Dual citizen looking to take a 2 year college program in Ontario.

[Daveanddualcitizenship]

Hi, everyone, I was born in New Brunswick and my parents were US citizens with long term residency. I, therefor, have dual citizenship with the US and Canada. I would like to inquire about what I need to do to move to Ontario with the intention of completing a two year degree program and then establishing permanent residency upon my degree completion and finding a job. My questions are would I fall under the classification of a US citizen and be subjected to the same rules? Would I have to establish a permanent residency even though I have dual citizenship? I would only be in Canada while I was enrolled during the school year for the 2/3 year duration. I would probably stay in the dorms of the campus where I choose to attend.

I'd appreciate any relevant links to information that could answer my questions, or maybe opinions of folks who've had a similar experience. Thanks!

 

[Leon]

You are a Canadian citizen and as such, you do not need any kind of visa or permanent residency. You have the same right to live in Canada as you do in the US.

If you do not have a current Canadian passport, you should apply for one. You can do this by mail here: http://www.ppt.gc.ca/info/form.aspx?lang=eng&region=USA You should use your Canadian passport to enter Canada and your US passport to enter the US.

When you arrive in Ontario, you have a few things to do to get set up. If you do not have a SIN already (the Canadian version of an SSN), you need to apply for one. You can do this at any Service Canada office, you will get the SIN immediately and can start using it for example to open a bank account, get a part time job etc. Here is how to find a Service Canada near you: http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/cgi-bin/sc-srch.cgi

Here is how you apply for health care in Ontario: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/programs/ohip/ You would not get it until after 3 months so you should make sure you have an accident/emergency insurance for that time.

You should exchange your drivers license for an Ontario license within 2 months of arriving.