# Escaping the United States **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 4, 2010, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993 "2010-06-04T23:30:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993/21 "2010-06-05T02:30:02Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > f you opt to become a Western Canadian … Why would anyone do that? Didn’t you Calgarians get SNOW last week?!?! > [@sinjin](#): > > Need any part time thermodynamics instructors or large steam or nuclear power plant outage engineers? Re: Thermodynamics instructors - yes please, mine sucked this year at university! I’m sure Ontario could use your services in their nuclear power plants. Engineers are actually a group that does well, when it comes to getting permission to immigrate. > [@Sunspace](#): > > That’s _pommes frites_. French is not a foreign language here. Most of us just say “frites” or “patates frites”. But if any of you Americans can speak French, those are huge bonus points on the immigration test! ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993/22 "2010-06-05T02:59:16Z")
It is hard to get into Canada. Back in the 90s my company TWICE offered me a job in Toronto. They were going to pay for everything and Canada refused. They said, “If a job can be done by a Canadian you need to HIRE a Canadian.” So even with a job waiting for me, I couldn’t get in. I have no criminal record or anything. I had a job willing to pay to relocate me and the whole bit, but still Canada was very picky about who to let in. Unless your a refugee or in a profession that is sorely lacking…Well good luck. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993/23 "2010-06-05T03:50:49Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > Noooooo! **Dr. Drake** , you just broke my heart! There was a thread a while ago about which doper you thought was hot and I said you. And you even live near me! Really? _blushes_ ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993/24 "2010-06-05T05:21:55Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > What’s your take on Canadian Bacon? {Note: This is a trick question.} Well, Alan Alda was terrible, I never did like John Candy, and it really wasn’t very funny. But he’s asking about _immigrating_, not _invading_…is that the trick? ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993/25 "2010-06-05T05:25:40Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Heh heh heh - we visit the US all the time, making our plans, scouting the territory - I mean, on vacations. Yeah, vacations, that’s it. and leaving your fake quarters and nickels all over the place :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993/26 "2010-06-05T05:58:16Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > Why would anyone do that? Didn’t you Calgarians get SNOW last week?!?!\ Hey, it killed the mosquitoes! ---
**Author:** ![Foldup\_Rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Foldup\_Rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foldup_Rabbit)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993/27 "2010-06-05T06:26:04Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > Why would anyone do that? Didn’t you Calgarians get SNOW last week?!?! Calgary =/= Western Canada /living in Vancouver, snow-free since 2008. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993/28 "2010-06-05T13:32:05Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > It is hard to get into Canada. Back in the 90s my company TWICE offered me a job in Toronto. They were going to pay for everything and Canada refused. They said, “If a job can be done by a Canadian you need to HIRE a Canadian.” > > So even with a job waiting for me, I couldn’t get in. I have no criminal record or anything. I had a job willing to pay to relocate me and the whole bit, but still Canada was very picky about who to let in. Unless your a refugee or in a profession that is sorely lacking…Well good luck. Canadian bigots! Racists! who knew? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993/29 "2010-06-05T13:52:13Z")
My mother (a Canadian) immigrated to the US shortly after WWII when she married my father, a US Citizen. She died 25 yrs ago, and she never became a US Citizen. I still have her original “green card”. Are my chances of moving to Canada better than most US citizens? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993/30 "2010-06-05T16:01:35Z")
**notfrommensa** , when were you born? you might want to check out the [Citizenship & Immigration Canada](http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.asp) web-page, as there’s a possibility you might be a Canadian, via your mother. It used to be that citizenship only passed through the father, but I think the feds made some retroactive changes a while ago to include people born to Canadian women outside of Canada. I don’t do immigration law, and this isn’t meant as legal advice - just to say that you might want to look into it. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993/31 "2010-06-05T16:19:55Z")
> [@Foldup\_Rabbit](#): > > Calgary =/= Western Canada > > /living in Vancouver, snow-free since 2008. I know…I watched the Olympics! And Calgary is Western…they even have cowboy hats out there! I know 'cause I saw it once. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993/32 "2010-06-05T16:34:47Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > I know…I watched the Olympics! > > And Calgary is Western…they even have cowboy hats out there! I know 'cause I saw it once. They have some little rodeo thing, too. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993/33 "2010-06-05T17:04:36Z")
