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Immigration from USA to Canada

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jamikay123

Newbie
Sep 24, 2020
2
0
USA
Hey everyone!

My name is Jami. I'm 21 and reside in the US. My spouse and I have been wanting to immigrate to CAN for some time now and I've been doing extensive research on what would be the best options to gain residency with our neighbors of the north. :)

Currently I am doing my pre-requisites for Radiology (Associate's Degree) and I understand that the Canadian University system treats this as a potential 2-year diploma. We are interested in being a part of the Quebec or Nova Scotia province due to affordable cost of living, and higher demand for NOC 3215. We are also learning to become proficient in French before even considering the move.

What I wanted to know is the following:

•Would it be more beneficial to proceed with my bachelors here in the US, gain 1-2 years of experience in the field, then apply for a sponsorship or a work permit if selected for a job?
OR
•Should I proceed with getting the Associate's degree here from an accredited college that would transfer for credits, then apply for a bachelor's degree and proceed to Canada on a study permit?

Also side question: I know that Canada makes it necessary for immigrants to have enough income for living expenses when processing the move. What would that cost be for myself and a spouse? I saw $15,000 somewhere but wanted to confirm. Thanks everyone!
 
jamikay123 said:
Hey everyone!

My name is Jami. I'm 21 and reside in the US. My spouse and I have been wanting to immigrate to CAN for some time now and I've been doing extensive research on what would be the best options to gain residency with our neighbors of the north. :)

Currently I am doing my pre-requisites for Radiology (Associate's Degree) and I understand that the Canadian University system treats this as a potential 2-year diploma. We are interested in being a part of the Quebec or Nova Scotia province due to affordable cost of living, and higher demand for NOC 3215. We are also learning to become proficient in French before even considering the move.

What I wanted to know is the following:

•Would it be more beneficial to proceed with my bachelors here in the US, gain 1-2 years of experience in the field, then apply for a sponsorship or a work permit if selected for a job?
OR
•Should I proceed with getting the Associate's degree here from an accredited college that would transfer for credits, then apply for a bachelor's degree and proceed to Canada on a study permit?

Also side question: I know that Canada makes it necessary for immigrants to have enough income for living expenses when processing the move. What would that cost be for myself and a spouse? I saw $15,000 somewhere but wanted to confirm. Thanks everyone!
Click to expand...

Would encourage you to do more research. You are unlikely to qualify for many years since the CRS score needed is over 470. You'll need 2 degrees and 3 years of work experience. If you try to study in Canada you'll need to show at least 25k in savings and bringing your spouse to Canada while you atudy is not guaranteed. You will also need to look at the licensing requirements in Canada which may require additional testing or education. In Canada a readiology tech is usually a second entry program and nost people have a bachelors degree before entering the program. To work in public healthcare in Quebec you will really need to be bilingual.
 
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canuck78 said:
Would encourage you to do more research. You are unlikely to qualify for many years since the CRS score needed is over 470. You'll need 2 degrees and 3 years of work experience. If you try to study in Canada you'll need to show at least 25k in savings and bringing your spouse to Canada while you atudy is not guaranteed. You will also need to look at the licensing requirements in Canada which may require additional testing or education. In Canada a readiology tech is usually a second entry program and nost people have a bachelors degree before entering the program. To work in public healthcare in Quebec you will really need to be bilingual.
Click to expand...
Hey Canuck! Thank you for being honest about the process. I definitely am still continuing to do my research on it and don’t project this to be an overnight process. While this may be discouraging for others, I find this extremely motivating. I appreciate you! I wanted some clarification on the Rad Tech portion being a secondary program up there. Did you by chance have any references I could look at in regards to immigrating as a Rad Tech?

I used this as one of the references for already having a bachelors and immigrating under a work permit: https://www.prepareforcanada.com/ca...o-canada-as-a-medical-radiation-technologist/

Also, did you have any insight of sponsorships and tips on how to be sponsored? Thanks again.
 
jamikay123 said:
Hey Canuck! Thank you for being honest about the process. I definitely am still continuing to do my research on it and don’t project this to be an overnight process. While this may be discouraging for others, I find this extremely motivating. I appreciate you! I wanted some clarification on the Rad Tech portion being a secondary program up there. Did you by chance have any references I could look at in regards to immigrating as a Rad Tech?

