Moving to Canada

hard to get into Canada

Yes,there is a point system to get into Canada. Speaking French will help you as it does add points to your total.

Even if you are retired with your own income and would come back stateside for medical care etc.they still won't take you. My Dad is a Vietnam vet, his parents moved to British Columbia and we live in Seattle. He wanted to go live there and take care of his dad in his old age. They wouldn't take him even tho he has a nice retirement income and complete medical care through the VA which he could have easily traveled here for. My grandfather offered to sponsor him and he would have been living in the house and they still couldn't get an approval.

If you have anyone in your family who has a serious medical condition, you cannot get it. Even if they are not coming into Canada with you, they won't take you (the idea is that you would be sending $ home for their care rather than spending it in Canada).

If you have too little education or are not skilled in a career that is in-demand in Canada, they will not take you. If you have more kids than your career can provide for, they won't take you.

If you are bringing in a business to Canada (and have your own capital) they look more favorably on it.

We looked at emigrating to Canada previously but didn't like the gun laws, or the fact that if you start out as a Canadian you can come to the US and we will let you have dual citizenship but if you go to Canada they require you to give up your US citizenship. At the time we were too young and undereducated (by their standards) anyway. Now we are better educated but I have developed a health condition which is an absolute no-no on their list.

If our new leadership does what it says to do and provides universal health care to all Americans, then I will be a little happier about staying here.

Their point system is strict but fair, I guess. I only wish that we in the US had something similar because we seem to take anyone for any reason, people who end up getting our SSI, public assistance and medical care, etc.

Tim - I think we all owe our fellow human beings something for nothing. That's part of being a Christian that I can't ignore.

If everyone is as welcoming as you are I'd expect them all to be wary of becoming "American." If the Americans are looking down on them all the time it sends a pretty unfriendly message. It's hard to join the club when the members have decided there's a 98% chance that you're worthless before they've even met you.

Sure they can't speak english. That's normal for a person from another country. You can't speak Spanish. Does that mean you're considered to be worthless when you travel to a part of the world where they don't speak english? I've seen American travelers and if you want to see people who don't speak the local language and expect something for nothing look no further than an American.

I have to ask you this. What do we owe to the strangers we come across in life?

I owe them a smile. Kind words. A helping hand. Prayers and kindness. I don't ask someone if they speak english or where they are from before I hold the door open for them, carry their baby carriage up the stairs, or help them change a flat tire.

They don't think YOU owe them anything. They think life owes them something. After all they moved to your country to get away from a terrible life in their home country. It's not as easy as walking up to a hole in a fence and walking through. There are lots of bones in the sand from people who didn't make it.

No disrespect. Just food for thought. If they're not leaving we're better off to turn them into productive and welcome citizens. Ignoring them is really just more of a drain than helping them.