Like many others around the world as I write this, I am currently going through the arduous process of attaining Canadian Permanent Residency. I say arduous here, as among the many other “hoops” you are required to jump through, one of the key facets of the application was to sit an English language exam. Being born and bred in England meant I found some humour in this madness, despite the $300 fee…
In the last year, there have been hundreds of thousands of applications for the right to make a life here in this beautiful country. Why, you ask? Well, just look around you – many Canadians that I have met just don’t know how good they have it here!
Canada is one of the most beautiful countries that I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing, surrounded by untouched wilderness and providing so many opportunities to all cultures and those lucky enough to live here.
Coming from England, I recently became fascinated with the North American dream, blessed with the ability to call various places in the North-Eastern U.S. states, and now Rain City, home.
I came here on a Working Holiday Visa two years ago – an amazing opportunity, which I have since found one main problem with. Most countries that do offer a WHV program offer a maximum of one year to stay and work, but with Canada offering double that, you are given enough time in your new surroundings to forge an actual, real life for yourself – potentially to your detriment. Whilst obviously not being your God-given right, and without trying to sound like a stereotypical, entitled millennial, it would be kind of cruel to have that platform ripped from under your feet, and be forced to start again elsewhere should my P.R application fail.
Beforehand, I had always seen Canada as America’s younger brother, as perhaps many other slightly ignorant Europeans had done too. Thinking of it now, maybe with the current state of affairs to the South of us, that is actually now a unique selling point, rather than a slight on The True North.
Coming into its 150th year, the international draw of Canada is illustrated by the hundreds of thousands of worldwide applications for Parks Canada’s 2017 Discover Pass – a free ticket to see the majority of those picturesque landscapes that you can find across any given Instagram feed on a daily basis.
Ranked highly over the last few years in various Livability Indexes, on a recent trip home I also saw an upsurge in tourism companies advertising the amazing vast scenery of Canada to prospective holidaymakers around the UK. With recent terrorism rises in Europe, I know the comparative safety and cultural acceptance that Canada offers, to be yet more bullet points on an already healthy list of reasons to migrate here.
Patience and common sense may lead to permanent residency in Canada.
It is not an easy process, however, this whole immigration “malarky.” The CIC’s website is notoriously hard to navigate – just ask those who have had to try. There is not a wealth of information out there about the process, unless you are willing to pay huge sums to one of the many immigration consultants or lawyers who have cashed in on this recent immigration “boom”; however, it would be fair to say that Canada is a country built by immigration.
Honestly, from personal experience, the majority of assistance that I needed has been answered via a number of Facebook groups set up and frequented by people who are all in the same boat. Some of this information though oftentimes has to be applied with a good deal of common sense in mind – in addition, you have to bear in mind that no two applications can possibly be the same.
At the time of writing, my visa expires a month from now – stressful times to say the least! Working Holiday Visas in Hong Kong, New Zealand or Australia are all options for me if Canada does not work out – even going back to England is a consideration.
However, my preferred choice is an obvious one – to attain residency in Oh Canada, eventually leading to Dual Citizenship.
I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything more!