I used this as one of the references for already having a bachelors and immigrating under a work permit: https://www.prepareforcanada.com/ca...o-canada-as-a-medical-radiation-technologist/

Also, did you have any insight of sponsorships and tips on how to be sponsored? Thanks again.
Click to expand...

Know people who have applied to the Michener program after doing a bachelors degree at U of T in health sciences. These programs tend to be very competitive to get into in many provinces. I also know foreign trained doctors who have also applied and started the program when they come to Canada. You will have to pass the licensing exam to work in Canada. Without being able licensed to work I think you’ll have difficulty finding an employer interested in hiring you and pursuing an LMIA so that you can either get a work permit or use the job offer to gain points for some immigration programs. I am not sure about the level of demand for rad techs. Smaller communities tend to have problems securing medical professionals in general so you may be able to find an employer willing to give you a job offer. For immigration to Quebec knowing French has become a pretty essential component. As I mentioned before you’ll need to look at the various immigration programs. Only having one degree will limit your options and you’ll need to the IELTS. I would really recommend doing the Canadian licensing exam soon after you graduate so the information is fresh in your brain. You and your spouse will also need to be medically admissible. The savings required depends on the program and whether you have a job offer.


https://michener.ca/choose/
 
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jamikay123 said:
Hey everyone!

My name is Jami. I'm 21 and reside in the US. My spouse and I have been wanting to immigrate to CAN for some time now and I've been doing extensive research on what would be the best options to gain residency with our neighbors of the north. :)

Currently I am doing my pre-requisites for Radiology (Associate's Degree) and I understand that the Canadian University system treats this as a potential 2-year diploma. We are interested in being a part of the Quebec or Nova Scotia province due to affordable cost of living, and higher demand for NOC 3215. We are also learning to become proficient in French before even considering the move.

What I wanted to know is the following:

•Would it be more beneficial to proceed with my bachelors here in the US, gain 1-2 years of experience in the field, then apply for a sponsorship or a work permit if selected for a job?
OR
•Should I proceed with getting the Associate's degree here from an accredited college that would transfer for credits, then apply for a bachelor's degree and proceed to Canada on a study permit?

Also side question: I know that Canada makes it necessary for immigrants to have enough income for living expenses when processing the move. What would that cost be for myself and a spouse? I saw $15,000 somewhere but wanted to confirm. Thanks everyone!
Click to expand...

You'll most need to complete your Bachelors at a minimum and get at least one year of work experience before immigration will be feasible. Yes, one option would be to complete your studies in Canada although how many credits you'll be able to transfer will be up to the school and program you select.

If you haven't done so already, I would recommend that you start by looking at the Express Entry program. This is the main program through which people apply. It's a points-based system which means that those with the most points are selected. I would recommend that you calculate how many points you have to determine where you are now vs. the number of points you need to be selected. Right now you need 470+ points to be chosen out of the applicant pool. You can find details of this program here:

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio...ces/immigrate-canada/express-entry/works.html

I would strongly recommend that you stay away from Quebec and Quebec based-immigration programs. People have had very bad experiences in processing taking and extremely long time and then program flat out being canceled after years of waiting. If you wander over to the Quebec section of the forum, people will tell you to avoid this province and its immigration programs.

Good luck.
 
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jamikay123 said:
Hey Canuck! Thank you for being honest about the process. I definitely am still continuing to do my research on it and don’t project this to be an overnight process. While this may be discouraging for others, I find this extremely motivating. I appreciate you! I wanted some clarification on the Rad Tech portion being a secondary program up there. Did you by chance have any references I could look at in regards to immigrating as a Rad Tech?

I used this as one of the references for already having a bachelors and immigrating under a work permit: https://www.prepareforcanada.com/ca...o-canada-as-a-medical-radiation-technologist/

Also, did you have any insight of sponsorships and tips on how to be sponsored? Thanks again.
Click to expand...
I have no useful information to add, but I just want to point out that you are very young and time is on your side, so you'll be able to work on these credentials needed to migrate to Canada (assuming the status quo keeps in the immigration requirements). Keep the motivation up.

