Not directed at you personally, but I find it fascinating how most people from first-world countries think they can just walk into another country and live there. As someone who moved from a 3rd world country to a 1st world country, it took me 2 years just to get in, and another 4 years to get permanent residency. And that's relatively quick. People from certain countries wait more than a decade to get permanent residency in the US. You either need to have a job or a citizen family member that is willing to sponsor you, or get in with a student visa. And not just any job or family member. The hiring company must meet certain requirements to make sure that you are filling in a position that is in a specific list of professions allowed. As for family, they need to be immediate relatives. So you can't live there just because you have a cousin who is a citizen there.
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The world's longest undefended border is between Canada and the US, so it is relatively easy to walk into Canada and live in like a cabin or something off the grid. Doing it legally is hard part.
Easier in winter if you have good survival skills. There are cabins that sit empty most of the year, especially since a lot of people got them to work remote and then had to return to apartments in the city. Not suggesting anyone should illegally cross the border to steal a cabin, but if you do, send us updates.
I think the two biggest reasons behind that are 1) most EU/US passports give you near unfettered access to most the world and 2) the Schengen zone makes that a reality at least within the EU.
Yup, and a lot of people confuse being able to visit visa-free as a tourist and actually living there. Digital nomad westerners skirt around visa/residency requirements in 3rd world countries by basically leaving and coming back every 30 days to reset the stay limits. That won’t go as well with first world countries as they will quickly notice the pattern and probably ban you.
Having moved to Canada as a 23 y-o with a valuable (NAFTA approved) skill set that got me a quick but temporary work visa. Hahahahaha. No.
At the time, the process for landed immigrant status took 2 years and $1,500 in 1996 money (neither of which I had to spare).
My best advice is to look at the official immigration website. If you feel like there's some special loophole, consult an immigration lawyer from Canada. It will be worth the money, even if they can simply spell out the reasons why you shouldn't waste your time.
Also - good luck finding housing in Canada. It was bad in 1996 and hasn't gotten better.
We have a housing problem and the government is actively reducing immigration targets (that’s you moving here permanently) and curbing foreign property investment (that’s you buying property here).
It’s not a great time for you to make this move.
You can't just move to Canada. You need to meet specific requirements to get a residence permit or be sponsored by family who already lives there.
If you wanna live there half time, a US passports entitles you to up to 180 days uninterrupted in Canada.
But you still can't purchase property without a PR or citizenship (as of January 2023).
Edit: Okay, so non-citizens cannot buy residential property in census metropolitan areas or census agglomerations. A lot of rural areas are unaffected by the ban, including Whistler.
Right now the law is set to expire in January 2025, but I would be surprised if it wasn't renewed, it's a pretty popular measure. Though I guess it doesn't apply if you're in the middl of butt fuck nowhere.
donald trump being president is not a valid reason in the eyes of canadian immigration officers for political asylum.
If you are LGBT+, they'd tell you to move to a blue state.
According to Google you can live in Canada and collect US social security benefits. You will probably have to pay taxes in both countries though, especially if you're still working. To become a Canadian citizen you have to live there permanently and pay taxes for at least three years before you can even be considered for citizenship and even then it looks like there is a lot of other stuff you have to do
Keep in mind too that social security benefits aren't that much. Unless you've already saved enough to pay off this "cabin or house" up front, then you'll most likely be paying a mortgage, property taxes, you'll need money for utilities and groceries, AND you'll be paying taxes to both the US and Canada. Unless you're already independently wealthy then you'll probably have to get either a full time or part time job.
The only way I can see this working the way you've described is if you're already of retirement age and can also collect a pension from a job you already have that could help supplement your social security benefits maybe
Good luck getting a permanent residence in Canada if you are of retirement age. Even above 30 it's pretty dicey unless you're at the top of a professional field and get sponsored by an employer or a university.
Unless you come in on an investor visa. For which you will need to put in, I think, $150,000 as an interest free 10 year bond.
Yeah. There isn't anything in Canada that is conducive to retirement. Cost of living in cities matches that of higher cost of living cities in the USA. Canadian health care is better, but I don't know how health care for residents is compared to Medicare in the USA.
