying for citizenship, it's a major plus.
I don't know you, but it's worth mentioning. If you're gay and you say, "I want to move somewhere where I am not a second class citizen" you will be put up as a priority. Canada loves them some gays.
You being from Australia will help as well.

I also found this which might help.

Fun fact: In Canada, you have to pay for Fox Network, like you have to pay for HBO. Therefore, no one there watches Fox News! Major plus right there. ^-^;
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Age 31
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Seen November 9th, 2021
Posted March 17th, 2015
3,517 posts
18.2 Years
1. Don't believe the stereotype that all Canadians are polite and nice. Though there are a lot like that, there are many *******s, just like any place.

2. We use a weird mix of Metric/Imperial, so be sure to listen around to see what people use. For example distance is usually in kilometers (and sometimes measured in the amount of time it takes to get there on average), while height and weight are in feet/inches and pounds - when relating to people at least.

3. Make it known that you don't like the nutjobs in the States, you'll make a lot of friends.
1. It's quite the same for Aussies. We are all thought to be hotheaded and crazy, and of course we are, but that's not the point. :P
2. I already know both, but that's a weird combo. o-o
3. I already made a bunch of friends in France with that. It seems fairly universal.

I love you.
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French will definitely help you when applying for citizenship, it's a major plus.
I don't know you, but it's worth mentioning. If you're gay and you say, "I want to move somewhere where I am not a second class citizen" you will be put up as a priority. Canada loves them some gays.
You being from Australia will help as well.

I also found this which might help.

Fun fact: In Canada, you have to pay for Fox Network, like you have to pay for HBO. Therefore, no one there watches Fox News! Major plus right there. ^-^;
- I'm bisexual, and I guess that's close enough! :B
- Thanks for the link, and the fact that no one watches Fox News! ;D
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Livewire

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Sunnyshore City
Seen December 3rd, 2022
Posted August 2nd, 2019
14,091 posts
13.8 Years
I'm tired of all the nationalistic religious nutjobs here like Glenn Beck.
^ You are awesome. But that means one less awesome person here in the US. :'(


But you gotta do whats right by you. Knowing some French and being familiar with the conversion system(s) will be a big help. I agree with Yuoaman, Sault. Saint Marie is a wonderful place, Ive been on Vacation there before. :) Plus you can see all the big Great Lakes ships go through the locks.

But again, whatever works the best. Find a stable job, a bice place, and you'll be good to go. :)

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Age 28
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Seen April 9th, 2011
Posted April 9th, 2011
1,119 posts
14.8 Years
I love how you referred to Canada as "America's Hat." xDD

Now, I know next to nothing about Canada, but it seems to be a pretty calm and fairly run country. I might end up moving there myself someday, since America is so...wacky...
Plus they have a flag! With a LEAF on it!
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Désordre, Empire of Canada
Seen November 8th, 2021
Posted May 12th, 2020
2,955 posts
17.9 Years
First things first, the Canadian armed forces aren't as active as a few others in NATO, so enlistment is limited to Canadian citizens.

The Canadian immigration system is now more focused on people with vocational utility, and less on the fact that you might have connections. Like Surmonter said, a knowledge of French would help...though I'm not sure about homosexuality. We do have gay marriage here, though being out and about gay is still something that's taking time to gain full acceptance (like everywhere else in the world).

Oh, and on another politics-related note, depending on who you're talking to, being anti-American or vehemently leftist may or may not be a good thing. Those who you usually talk to on the internet are young people, who are more likely to have liberal values, so it's quite often to run into someone who would be left-leaning. But like in America, politics here have yet to strike a balance between left and right. Declaring you're an active leftist who doesn't take crap from the corporate dogs might not make the best impressions on your new employer who votes Tory (who are currently is in power with a minority government, by the way).

Unlike Pixy, to get the full Canadian experience, I'd say live in a city of a decently small size from 100,000 to 600,000. Better air quality and with more opportunities for development. One more thing, you get single-payer heath care here once you're a permanent resident, so don't complain if almost everything here is more expensive than in America (car insurance, groceries, video games, etc).
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Age 30
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Melbourne, Australia
Seen January 8th, 2013
Posted April 30th, 2012
1,031 posts
14.1 Years
Good on you for moving. The two places I would like to live if I didn't love Australia so much would be Canada or New Zealand, and even then I'd like Canada more than New Zealand because more bands go through there/come from there.

Anyway, like the person above has said, expect to be paying a bit more for things. I'm pretty sure the Canadian dollar isn't worth as much as the US dollar, and the minimum wage is in most cases higher depending on where you live.

Anyway, Canada has great scenery. Just don't go too far north if you value your sleep :)

Cherrim

Age 34
she / her
Toronto
Seen 20 Hours Ago
Posted 20 Hours Ago
33,052 posts
20.4 Years
I'd apply for a work visa or permanent residence before full-out trying to get citizenship. Not that I know much about this but I know a few people I worked with were simply permanent residents and didn't bother getting citizenship (which can be really hard--Canada's getting a bit tight with immigration iirc) so just look at all your options to get out here on a more permanent basis, I guess. If you apply to post-secondary school here, they can probably help with the logistics and stuff but otherwise you're probably going to have to prove to the government that you'll bring something to the workforce or something. idk!