In the chance your spouse also has skilled work experience and high education, it may also be one thing to consider to have him as the primary applicant.
 
I am a Canadian permanent resident living in US from a while , now with my wife I have decided to begin my journey and Immigarte to Canada , my wife is on visitor Visa for Canada , her PR application is under process. Are we good and allowed to enter Canada via road ?
 
jamikay123 said:
Hey everyone!

My name is Jami. I'm 21 and reside in the US. My spouse and I have been wanting to immigrate to CAN for some time now and I've been doing extensive research on what would be the best options to gain residency with our neighbors of the north. :)

Currently I am doing my pre-requisites for Radiology (Associate's Degree) and I understand that the Canadian University system treats this as a potential 2-year diploma. We are interested in being a part of the Quebec or Nova Scotia province due to affordable cost of living, and higher demand for NOC 3215. We are also learning to become proficient in French before even considering the move.

What I wanted to know is the following:

•Would it be more beneficial to proceed with my bachelors here in the US, gain 1-2 years of experience in the field, then apply for a sponsorship or a work permit if selected for a job?
OR
•Should I proceed with getting the Associate's degree here from an accredited college that would transfer for credits, then apply for a bachelor's degree and proceed to Canada on a study permit?

Also side question: I know that Canada makes it necessary for immigrants to have enough income for living expenses when processing the move. What would that cost be for myself and a spouse? I saw $15,000 somewhere but wanted to confirm. Thanks everyone!
Click to expand...


Hi Jami,

I live in Nova Scotia currently and moved here Jan 2019 (PR/family status). I am now also attending one of the Universities in Halifax and I will say that education and cost of living here is far LESS expensive. You could consider checking out the local universities and potentially applying as a student then moving on a student visa, then apply for resident status after you're here.

When we moved here from Denver, Colorado we moved with a 16' POD, 4 people (3 flights, 1 person driving the vehicle across country) had to stay in a hotel / furnished apartment for 1 week before closing on our home. We spent at least $12-15k but you will be able to claim it when doing Canadian taxes and we got it all back.

Getting licensed in NS in the health field is a pain in the @$$ from what I hear from many of my friends who are in the medical field. My husband is also a PT and they just take forever, there is absolutely no rush for them to move people forward and that is the same with Doctors.

Feel free to shoot me a message and I would be happy to give you more insight to living in NS.
 
do_not_reply said:
Well we were planning to move in Feb since only 2 years were left for my PR at that time , but couldn't coz of personal covid situation. Now we have decided to move and be there
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So you landed in February 2017, your PR card expires in February 2022, and you haven't settled in Canada yet? You'll likely be questioned at the border as to why you were absent for so long, and they can file an A44(1) report against you for residency obligation non-compliance.

If so, you'll be issued a removal order and must appeal within 30 days on humanitarian and compassionate grounds to avoid losing your PR status. See the link in my signature for more details. COVID isn't an excuse for remaining abroad since you already had three years prior to the pandemic to live in Canada.
 
Svanbavel1 said:
Hi Jami,

I live in Nova Scotia currently and moved here Jan 2019 (PR/family status). I am now also attending one of the Universities in Halifax and I will say that education and cost of living here is far LESS expensive. You could consider checking out the local universities and potentially applying as a student then moving on a student visa, then apply for resident status after you're here.

When we moved here from Denver, Colorado we moved with a 16' POD, 4 people (3 flights, 1 person driving the vehicle across country) had to stay in a hotel / furnished apartment for 1 week before closing on our home. We spent at least $12-15k but you will be able to claim it when doing Canadian taxes and we got it all back.

Getting licensed in NS in the health field is a pain in the @$$ from what I hear from many of my friends who are in the medical field. My husband is also a PT and they just take forever, there is absolutely no rush for them to move people forward and that is the same with Doctors.

Feel free to shoot me a message and I would be happy to give you more insight to living in NS.
Click to expand...

Process for IMGs is much more complicated unless you did your residency in a few select countries. It can also be difficult to find a job as as a specialist physician in Canada. A large proportion of IMGs never get licensed in Canada because they can't get a residency spot or don't want to repeat their residency.
 
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