Choose Canada
Did you know Canada SEEKS new immigrants?
Maryam Manteghi
April 25, 2005
iranian.com
My last trip home was a real eye-opener. Since I
am now based in Sarajevo, trips home are always very exciting,
mainly for shopping and eating reasons. You'd
be surprised how much you can actually miss Taco Bell and Starbucks when it's
not readily available. Plus when you finally do get to McDonald's (they actually
went bankrupt in Sarajevo) you can supersize with no guilt. Personally, my
biggest indulgence when I get to Canada is Chapters (A Canadian and therefore
better version of Barnes & Noble bookstore). English books in Sarajevo
are very expensive and there isn't much variety.
Whenever I travel
home
I try my best to get
to Montreal. My home is Toronto but Montreal is definitely my
favourite Canadian
city. It's cosmopolitan and bohemian at the same time and NOT pretentious.
A great mix of immigrants from different backgrounds living in a French
and English environment give Montreal a real European flair. One
of my dreams
has always been to buy some nice real estate there.
Finally,
on this trip, I decided
to check out the market. Montreal has always been one of the most affordable
Canadian cities to buy real estate. Not anymore. As my uncle and I drove
around, he started pointing out new condo and housing developments
all around the city.
Apparently a slew of Americans have started buying
up the real estate in Montreal post 9/11. Many of these same Americans
are immigrating
to Canada as skilled
immigrants because they feel they can no longer live in post-9/11
USA. Many non-Americans who are temporary workers in the US and
who are on an H-1B
visa or other temporary status are also choosing to immigrate
to Canada. They feel
that it's not the best time to be a foreigner in the U.S. and Canada's
multi-culturalism and higher human
rights standards appeals to them.
As a Canadian immigration lawyer, these are interesting
developments. It's my business to know where people are choosing
to immigrate and why. Some
people make decisions based on little information or misinformation.
I always explain
to my European clients that for all the welfare nets of some European
countries, they are not and never will be immigration countries,
countries built on
and strengthened by immigration and diversity.
For many people, especially
in the
Balkans and Eastern Europe, they simply don't know that Canada has
an immigration policy which SEEKS new immigrants. I spend a lot
of
time simply explaining
to
people that this program exists and that yes, they may be eligible.
Of course many people have their own personal reasons for where
they decide
to immigrate;
family re-unification, jobs, studies etc.
While all destinations have
their pros and cons, Canada definitely has huge advantages
no other country can
provide. Canada actually HAS an immigration policy, arguably the
most generous of any
country AND seeks new immigrants. Every year about 250,000-300,000
people from all over the world who speak English, have university
and some work
experience
immigrate to Canada. This is a deliberate immigration policy put
in place by the Canadian government to attract new immigrants to
Canada.
Once
you immigrate
to Canada, you are a permanent resident. This means that you have
access to the
same health care, work opportunities and educational institutions
as a Canadian citizen. Permanent residents can also sponsor family
members to
come to Canada.
After at least 3 years as a permanent resident, you can apply for
citizenship
and a Canadian passport.
For international students, studying in
Canada is definitely a great option. Considerably cheaper than
U.S. universities,
Canadian
universities
offer the same and often higher standards than their U.S. counterparts.
After finishing your studies, some provinces allow you a one
year work permit which
can be extended, all of which can make it much easier to immigrate
to Canada after you finish studying.
Alright, enough already. I'm starting to get worried
now, the more I advertise, the less my chances of buying that great
apartment in Montreal.
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