Alright so I want to eventually move up to Canada (not sure exactly where, but maybe the montreal area). Has anyone on the forums moved from the US to Canada? If so: How did you obtain your passport? How did you get there (ie. fly, drive, walk :s)? What was it like looking for a place to live? Was it hard going from USD to CND? Whats the employment rate looking like? About how much did it cost to move, and buy a house/apartment? What did you have to do in order to be a resident? Where there any major difficulties with the whole moving process? These are some of the questions i was hoping to find answers to. Also people who already live in Canada, don't be afraid to chime in. Thanks, GC
I can't answer any of your questions, but I'm from British Columbia (haven't lived there since I was little but I go back every year) and you should definitely consider moving there. Sorry but Montreal just sucks some serious dick. BC is amazingly beautiful, it's 90% wilderness but the part that's inhabited (around Vancouver) is very nice and also has the chillest folks around. Not to mention the best weed in the world comes from BC. If you're looking for nice weather, look up the Okanagan Valley (where I'm from). The winters are cold but in the summer it's a resort town with beaches and everything, very laid back. It's like the California of Canada.
I'm from a little town in Souther Ontario, has about 25,000 people. Ontario has pretty lenient marijuana laws, which is a nice bonus. We have coloured currency and i think it's awesome haha. Depending on your skills/qualifications you may have a hard/easy time finding a job. Trades people probably have a harder time finding a job (but maybe that's just southern ontario) If you're going to Montreal tu â prépare parler en francaise. (haha i haven't done that since grade 9 highschool) Canada is pretty awesome, free health care!
@Braves: BC sounds more suited for me because i absolutely love nature (ever since i started smoking haha) and im a super laid back person. Hows the cost of living down there? @Freakish: Didn't know that it was THAT simple lol. @Chronic: Yeah i do NOT speak a lick of french. I just said Montreal because my dad has been there and said its a cool place. Thanks you guys, more people chime in pleasee.
I'm not actually sure the cost of living since I haven't lived there since I was very small. But you should look on craigslist in the Okanagan Valley (Penticton, Kelowna, Summerland, Peachland) for apartments. Plus as someone else mentioned, there's higher taxes but free healthcare! And if you love nature, there is no better place in the world for you than BC. Even in the south of the province where you'd be looking, there are tons of hiking trails and things of that nature. You would be very hard-pressed to find A BCer that doesn't go out every weekend kayaking, hiking or camping. Or smoking lol.
I just looked on craigslist at a couple of apartments and there seem to be some pretty good deals. I saw one that was one bed, one bath, $780/month, utilities included.
Yet to try BC Bud but I've heard it's incredible! And you'd be able to smoke it surrounded by awesome nature. Man I'm up for that!
Thank you ^_^. Do most Canadians frown upon people immigrating from the U.S., namely California, to Canada? EDIT: I think i meant Burnaby, BC heh.
No, in fact we respect you more for realizing how bad america is getting and wanting to come here instead. And burnaby is a nice place, you should definatly go to vancouver island and check out tofino, it is the nicest place for nature ever. You can even go surfing if you want to try! As for becoming a resident, as long as you don't come across as someone who is just going to put strain on the economy, you should have no problem coming in.
Awesome. Reason i ask is because they say that people look down upon Californians because we think we're the best or some bullshit. I actually hate california (except for its weed ^_^) and pretty much the whole US of A. I just wanna go out there and live a better life as a canadian citizen. From what i hear the government is a lot more......how should i say this......intelligent? off topic: i just noticed all the stuff in your sig, congrats on all that ^_^. most ive gotten is a MOUS Certification for Word.
Canadas sweet, I will never permanently reside in any other country. I live in southern Ontario, but ive been all over. Your looking at either BC (Vancouver), Alberta (Calgary) Ontario (Toronto area), Quebec (Montreal) or Nova Scotia (Halifax). Each area is vastly different. Im obviously going to recommend Toronto, since I live there. But depending on what you want to do, what you enjoy, how you want to live, you should look into each area. Eventually I want to live in BC/AB. BTW, BC weed is not any better than Ontario.
Dude Tofino is the shit, I used to go there all the time when I was younger. And bKush, nah you won't have a problem. Canadians are very welcoming people.
What is Toronto like? I could research it, but i would rather hear it from someone who lives there. EDIT: @braves: SOunds good. How is Canada with acceptance of other races? As we all know racism is alive and well in the USA, and with me being a black guy, I would love to feel more welcome by other colors.
Torontos great if you like the big city. It truely is big, but its also very multi-cultural. I actually live in whats called 'the greater Toronto area' which is a collection of citys and towns within the Toronto area. The heart of Toronto though is great, its very lively, always has something going on, has great views and parks. I frequently go downtown Toronto just for fun, to visit various shops that I personally like ( friendly stranger [head shop]) amung the list. Torontos good if you like lively, eventful, friendly, areas. Its also got great public transit ( so you wont really need a car if you live right downtown). I cant even write it all out man, hopefully some other Torontonians will chime in. EDIT; racism is still here, just people arent up front about it. I think canada's much more liberal, but I could name about 15 racially jaded people off the top of my head.
Theres a great town called Barrie, it's close to toronto. I would recomend it. It's big enough to get all the good things of big cities (big stores, lots of jobs) but small enough that it's not busy as shit and the air smells good. Plus its within half an hour of the best ski hills outside of the rockies. Blue Mountain, it's awesome!