I did not just walk on in, even though I was born 6 hrs away from where we lived. My husband also had to sign an official paper saying he'd support me for 10 yrs regardless of relationship status, so I'd never be a burden on the govt.
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The kids & I came in on my husbands labour market opinion visa. At the border I was rigorously quizzed to ensure I provided the same answers as he did. we had duplicates & originals of every single document. It was terrifying. For years it was expensive & time & mental health consuming.
I found applying for citizenship time-consuming but nowhere near as anxiety-provoking as applying for PR had been. I was glad it was over after, though, too.
Fun fact: I immigrated not long after they changed the old term “landed immigrant” to the new “permanent resident”, so the “landing” wording was still everywhere. When I finally received it, I rented a community hall and held a “landing party” (with Star Trek themed invitations and a live band).
My route was definitely more open. I came in on a pilot scheme for skilled TFWs. I did literally turn up at Pearson with a job offer letter and a suitcase, permit issued there and then. No LMO needed if the job matched very specific skills, and mine did. Of course, that was under Harper 😀
It just goes on and on. Tracking, paying, making sure you've got the next batch of stuff ready. Once we got the results from out citizenship exam I relaxed.
Same for the physical and background check. I also needed to prove that I have at 3000$ on my bank account to sustain myself for three month. For Quebec, you need to prove that you speak French by passing an official test or by sending you french post-elementary education degree
I had to prove that I spoke English or French, my hs diploma from the US was proof enough. And also had to provide letters of reference with copies of THEIR ID. And then when applying for citizenship had to provide all the dates I left the country during PR and the purpose.
OMG, that’s right—every day I was outside of Canada for any reason counted against me for citizenship, which is fair enough, but it meant KEEPING TRACK of all that! I was travelling constantly for work at the time so it was SO much paperwork.
Being in the 90s that had to be a major pain in the ass! I, thankfully, was able to go online and double-check with spending on my bank card for the wheres and whens.
I kept all my paper calendars for years because I was paranoid about being able to prove it if necessary. I actually JUST threw the last ones away cleaning out my office.
All the steps and tests cost money. Becoming a citizen or even a permanent resident of Canada is a long and costly process, that can take between 6 to 10 years depending the path you chose. During this time, you might not have access to basic advantages such as healthcare.
Hey @grinchkicker.bsky.social and @tankafere.bsky.social, thanks for sharing a bit about getting in.
One of the things we don't chat about enough is the way the Cdn border stretches in space and time to meet you overseas long before you come and then chases you inland for *years* after arrival...
It's just such a fallacy that people are "flooding the borders" when it's hard, time-consuming, and costs a good deal of money. The reality is there are a lot of (justified) hurdles in place to get here.
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One of the things we don't chat about enough is the way the Cdn border stretches in space and time to meet you overseas long before you come and then chases you inland for *years* after arrival...