Americans flock to Canada's immigration Web site

[kskiska]

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The number of U.S. citizens visiting Canada's main immigration Web site has shot up six-fold as Americans flirt with the idea of abandoning their homeland after President George W. Bush (news - web sites)'s election win this week.

"When we looked at the first day after the election, November 3, our Web site hit a new high, almost double the previous record high," immigration ministry spokeswoman Maria Iadinardi said on Friday.

On an average day some 20,000 people in the United States log onto the Web site, www.cic.gc.ca -- a figure which rocketed to 115,016 on Wednesday. The number of U.S. visits settled down to 65,803 on Thursday, still well above the norm.

(snip)

"There is no unusual activity occurring at our visa missions (in the United States). Having someone who intends to come to Canada is not the same as someone actually putting in an application," said Iadinardi.

(snip)

"As Canadians, you'll have to learn to embrace and use all the products and culture of Americans, while bad-mouthing their way of life," he said.

more…
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=857&ncid=757&e=10&u=/nm/20041105/od_uk_nm/oukoe_canada_usa

[seraph]

1. I like hockey and beer....

Hmmmm. :beer::shrug:



I can say aboot.



"O' Caaanahdahhhh"

[Maple]

2. That's okay

I don't like hockey or beer, and I'm pretty sure I don't say 'aboot', but I still enjoy Canada. :D

[Kikosexy2]

3. i like ...

the idea of naked dancing in gay bars/clubs.

[trogdor]

7. Yeah, but...

...can you remember to end sentences with 'eh?'

[JoFerret]

41. How about liking civil rights and health care?

...sound appealing

[pinerow]

4. Too cold...

I think I'll try Costa Rica...

[Maple]

10. Depends on where you live

in Canada. I live in the banana belt, which is further south than northern California, and Detroit is north of us.

BC is warm as well.

[shrike]

27. Mind mentioning where that is?

I am one of those "flirting" with the idea of immigrating to Canada.

[Maple]

29. I'm in

the tip of southwestern Ontario. Check near Windsor across from Detroit.

My area is further south than northern California...although it's hard to tell that on most maps.

And here we can have it over 100°F in summer with heavy humidity...and winters are mild.

In BC, they have palm trees.

Here's the quickest site I could find to tell you about it

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/grtlks/msg0816415515639.html

[depakid]

36. Never seen any palm trees in BC! LOL

Maybe in greenhouses.... However, coastal BC is comparatively mild, particularly if you're used to Eastern Weather.

[ilovenicepeople]

44. I live on the east coast of Vancouver island

in Nanaimo,we have two palm trees downtown.It rarely gets below freezing for more than a week or two in the winter,we pretty much go from fall to spring.WELCOME TO CANADA DU!!!!!!:hi:

on edit;420 posts time for some BC Bud:smoke:

[Only Me]

55. Is it very expensive to live there? p.s. Im a member of GW too!

[prodigal_green]

5. I love traveling to Canada

it is almost like going to another country.

Sorry, I use that line all the time to annoy my Canadian friends. I really do love Canada. It is a great weekend escape when you have neither the funds, nor the time to travel overseas.

[JohnyCanuck]

6. An American moving to Canada to escape Bush

would be like a German moving to Austria in 1937 to escape Hitler.

[Maple]

8. Nah..

we've beaten the Americans everytime they've invaded us.

[trogdor]

9. Yeah, but Canada is a member of the British Commonwealth.

You could always retreat to London. They have good beer there, too.

[Maple]

12. We never have before

:D

[Kber]

15. Or as my friend put it

the radio-active clouds are likely to drift over the border (and y'all thought acid rain was a bummer.)

She's thinking New Zealand.

On the other hand, my mom wants to sell her Manhattan apartment and open up a marijuana cafe in Amsterdam.

[DBoon]

24. Does your mom need a business partner?

:)

[mtnester]

37. How about a product tester?

:)

[2Design]

16. at least it is a step in the right direction - later can find somewhere

else

I don't know much about south america

austria and britian are owned by bush

[whirlygigspin]

48. good one

that's too funny!

One of my old neighbors left Germany to escape Hitler, where did they go? Poland! oy. They now live in Canada.

[Rockholm]

11. Montreal vs. Toronto?

I don't speak French, but I really LOVE Montreal. It is so historic and beautiful. Toronto is really awesome too. I have been to both and I can't decide. HELP!

