The Great DU Migration to Canada

[RainDog]

As the demo convention kicks off with interfaith services, and as the woman who is the head of this is a rabid homophobe, and as it appears Obama will likely pick either an anti-choice or DLC jerkoff as his vp.... and considering that I have not had health insurance for the majority of the last 8 years, and considering that I am not really thrilled about living in a nation in which the Attn. Gen. protects criminals from prosecution and the party with which I vote has refused hold impeachment hearings to bring the current admins crimes to the attention of the American people...

Is it possible to create in intentional community that exists outside of the U.S. and for the members of that community to be able to move to Canada as a group to start a biz or some such? Yes, this is wishful thinking, but, apparently, so is any hope that the criminals who have trashed our country will be held accountable. Which makes me really, really, really want to pack up and go.

So, if you want to be in the intentional community, what skills can you bring to it? (Proles asked about a DU commune, but honestly, I am serious about trying to think of ways that are "outside the box" that would make it possible to vote with your feet.

So, whatcha got?

[kedrys]

1. I already made my escape, but I cheated

I'm a Canadian citizen.

Immigration rules in Canada are more stringent than ever, evidently a knee-jerk reaction to the insane policies of our neighbor to the south. My (American) s.o. is a highly qualified professional, and even though we're married, the s.o. cannot hold *any* job or go to *any* school while I undertake the necessary sponsorship paperwork. If we'd done this 10 years ago, it would have been no thing.

Canada welcomes business interests, as long as there is a sizable (and documented) stash of $$ to be invested in said business.

Start here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/business/index.asp

I'm sorry I can't help more. If I could, I'd adopt the whole Lounge. :(

[DFW]

2. I sorta cheated

I am married to a German citizen, and though I keep my US citizenship,
if I were ever so inclined, I would be able to get German residence and
citizenship if I wanted. My superiors stateside might freak, though, and
I have a cool day job I'd like to keep.

[BrklynLiberal]

3. I have been pondering this since 2000, the first time the election was stolen.

If I had done it then, it would have been a lot easier than doing it now.
I am sorry I procrastinated.

[RainDog]

4. I've wanted to leave for a while too

but I had to wait until this year to seriously consider it. I've applied for jobs in Canada in my field but all of the places say they also give preference to Canadians for jobs. Which makes sense.

I'm also looking into what sort of assets you have to bring to start a small biz there.

[Symarip]

5. My mom is not only a foreign national

She's leaving to go back to Europe to retire. The backdoor looks like it might be open for me in order to assist her in her leisure years.

[mwooldri]

9. If your mother is UK or Irish citizen...

... then the door is open wide for you NOW.

All you would need in addition to your own ID documents (passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate if any and if it applies, dunno on that part), you will need your mothers' birth certificate (certified copy) and if applicable her marriage certificate, especially if she changed her last name in the marriage. Armed with these documents, you are eligible for UK or Irish citizenship. This also confers on you EU citizenship, and you have the right to reside, work and even vote in any of the EU countries. You might have the right to live and work in Switzerland, Norway and Iceland but I don't know about that (they're considered European Economic Area countries and these guys can go through the EU lane at the airport).

All the best, Mark.

[mnhtnbb]

6. Hubby and I have permanent resident visas in Panama--only problem

is that we have no home there.

Thanks to the greedy American developers, our house has been sitting half finished since
Jan 07 when the labor union went on strike. The developers used the strike to cover
their poor financial position. They used down payments from buyers to purchase more
land and expand the scope of their project and when construction didn't proceed quickly
enough, they got in the hole. What a mess.

There is a clause in our contract that specified our money was to be returned if the house wasn't
completed by June 08. We're looking into filing a lawsuit against them--which in Panama means
you can go after their land.

What a mess. We could vote with our feet but we have no 'place' to go.

[FloridaJudy]

7. I tried emigrating in 2004

I was too old then, and I'm four years older now. This despite being in a highly desirable profession - I'm a public health nurse with a master's degree and over thirty years of experience.

I wonder if one is allowed to retire to Canada, though? I wouldn't be taking a job from a Canadian citizen, and I'd have a US pension, for what that's worth, which appears to be less and less. I could hang on in this country for another four years if forced to, but the thought of living here any longer under another Repuke Administration gives me no joy.

I guess it all hinges on what happens in November.

[mwooldri]

10. Try New Zealand.

My sister got a one year work visa to work as a nurse in New Zealand - she'd been working for about a year in the UK NHS before she left. My guess is that you could get work in NZ, but how long you'd be able to stay is another thing. Since nurses in general are in demand there I'd guess you'd be able to stay as long as you wanted, provided all the necessary paperwork was filled out.

Regards, Mark.

[TZ]

8. I like the idea..

However..If I left this country (which I've thought of from time to time)..I think it would be for Oz instead.
I have a feeling I'd fit in well there.

[RainDog]

11. and considering the replies, it should be the 'small' migration

if I had gotten married one year earlier, I would have had/still have automatic EU citizenship. I wonder if they know if I'm divorced tho? hmmmmm.