Retirement in Canada?

[Carol Rosin]

I am a young 64, my husband-76.  American citizens but want to retire in Vancouver, Canada.  I am President of a non-profit Institute that is located in Vancouver, and a former hotel owner.  My husband is a retired actor...who could teach about acting.  But we'd love to retire near our friends in Vancouver.  Is it possible to retire in Canada and keep our US citizenship? If yes, what are the steps?  We need to keep our citizenship in the US in order to get my husband's pension. 

[PMM]

Hi

I am a young 64, my husband-76.  American citizens but want to retire in Vancouver, Canada.  I am President of a non-profit Institute that is located in Vancouver, and a former hotel owner.  My husband is a retired actor...who could teach about acting.  But we'd love to retire near our friends in Vancouver.  Is it possible to retire in Canada and keep our US citizenship? If yes, what are the steps?  We need to keep our citizenship in the US in order to get my husband's pension. 

1.  There is no longer a retirement category for Canadian Immigration.
2.  Citizenship and Permanent Residence are two different things, so no worry on that front.
3.  With your ages and retirement, it is unlikely that you would qualify for Immigration, you could live in Canada as a visitor for up to 6 months at a time, but it would not allow you to work or access the medical system.

PMM

[Leon]

You can look into if any immigration class suits you at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.asp or look for a thread on this forum a while back where somebody was asking the exact same question and decided on applying for a student visa and going back to college.  Apparently there is a college in BC that offers programs suited for retirees.  With a student visa, you would get health care and you might find an option to apply to immigrate later as a PNP graduate or something.