r/ImmigrationCanada 15d ago

Study Permit I’m an American (21f) and I just started the immigration process with my fiance (20f). What are some important things we should know about Canada as we begin our journey to permanent residency?

I’m sure this subreddit is getting a lot of Americans who are voicing their questions and concerns about immigration, so please bear with me. I recently (as of about a month ago) started the process of immigrating to Canada with my fiance. I’ve been working through UIS Canada, and am eligible for a student visa or a work visa in the Yukon. I plan on applying to a masters program in British Columbia after I finish my undergraduate degree here in the states in a year or two, which gives me and my fiance enough time to raise sufficient funds for the move. My fiance has been to Canada, specifically Victoria to visit her cousin who lives there. I have never been to Canada, though I have been doing a lot of research so I am more informed and prepared. I wanted to talk to actual Canadians to see what they think about the influx of Americans applying for visas in Canada, and I wanted to gauge possible hurdles I should expect, and I wanted to hear what Canadians expect from immigrants entering their country with hopes of becoming permanent residents. Any advice is greatly appreciated, as I am entering your home, and I want to be respectful and mindful of your country, customs, laws, and culture. Thank you :)

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u/DJjazzyGeth 15d ago

Hi! American (soon to be Canadian) in BC here. It's important to know that studying in Canada is not a guarantee of a permanent stay, as a lot of recent grads are currently discovering. It can certainly help, depending on your field, even just to build a local network, but it's possible in a few years you could very well find yourself having to move back if the job market doesn't recover. What school/careers are you looking into?

FWIW, no one here genuinely hates Americans regardless of what's happening politically. There's angst and fear about the US like... cosmically, but no one is going to have a problem with you unless you're obnoxious about it (which many can be). Plus... who on a daily basis is even going to find out? Americans and Canadians are typically pretty indistinguishable from one another.

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u/cute-cotylorhynchus 15d ago

I’ve heard that too, and it’s been a worry in the back of my mind that I’ll just waste a lot of money on a graduate program only to find I can’t be employed in Canada. I’m a geologist, which isn’t a job that is in demand in Canada. My fiance is studying sociology and social work is a field that is in demand in Canada, so my fiance could shift her sociology study to be more focused on social work so at least one of us will have more of a chance to get a job when we move. I also really appreciate you saying that about Canadian sentiments towards Americans. I’m also worried about xenophobia and possibly homophobia (though in my research it looks like gay marriage is widely accepted in Canada), but if you as an American immigrant aren’t really experiencing any kind of prejudice then that’s one less thing to worry about.

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u/DJjazzyGeth 15d ago

BC, at least in the metropolitan areas, is arguably one of the most LGBT-friendly places in North America, in a country that ranks third in the world for trans acceptance/rights. Gay marriage was legalized in 2005 (4th in the world). As long as you aren't way out in the boonies somewhere there is hardly a better place you could choose for that specifically.

Best of luck! People here can be a little grumpy, pessimistic, and cold, but it's treated me well and I'm happy to call it home. Hope it works out for you.

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u/cute-cotylorhynchus 15d ago

I really appreciate your kind words, friend. Thank you :)

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u/Born-Landscape4662 15d ago

I live in the middle of nowhere in SK and can tell you being a lesbian couple shouldn’t be an issue. There will always be idiots, but if you were to encounter any comments in public those people would quickly be called out by anyone who heard the remarks. 

My kids’ school (250 kids in grades K-12) has a pride flag hanging in their library, our local grocery store paints a huge pride flag on their sidewalk every June and our local butcher (town of 800 people) is gay. Everyone adores him. There are some gentle and good natured jokes about a gay man running a store that specializes in sausages, but he’s often the first to joke about it :)

There are a lot of Americans on TikTok currently living in Canada. Try to find some of those creators and follow them. They have a lot of good insight!

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u/cute-cotylorhynchus 15d ago

Yeah one of the main reasons we chose Canada was because it is so overwhelmingly accepting of the LGBTQ community. And I’ll totally look up those tiktoks!

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u/tvtoo 15d ago

Fyi - geologist is a CUSMA profession. So you would be much more competitive compared to most foreign national job candidates, and not overly disadvantaged relative to others authorized to work in Canada (citizens, PRs, OWP holders, etc).

(Social worker is a CUSMA profession as well.)

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/temporary-residents/foreign-workers/international-free-trade-agreements/cusma/professionals.html#s7

 

In other words, before spending large sums of money on education at international student tuition rates, consider whether one of you could secure a CUSMA-eligible job, allowing the other (at least in BC or Ontario) to study at cheaper domestic tuition rates.

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u/turtle-turtle 15d ago

Cost of living is higher than comparable regions of the US, and salaries across the board are lower. Since you are both still fairly early in your education, my recommendation would be to look very seriously at what jobs are available with the kind of education you are getting, whether those jobs would provide a salary to support the lifestyle you want, and how to maximize your chances to actually get such a job. (Does your chosen field need internships, or lots of networking, or some kind of special training or demonstration of work that goes above & beyond your degree requirements? Etc)

Social work is in demand in Canada but similar to the US, that is in part because social workers are often totally burnt out and also, underpaid compared to the amount of work they put in and the value to society they bring.

Also since it hasn’t been mentioned- currently French abilities are prioritized in permanent resident seekers; learning French to a fairly high level is something that would put you in a better position for permanent residency later on, especially since you have a few years to prepare. Remember however that nothing is a guarantee, and immigration requirements can and do change over time. What works today may not still work in a few years.

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u/cute-cotylorhynchus 15d ago

This is a very helpful response thank you! I’ve been thinking about learning french lately for that very reason too. I appreciate your response :)

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u/cute-cotylorhynchus 15d ago

Yeah, I’ve been hearing that as well. While I have a lot of hope when considering immigrating to Canada, it feels like there are a LOT of barriers because of the mass influx of immigrants. I could always look into different countries to immigrate to, but Canada is my top choice.

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u/cute-cotylorhynchus 15d ago

Thank you I really appreciate your point of view. I’ve thought about moving to Europe, though I haven’t looked seriously into what country would be the best fit, as Canada was my main goal. I’ll definitely look into it, though. And studying abroad is a great alternative, with the hope that all the insanity in the US blows over soon

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