[AspenRose]

13. I love Montreal, too...but you could compromise and go to Ottawa

You can't be on a diet while in Montreal. Awesome place.

[peaches2003]

14. Thinking about it

There are very good reasons to think about it seriously. We are retired, live in a red state, and are not worried about what happens to us especially,but are very worried about our grandchildren. We would like to establish a place of safety for them and also protection for our teenage grandson from the draft and serving in Bush's coming wars.

[gula]

20. What's stopping you from learning French?

I promise, it doesn't hurt at all.

I've been living in Montreal for close to 30 years now and I still love it. It is a much more compact city then Toronto, so if you live anywhere near the downtown/Plateau area you can easily walk or bike to anywhere you'd possibly want to go. And in winter you can always take the Metro and cruise the underground city.

En bon Québécois, Montréal est un ville le fun.

[llmart]

17. I love Canadians and Canada......

and it's not any colder than where I live - Detroit area. Only a hop, skip and jump for me.

However, I live in a blue state and have lots of likeminded friends, so I guess I don't feel the need so much:)

[Blaze Diem]

19. And I really like Canada's National Anthem..

Oh Caaaanadaaaa.....la la la la la la
la la la laaaaa
la la la la la laaaa....


Maybe I'll learn a few more words.

Its a thought though, especially when one dares to let himself think of four years of Bush Reichstag..I can't even go there yet.

I live in NDakota..we're almost the "other" Canada anyway..spent some time in Seattle and I'd have to say BC has got to be my new home if I decide I'm safer there than in Bush's USA. Our country will never be the same one we loved after even two years of Bush extreme rule.

I truely feel this way.
I am, however waiting out the election fraud outcome. Its the only thing left that motivates my will to fight. I now know how "Braveheart" felt.

My DU friends,
love ya all,
Blaze

[Danmel]

40. Oh Canada

My 10 year old son has learned how to play Oh Canada on the clarinet to impress the immigration interviewers!

Oh Canada
Our home & native land
True Patriot Love
In All thy sons command

With glowing hearts
We see thee rise
The true North strong and free

From far & wide
Oh Canada
We stand on guard for thee

God keep our land
Glorious & fre
Oh Canada
We stand on guard for thee
(bum bum bum bum bum bum)
Oh Canada, we stand on guard for thee

[ilovenicepeople]

47. you got to love an anthem without bombs and war in it.

HOWDY fellow Canadians:hi: How do you spell Canada?C eh N eh D eh.

[NurseLefty]

57. One Other Reason I'm Moving

I've always thought Canada had a better national anthem.
:beer: <-- Molson or Moosehead... Labatt's maybe

[Mother Jones]

18. We love Americans here, well...ok, maybe just the blue ones...

but here is something for you to think about;

Published on Wednesday, November 3, 2004 by CommonDreams.org
Ten Reasons Not to Move to Canada
by Sarah Anderson

Ready to say screw this country and buy a one-way ticket north? Here are some reasons to stay in the belly of the beast.

1. The Rest of the World. After the February 2003 antiwar protests, the New York Times described the global peace movement as the world's second superpower. Their actions didn't prevent the war, but protesters in nine countries have succeeded in pressuring their governments to pull their troops from Iraq and/or withdraw from the so-called "coalition of the willing."Antiwar Americans owe it to the majority of the people on this planet who agree with them to stay and do what they can to end the suffering in Iraq and prevent future pre-emptive wars.

2. People Power Can Trump Presidential Power. The strength of social movements can be more important than whoever is in the White House. Example: In 1970, President Nixon supported the Occupational Safety and Health Act, widely considered the most important pro-worker legislation of the last 50 years. It didn't happen because Nixon loved labor unions, but because union power was strong. Stay and help build the peace, economic justice, environmental and other social movements that can make change.

3. The great strides made in voter registration and youth mobilization must be built on rather than abandoned.

4. Like Nicaraguans in the 1980s, Iraqis Need U.S. Allies. After Ronald Reagan was re-elected in 1984, progressives resisted the urge to flee northwards and instead stayed to fight the U.S. governments secret war of arming the contras in Nicaragua and supporting human rights atrocities throughout Central America. Iraq is a different scenario, but we can still learn from the U.S.-Central America solidarity work that exposed illegal U.S. activities and their brutal consequences and ultimately prevailed by forcing a change in policy.