> [@sinjin](#): > > w00t, I’ll be crossing the border near Waterton Lakes Park, will you meet me there with the appropriate paperwork? Need any part time thermodynamics instructors or large steam or nuclear power plant outage engineers? Where, at Coutts/Sweetgrass? That’s only an hour away. Let me know when you’re coming through; we’ll get a beer. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993/34 "2010-06-05T17:07:55Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > **notfrommensa** , when were you born? you might want to check out the [Citizenship & Immigration Canada](http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.asp) web-page, as there’s a possibility you might be a Canadian, via your mother. It used to be that citizenship only passed through the father, but I think the feds made some retroactive changes a while ago to include people born to Canadian women outside of Canada. > > I don’t do immigration law, and this isn’t meant as legal advice - just to say that you might want to look into it. After a little thrashing about on the linked page, I found [this](http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/faq/citizenship/cit-proof-faq01.asp): > [@](#): > > You may be a Canadian if you were born in another country before February 15, 1977, and one of your parents was a Canadian citizen at the time of your birth. > > When the new law came into effect, Canadian citizenship was restored to many people who lost it in the past. If you were born in another country, between January 1, 1947 and February 15, 1977, and one of your parents was a Canadian citizen when you were born or is someone who regained citizenship under the new law, you may also be a Canadian citizen under the new law. [Find out if you are a citizen under the new law.](http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/rules-citizenship.asp) 1947 is when Canadian citizenship was created. Before that, we were all British subjects. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993/35 "2010-06-05T17:16:22Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > and leaving your fake quarters and nickels all over the place :mad: Hey, you leave yours all over here. Tit for tat. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993/36 "2010-06-05T17:17:07Z")
Strange that the Canadians won’t let Americans in, but the place is flooded with Chinese, Indian, Portuguese, Italian and Greek immigrants. How do they get in? There are certain professions that are eligible for expedited entry into Canada, but considering the recession, I haven’t had much luck. Four years ago, if I applied for a planning job north of the border, I’d have a decent chance at an interview. Today, forget it, event though there’s still plenty of vacancies that go begging. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993/37 "2010-06-05T17:23:48Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Strange that the Canadians won’t let Americans in, but the place is flooded with Chinese, Indian, Portuguese, Italian and Greek immigrants. How do they get in? > > There are certain professions that are eligible for expedited entry into Canada, but considering the recession, I haven’t had much luck. Four years ago, if I applied for a planning job north of the border, I’d have a decent chance at an interview. Today, forget it, event though there’s still plenty of vacancies that go begging. They let me in, and I’m male, originally American and pasty white. Maybe I’m a token. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993/38 "2010-06-05T17:53:43Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > After a little thrashing about on the linked page, I found [this](http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/faq/citizenship/cit-proof-faq01.asp): 1947 is when Canadian citizenship was created. Before that, we were all British subjects. This (the information quoted in **Sunspace’s** post above] is how I got my Canadian citizenship. In addition to the above, I had to prove that (1) I was born “in wedlock,” and (2) that my mother was a Canadian citizen at the time of my birth. Essentially, all I had to provide was a photo ID, official copies of my mother’s birth certificate and marriage certificate, my birth certificate, and a copy of her green card. Wait a few weeks, and voilà! Instant Canadian. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993/39 "2010-06-05T18:30:37Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > My mother (a Canadian) immigrated to the US shortly after WWII when she married my father, a US Citizen. She died 25 yrs ago, and she never became a US Citizen. I still have her original “green card”. > > Are my chances of moving to Canada better than most US citizens? You _ **are** _ a Canadian citizen, by Canada law. Go here: > **[Immigration and citizenship - Canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/immigration-citizenship.html)** > > Apply to visit, work, study, or immigrate to Canada. Find out how to become a permanent resident (PR) or Canadian citizen. for details. That’s similar to my situation. ETA: I see several people beat me to it. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993/40 "2010-06-05T18:44:04Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Hey, you leave yours all over here. Tit for tat. 😃 Not likely, we don’t even know where Canada is. Those are from your people bring them back from here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaping-the-united-states/541993.md?page=3)