Comments on: Five Reasons Why I Live In Canada

By: Zhu

Zhu — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:47:57 +0000

Thank you for you input! I admit I know relatively little about the trade agreement, mostly because it’s that, a trade agreement. That said, it’s much easier to cross the border as a Canadian than as a French or whatever citizenship!

By: Brendan

Brendan — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 07:33:52 +0000

Honestly, NAFTA will really have very little impact on you. It is a trade agreement and does not really do anything in terms of immigration.

Now it may have an impact on items you bring/send across the boarder. Some things may incur tax, for instance if you are bringing you car. A car built outside of north america will get a duty charged on import into canada (this can be expensive depending on what you drive). If it was built in north america though, you are free and clear. This is not brand dependant, but rather where it really was built, so a BMW X5 built in South carolina is the same duty (zero) as a Ford truck built in detroit, but your BMW car built in germany, or your toyota built in japan will get you hit on taxes.

Nafta really streamlined things for import and export, beyond some things like cars you wont see nafta impacting you at all.

By: Zhu

Zhu — Sun, 16 May 2010 01:49:20 +0000

If you are immigrating in the skilled workers category, yes, you must have settlement funds (see here: . Trust me, you will need it — immigrating to another country, no matter where you are from, is expensive.

I haven’t heard anything about being debt-free and I know people who keep on paying the mortgage back in their home country, so I guess this is not a requirement as long as you have the settlement funds.

As far as I know (I’m French and Canadian, not American!) the NAFTA agreement doesn’t make immigration much easier than it is now. I know that as a Canadian, I can’t move to the USA just like that, so I assume it is the same for you guys

By: Dave

Dave — Sat, 15 May 2010 17:33:39 +0000

As an American wishing to immigrate to Toronto, is it true that my wife and I must have $13,000 saved up before we can consider moving to Canada to prove we can take care of ourselves for 90 days?

Also, how does NAFTA affect our desire to move to Canada? I’ve read in some places that NAFTA allows for things to go easier but nobody was clear as to how.

The biggest obstacles to us moving is the $13,000 requirement-if it exists– and whether or not one has to be debt-free when applying for permanent residency in Canada. Can anyone please clarify these issues?

By: Zhu

Zhu — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:47:25 +0000

@kyh — I can’t believe how expensive everything has gotten in France, it’s just crazy. Prices do change in Canada too but not as much and there are always sales going on.

@Delph — Je ne sais pas trop ce que recoupe la qualité de vie mais je pense qu’on est sur la même longueur d’onde. Même si je préfère de loin Ottawa et l’Ontario!

@Yasmine — This surprised me too, especially considering Europe doesn’t have such programs for immigrants. I like the way it’s done in Canada, it’s very transparent.

@Cornflakegirl — Well, good luck with your application!

@Fede — I think Argentina and France are very similar on many grounds, especially when it comes to social protest and stupid government!

By: Fede

Fede — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:07:28 +0000

Hi!
Some of your words made me feel you were talking about Argentina, not France (i.e.: affordable living and strikes all the time)

Fede
.-= Fede´s last blog ..Retomando el francés =-.

By: Cornflakegirl

Cornflakegirl — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 08:17:23 +0000

I like this post. The reasons becase you live in Canada are so reasonable that they give me some confidence especially now; this week I will apply for the canadian visa.

Take care,
M.
.-= Cornflakegirl´s last blog ..Chasing Dorothy Gale =-.

By: Yasmine

Yasmine — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 01:13:57 +0000

Love your post Zhu! I agree with you on Canada's official immigration program. I was very pleasantly surprised with all the services offered to new immigrants. The best of all, Canadians work hard to improve the existing programs in order to facilitate the installation process. .-= Yasmine´s last blog ..The Love Story About Two Dirty Socks =-.

By: Delph

Delph — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 23:32:04 +0000

Je vais répondre en français, c'est plus rapide... Moi à cette question je réponds toujours pour la qualité de vie ce qui résume ce que tu viens de dire... Pour une grande ville, on ne peut pas vraiment faire mieux que Montréal! .-= Delph´s last blog ..Celle qui ne sait pas ce qu’elle veut =-.

By: kyh

kyh — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 19:20:29 +0000

@ khengsiong, China has 56 recognized minorities (unless the one you excluded refers to the ethnic Russians, whom are Whites).

All those prices you stated at the time you left France were almost the same as in Malaysia now. I can’t believe a pair of Jeans cost that much in France now! I could buy a high-end mobile phone with that price! Or even a return trip to somewhere in South East Asia, all expenses included, and still have a lot of change left!
.-= kyh´s last blog ..March o’ hell =-.