I apologize if this has already been asked before, but I couldn’t find a previous post.
- Family sponsorship
- Work sponsorship (requires education, skills, and/or experience)
- A disgusting amount of money
Also, do you have family in Canada? If so, family reunification might be an option.
Also look into CUSMA work permit or a US intracorporate transfer if you are working in a company with a canadian branch
Otherwise, look into PNP programs
lookup CUSMA visa… Equivalent of TN for Canadians. If your profession falls into covered category all you need a job offer at the border. You could come over on tourist visa, scout for work, get offer, go back to the border, stamp visa in and enjoy Canada
Relatively few, at the moment. If you’re a skilled worker in demand - which could be anything from a welder to a doctor to (questionably, but factually) an executive - you can try to immigrate economically.
If you figure you can find work under the table, just crossing the border and not crossing back would be doable. The refugee path is currently closed by treaty, unfortunately. Hopefully that will change.
My background is Chemical Engineering, at one of the largest tire manufacturers. Hopefully with several recent regional and global awards under my belt, that might help.
My wife is a dietitian and I swear she would be in more demand than I am, but she doesn’t want to do the applying. Rather she wants to have me find something and her figure it out upon moving, if that were to happen.
It used to be that there was a website where you could basically just check your eligibility, but the system got somehow even more complicated so checking “express” eligibility is the best I can do: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/check-score.html
Generally speaking, the highest-scoring applicants get in first. If that fails, maybe there’s some niche provincial program or something, but you’ll need to hire an immigration lawyer to have a chance of figuring it out.
If you do get let in, I recommend driving up in an RV. The housing market in Canada is still really fucked, and that’s a decent fallback option. Winter-safe ones exist, but I also see people building little insulated enclosures, and in any case cold season is nearly over right now.
I see even with express entry I’d need to take a test to for my English proficiency.
Guess this’ll be a long haul as I apply to jobs and make myself more appetizing.
Yes, which is impossible to fail.
As I said in a previous comment, it’s a pretty drawn-out process requiring financial stability, credit, health and background checks, proof of employment and education history, etc.
It’s not difficult, just time-consuming, and I’d be very surprised if you and your wife didn’t meet the minimum points threshold.
My challenge is getting my wife to take some of these tests with me.
That’ll get us extra points.
Oh, you’ll both need to be on the application, regardless. Unless you’re OK with a Zoom marriage.
You might need to offer bribes.
That’s what it looks like it? I kind of thought that applicants from certain nations can skip that, but it’s on the quiz, so maybe it’s different now. If you grew up in America you’ll have no problem scoring well, though.
It’s crazy to me that we’re still preferable to other Western nations for immigration, somehow. I’m so sorry you have to deal with this, feel free to hit me up any time if you need help with something.
The biggest influencer for me is proximity.
I’d be more than thrilled for any mostly functioning government, Canada isn’t my only choice I’m looking at.
Perhaps you can try to apply for engineering jobs in Canada (in pharmaceutical companies?) and get your company to sponsor you? In term of dietitian, Canada has something called Registered Dietitian, your wife may want to research that.
I looked into it, since she is a registered dietitian in the states she’s just have to prove her education and licensure. After that, she’d have to take the test for Canada.
Unfortunately it’s easier said than done. They clamped down on immigration a few years back (because they were letting in a bunch of people while also not doing anything about the housing market and got understandable blowback).
Also I’ll point out that Canada is only one (goose) step behind the USA, and may not stay safe. There are a lot of fascists and bigots here too.
Renounce your US citizenship at the border while holding a Beaver and Canadian Goose, screaming “Oh Canada” at the top of your lungs until someone lets you in.