That said, don't be afraid of the big cities! As someone who's lived in the smaller ones and most of the bigger ones, I've gotta say I immensely prefer the big cities. :) More to do and everything's close by. And even Canada's biggest cities are just medium-sized cities in the US (for the most part, haha) so it's not a huge deal to live in them. Toronto is amazing and so is Vancouver... and I have plenty of friends who'll vouch for Montreal! (Though Halifax is gorgeous too. ♥)

We pay a lot more for things like video games/movies, alcohol, or just taxes in general and the like, but most provinces have a pretty high minimum wage to make up for it (I think it's like $10.50/hour in Ontario now @[email protected]) and the free health care (though idk how that works for non-citizens) is a major perk too. I complain to a lot of my American friends about how much more expensive everything is here (especially phone/internet/TV omg) but in the end I can't imagine living anywhere else, really.

But yes, Canada is awesome and good luck on trying to move up here. :>


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Age 34
Female
Canada
Seen June 1st, 2018
Posted January 20th, 2012
272 posts
12.7 Years
I live in Canada, born and raised, so here are my tips.

I'm attracted to Canada because the standard of living is much higher, and I'm tired of all the nationalistic religious nutjobs here like Glenn Beck.
Since Canada's population is much smaller, there just isn't room for the crazy right-winged people, so yeah, it's really not like that. The whole Anti-American thing though...ehhh, it really depends on who you talk to. I think alot of it comes from the fact that so many people in the States don't know anything about Canada. People always think we live in igloos and play hockey...wtf? It's almost identical to the States, just a few things are different. Personally, I love the States, but there is alot of things I don't like about it. Canada isn't full of guns and we have free health care, so enjoy that! :) But I could see myself living in New York for awhile tho...it's my favourite city!

I have a fairly good working knowledge of French
That is definitely a benefit, but unless you are moving to Québec, you won't need it. I know alot of people obviously speak more than one language, but everyone seems to have this pre-conceived notion that we all speak English and French. We don't. lol So don't worry about that too much.

I love cold weather and could see myself living in America's hat.
The weather in Canada is almost exactly the same as most places in the States. Unless you are coming from Nevada or Florida, or a hot place like that, no real adjustment necessary. It's really the same. Canada is not 'cold' place. It's really the same as many places in the States. So don't worry about that either.

Oh, and someone said that FOX NEWS is something we have to pay for...not that I knew of. It comes in the regular cable package along with all the other channels like Discovery, Global, CTV, PBS, Teletoon, yadda yadda yadda. So yeah, people watch it...but not really, lol. I do pay for HBO though, that's a must! haha

And move to a place with a population that is comfortable for you.


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Cherrim

Age 34
she / her
Toronto
Seen 20 Hours Ago
Posted 20 Hours Ago
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20.4 Years
I think FOX's inclusion in basic cable depends on where you live. I don't remember the details on what's what but I know some places I've lived in Canada, we didn't get any FOX stations until we moved to Digital/Enhanced Cable, and others it was definitely included in basic. Might have to do with whether you live nearby the border or not? *shrug* Not that it's a major selling issue anyway. XD;


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Age 29
Male
the wired
Seen February 4th, 2022
Posted January 30th, 2022
615 posts
14.9 Years
Come to Hamilton, one of canada's smoggiest cities! With only a 45 min drive to new york (lewiston new york that is)
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Age 33
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Seen July 15th, 2015
Posted June 30th, 2015
8,343 posts
18 Years
What are you planning to take in college? You can try applying as a skilled worker or professional when the time comes; just make sure that what you're studying for is something that's accepted or relevant in Canada.

Also, make sure to save up a lot of money before you leave the States, especially if you're planning to move to British Columbia; the cost of living there is extremely high compared to most other places in Canada, last I checked. If cost of living is an issue, you can try moving to Alberta; I hear Edmonton's a pretty nice place.

TRIFORCE89

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Age 33
Male
Temple of Light
Seen November 25th, 2017
Posted October 21st, 2016
8,122 posts
19.1 Years
So I'm thinking about leaving the United States and moving to Canada. I was born in Australia*, but I moved to the States when I was eight. I'm attracted to Canada because the standard of living is much higher, and I'm tired of all the nationalistic religious nutjobs here like Glenn Beck.

My current idea runs on me immigrating to Canada and joining up with the military. I have a fairly good working knowledge of French (Hey, everything that helps me!) and I already have a fair idea of how the politics in Canada work (being from Australia, another member of the commonwealth). I love cold weather and could see myself living in America's hat.

So, any advice for me?

*No, I don't want to move back to Australia. God knows I hate the heat.
Well, we're apparently going to get "FOX North" here soon. So... we might not be without a Canadian version of Beck for very long :(

Can you go through our immigration process (although long) and not join the military?
Age 34
Female
Canada
Seen June 1st, 2018
Posted January 20th, 2012
272 posts
12.7 Years
Yeah, I live in Calgary, Alberta and we get Fox on Channel 22, but I get it on HD and Digital Cable, so it's coming from Detroit.

And yeah, Alberta's tax is only 5%...AKA AWESOME! But it's expensive in Calgary, so it all depends on your budget.


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Age 33
Female
London, UK (orig. Toronto, Canada)
Seen August 30th, 2021
Posted August 24th, 2021
10,993 posts
18.7 Years
My advice? Get a work or student visa first.. yeah.. will make the transition easier.
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