5. We Can't Let up on the 'Free Trade' Front Activists have held the Bush administration at bay on some issues. On trade, opposition in the United States and in developing countries has largely blocked the Bush administrations corporate-driven trade agenda for four years. The President is expected to soon appoint a new top trade negotiator to break the impasse. Whoever he picks would love to see a progressive exodus to Canada.

6. Barack Obama. His victory to become the only African-American in the U.S. Senate was one of the few bright spots of the election. An early opponent of the Iraq war, Obama trounced his primary and general election opponents, even in white rural districts, showing he could teach other progressives a few things about broadening their base. As David Moberg of In These Times puts it, 'Obama demonstrates how a progressive politician can redefine mainstream political symbols to expand support for liberal policies and politicians rather than engage in creeping capitulation to the right.'

7. Say so long to the DLC. Barry Goldwater suffered a resounding defeat when he ran for president against Lyndon Johnson in 1964, but his campaign spawned a conservative movement that eventually gained control of the Republican Party and elected Ronald Reagan in 1980. Progressives should see the excitement surrounding Dean, Kucinich, Moseley Braun, and Sharpton during the primary season as the foundation for a similar takeover of the Democratic Party.

8. 2008. President Bush is entering his second term facing an escalating casualty rate in Iraq, a record trade deficit, a staggering budget deficit, sky-high oil prices, and a deeply divided nation. As the Republicans face likely failure, progressives need to start preparing for regime change in 2008 or sooner. Remember that Nixon was reelected with a bigger margin than Bush, but faced impeachment within a year.

9. Americans are Not All Yahoos. Although I wouldn't attempt to convince a Frenchman of it right now, many surveys indicate that Americans are more internationalist than the election results suggest. In a September poll by the University of Maryland, majorities of Bush supporters expressed support for multilateral approaches to security, including the United States being part of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (68%), the International Criminal Court (75%), the treaty banning land mines (66%), and the Kyoto Treaty on climate change (54%). The problem is that most of these Bush supporters weren't aware that Bush opposed these positions. Stay and help turn progressive instincts into political power.

10. Winter. Average January temperature in Ottawa: 12.2°F.

(Gee, I kinda wish we had kept all our flu vaccines for those Americans who could demonstrate they voted for Kerry!)

[proReality]

21. "(Gee, I kinda wish we had kept all our flu vaccines ...

for those Americans who could demonstrate they voted for Kerry!)"

I wish we could demonstrate it someway, but we have no papertrail with our electronic machines. Will our Kerry/Edwards bumper stickers suffice?

[Mother Jones]

22. lol!

That was a joke buzzing around here prior to the election.....In hindsight, perhaps we should have considered it more seriously.

... and yes, of course, in the absence of a paper trail, we would be happy to accept your bumper stickers! (although, truth be told, we would probably be able to figure it out for ourselves after a few mins chatting with chimp supporters!)

[kostya]

26. I really can't say that these reasons are very convincing,

not even the cold weather. They are really all of the same ilk: stay and fight against a system rigged against you until you or your children suffer the inevitable consequences of a hostile oligarchy (or try to become part of that oligarchy somehow). No thanks. You'll have to do better than that. The way to fight it is from the outside or just let it implode under its own ideological weight (but I don't want to be inside when that happens).

- K
:shrug:

[Piperay]

30. I agree

I'm sick of sacrificing a decent life for myself while staying here to fight for a bunch of assholes that don't want to be 'saved' in the first place.

[NurseLefty]

39. I agree, and I got my immigration papers Wednesday

Even if it takes a while, and even if it costs money, I will go to all lengths to move to Canada.
I am burned out. I have given money, time, blood, sweat, and tears to progressive causes. Heck, I made multiple donations to Kerry while being an impoverished nursing student. I've been involved for many, many years. After all that was done this year to elect Kerry, and still, the Right won. They dominate Congress and local offices. They have more money, more power, and more fanatics forwarding their cause. We on the left are too calm and civilized to match what they have.
So, I am choosing to join a society that has my kind of values ingrained into its fabric. I just have a hard time believing that the US will ever possess what Canada has.

[kostya]

51. Please blog or post here your experiences with Canadian immigration.

- K

:bounce:

[NurseLefty]

58. Will do.

[Only Me]

56. You are very brave to start a new life...I have dreamed about it for

along time. I would love to move my family someplace where being
different from the rest of the cookie cutter society wasn't evil.
Money and uprooting my family has been my hold so far...but one day.

