If that’s the case (I have no idea), what percentage of Canadians do you think would qualify? Not many people I know fit that description.
It would have been quite a bit higher just a few years ago, when more people had grandparents who were war brides or who had been British soldiers that immirated after the war. But that generation is dying.
I think that changed in the 80’s. It may be easier to get a visa but not permanent residency or citizenship.
Large chunk of Canadians just got here and it’s a hassle to move 
Yeah, I looked into that a while back; all my grandparents were born in England. As a [del]Commonwealth citizen[/del] correction: citizen of a Commonwealth country (the Commonwealth doesn’t have its own citizenship) with UK ancestry, I can get a visa to live and work in the UK. But it’s only the five-year residency deal (unless things have changed again). I would have to apply for UK citizenship in the same way as any other immigrant.
(That reminds me; I have to email my cousin there tonight…)
I was born in the UK (Scotland). I’ve been a Canadian citizen since 1974. I have a Canadian passport.
As it turns out, I am still eligible to get a British passport, which would in turn make me a citizen of the European Union. I should really do this, just for the hell of it.
What do you think?
Why not?
You are in fact a British subject; it’s just a matter of getting the documentation.
Ah, fair enough. There goes Operation: Easy Move to London (my maternal grandmother was born in the UK. Poland also changed its rules too or else I’d have an in there).
I know people who’ve gotten Irish citizenship under exactly this pretense. It seems like a no brainer unless there’d be negative tax implications.
I was under the impression you had to physically reside in Canada for a certain percentage of the year to qualify for health care coverage. I guess this must vary from province to province?
At least here in Ontario, it’s half the year at least, or you technically give up your coverage. How well enforced that is I cannot say.
Although I’m wondering if this is really the case for most Americans. When I take what I paid in premiums last year ($4320), add the $2000 deductible, and factor in co-pays and non-covered expenses and compare that to the difference in per capita income, I’d come out slightly ahead with Canadian health care. And my insurance premiums are due to increase again soon.
Of course, in Canada, I’d have to wait eons for a doctor’s appointment, but that’s another story for another thread.
Sometimes it takes me a few months to get an annual physical exam, but it takes at most a day or two to get a doctor’s appointment if there is something significant wrong with me (e.g. a bladder infection). The only time I’ve had issues with that is when my GP is on holidays.
As someone who’s experienced heath care in both Canada (OHIP) and the US (with decent insurance), I’ve certainly never found the US system less slow and bureaucratic than the Canadian one. I’ve gotten seen and treated freakishly quickly and painfully slowly for various issues under both regimes.
But that discussion is probably a derailment for this thread.
There are exceptions for students and certain other situations where work might take you out of the country/province for more than the 180 days or whatever. I spent 4 years in Ontario as a student as a resident of Québec and kept getting health care paid by the RAMQ. I just had to sign a form every year saying I was away in school. I don’t even think the school had to prove it, though I guess if my healthcare costs became ridiculously high or something they might have asked for proof.
I usually get doctor’s appointments within 2 weeks of calling - and that’s usually a compromise between their business hours and my general availability. I got an MRI 2 weeks after putting in a request. Walk-in clinics might have long waits, but I end up seeing the same doctor whenever I need, and triage in emergency rooms pretty much works the same everywhere, right? Neither my husband or I have ever really had to wait longer than a few weeks for anything, though we haven’t had any cases that needed immediate care.