ScottD

Hi

Can American citizens buy property in canada and live there? I am working 100% traveling job through US where I can live anywhere in US or Canada . I hear a lot of good things about Vancouver . my work will be in US but I want to live in vancouver .

I never been to Canada and I do not have any visa to Canada

again working traveling job through US but want to live in Canada . my work allow me to live anywhere in US or Canada

Thanks

Judy in Calgary

An American citizen cannot just decide to live in Canada. He/she has to obtain a visa that gives him/her the right to live in Canada.

Americans with certain kinds of qualifications and in certain situations can get NAFTA visas that allow them to live and work in Canada. However, those visas are intended for American citizens who want to work in Canada or do business in Canada. They are not intended for American citizens who want to have a home base in Canada and work elsewhere.

There is another process you can go through to gain admission to Canada. You could apply for a permanent residence (PR) visa under the skilled worker category. It's a lengthy process (5+ years if you are not fast tracked by virtue of having a job offer that meets with Human Resources and Social Development Canada's approval).

If you score enough points, you most likely will be granted a PR visa after that long wait. Here is a self-assessment test that will give you an idea if you will earn enough points.

There is one downfall with the PR route for someone in your situation, however (over and above the long waiting period). To maintain your permanent resident status, you have to meet residency obligations. Basically you need to live in Canada for 730 days (two years) out of the first five years following your date of "landing" in Canada and taking up your PR status. After your first five years in Canada is up, you have to live in Canada for a total of two years out of any rolling five-year period.

The only way you can be outside of Canada for more than three out of every five years and still retain your PR status is to work abroad for a Canadian corporation or the Canadian government. Oh yes, if you are married to a Canadian citizen and accompany your spouse abroad, any time you spend with your spouse outside of Canada is counted as if it was time spent inside of Canada for the purposes of fulfilling your residency obligations.

I'm not an expert on immigration. You would find more qualified assistance if you posted this query in the Canadian Immigration forum. Perhaps someone there will know a way for you to get into Canada that I don't know about.

I personally prefer Canada to the USA. However, the social and cultural environment of the Pacific Northwest is relatively similar to that of British Columbia. Some residents of Oregon, Washington State and British Colubmia feel that they have so much in common that they should form a country called Cascadia. I think it's mostly a joke more than anything else, but it does hint at the affinity that the residents of that region have for each other. What I'm trying to say is that, if you find you cannot obtain authorisation to live in Canada, your next best bet might be to live in Seattle or Portland or some such place.

Hope that helps.

Jerseygirl

How do you know you want to live there if you've never been?