[NurseLefty]

59. I'm scared and excited at the same time

...and I am heartbroken that I am leaving here. I love my home of Washington State.
But, a new home awaits me if it's willing to have me.

[depakid]

34. Smart idea, folks

We've pretty much lost every tool we have to fight back. Congress, the Courts, the media, the ballot box. The far right is never going to willingly give up power. It's going to take (as it historically does) some monumental disaster- a major war, an economic meltdown an environmental catastrophy or a pandemic to turn the tide back toward rationality. And I don't want to be around to see it.

Fortunately, I graduate with a masters in public health next term, so it looks like I'll be able to get work abroad. I have friends in the UK as well, so maybe I'll hook up with a nice british woman...B-)

[ktowntennesseedem]

23. My favorite part:

"As Canadians, you'll have to learn to embrace and use all the products and culture of Americans, while bad-mouthing their way of life," he said.

I already bad-mouth almost everything I can think of! Don't see why I couldn't go a few hundred miles north and bad-mouth it from there!

[RedSock]

25. we applied in 2003

if you want to see how my partner and i did it, check out her blog:

http://wemovetocanada.blogspot.com/

check out the oldest entries (from July 2004) to see about the process (pretty extensive) and how much $$ you need (a lot).

[Piperay]

31. THANKS

very interesting I started at the latest and am going to work my way back toward the begining. I am enjoying the read. :thumbsup:

[kostya]

52. Could you summarize, please? There is a lot of material in your

blog besides just the emigration data. From what I can tell it was only about $2,200 in fees and $10K in the bank? What other expenses have you had or do you anticipate? I don't mean to sound flippant, but that is not a terribly large amount of money for us, so perhaps I missed something? - K

[RivetJoint]

28. Good GO

That's the answer leave America all to the repukes...run away, run away.

[The Backlash Cometh]

32. Any good technology colleges in Canada?

[Iceburg]

38. What type of technology ... can you be a little more specific?

[symphony]

33. can you blame them

My better half and I entertained the possibility as well.

[JoFerret]

35. Can states secede

..link with Canada?

[Still_Notafraid]

42. The

Only thing keeping me here is my beloved Louisville cardinal's,
I would die if I could not see all there games.

[Deja Q]

43. Oh good. Leave the country and make the rest of us even weaker.

Go to hell.

Or for something less confrontational, do you REALLY think that * will leave the other first world countries alone, what with peak oil and all?! Recall Clinton's NAFTA. NAFTA gives us the 'right' to take Canadian energy supplies in a time of crisis (oil, gas).

If you're leaving citing political persecution, that's fine. But none of us has a need. Yet. And we homosexuals are more likely to need asylum. You heteros can stay home and give us the gift of life by allowing us to leave.

[siliconefreak]

46. huh?

Hypno, your post is neither rational nor logical. As long as humans have been on this earth, they have migrated to improve their lives for food, relationships, political issues, etc. With Bush's (re-)election, there will be thousands - if not millions - who will want to leave the U.S. for a better life elsewhere.

I hired a Canadian immigration attorney 20 minutes after Kerry conceded. See you in Toronto! :D

[pacalo]

45. The Repugs want a one-party system -- moving out of the country

would help them get it.

[Yavin4]

50. Dude, They Already Have It

Except for some token representation in a few states, they already have a one party nation. They have the Presidency, the Congress, the governorships, the courts, the media, and they can re-district at will to keep themselves in power. In a word, they have complete and total control of the U.S.

The only avenue that's left to you is to pick up arms and violently over-throw them.

[pacalo]

54. Until the coWard-n-thief gets impeached.

Btw, I'm a dudette. ;)

[anotherginger]

49. I already feel alone in Georgia....

I hate to think of all other dems crossing the border....damn.

[uncertainty1999]

53. Romantic fantasy

Moving to Canada is a romantic fantasy. All 50 million of us who voted for Kerry cannot go there (there are about 30 mil there now) - how many jobs will there be for us then?

[NurseLefty]

60. They still want quite a few people, though

According to the following article, Canada wants 220,000-240,000 PER YEAR.
If you can string a sentence together and have education and/or marketable skill(s), it's entirely feasible.

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=616304§ion=news