If anything, more Americans are beginning to retire in Mexico as the cost of living is significantly lower and paying cash in the Mexican health care system is equivalent to Medicare in the USA.
Unless you are planning to live off the land you will have expenses: groceries, utilities, maintenance, etc. You will have to pay taxes to the us, and likely to Canada too.
But what if I renounce the US?
I do not think you can get ssi if you renounce.
It's generally not worth renouncing. It costs $2350 to do for one. While you have to "pay taxes" it's mostly just filing paperwork, you don't pay on your first $126,500 of income, and you can deduct taxes paid to your resident country as well.
Flip side is you pay on all capital gains, while Canada doesn't charge on primary residence sales for example. And it makes investing far more complicated if it isn't in an RRSP (401k equivalent). TFSA's for example (the other retirement plan type) isn't included so if you have investments in a TFSA you're going to pay, including a base fee of ~700$ a year per investment accounts. Also your accountant is likely to cost you at least twice as much since you need to file twice (if not more cause CPAs that are certified in both countries aren't exactly commonplace).
I read that the cheapest housing is in Manitoba with an estimate of 168k US. I so far got 250k in the bank. Basically I want somewhere remote grow some pot and be left the fuck alone.
The problem isn’t housing though, it’s the cost of living. EVERYTHING is more expensive in Canada, since almost everything is imported. Since the growing season is only about 3-4 months maybe (except for parts of BC), almost all food is imported (usually from the US, and as soon as those tariffs hit, the already-high prices are going to skyrocket). Clothing (of which you need double, since winter), books, school supplies, electronics, tires for your car (again, two sets), just every-fucking-thing is imported and expensive.
Housing costs are the least of your problems.
I just want to buy a house have a couple acres. Grow stuff and maybe have a couple pot plants and resell them. Just living off what I can produce.
Do you think you can produce enough food in a 3 month growing season to keep you fed and healthy all year long? Do you already have a full set of proper winter clothes that are warm enough to make it through a Canadian Winter? Do you have a vehicle that has a block heater installed in it already, and winter tires for it? How are you going to pay for gas, and heat your house? And pay for electricity? And you may want to consider pot plant selling as a hobby instead of a main income source, since everyone grows their own already.
Well the pot would be just for me. I would just build a big green house or hot house and hydroponic the shit out of produce. And hopefully get a business license to sell it to stores or a farmers market/
You're not going to be able to live off produce grown and sold at farmer's markets. Unless you're a skilled worker with a degree or trade, or very wealthy, you won't be able to move here. If you want to live off grid, you can do that in the US. You can't just jump ship because the election didn't work out how you wanted it to.
Is there any contract work for a person who is a certified Traveling Nurse or someone who has a diploma in Cisco's website?
There are visas for RNs, you must still hold the certification, apply for a visa, your credentials will be verified to confirm they meet the required specifications and then you'll have to pass a an exam to confirm you possess the required knowledge to work as an RN. You may be required to speak French depending on where you work because this is a bilingual country.
As for a Cisco certificate? That won't work, you would require a degree in medicine, law or a similarly in-demand field.
What about in Manitoba I looked it up the average price for a house is 168k. Is there anyway I can practice exam? And is avoiding Trump and hatred of what my country turned into get me thru inspection ....?
You can't purchase a house unless you have a permanent resident card or are a citizen.
so basically i have to rent for three years?
Even though cannabis is legal to grow for personal use (under certain conditions), it is illegal to sell unless you get a proper license and there are tons of regulations.
I meant grow my own cannabis for just me and use the rest of the land to grow vegetables and produce. And just sell that kind of like a business.
So you think you can retire on the remaining $80,000? lol Canada is a very expensive country to live in.
and be left the fuck alone.
Until you need a doctor. And then some more...
Traveling nurse unless I get show or break something I should be fine. Unless Canada doesn't offer vaccines then I am pretty fucked come new covid or flu seasons
Traveling nurse
Not quite common here. Don't know about Canada, but you want to find out in advance.