So, Why Canada?

I first came to Canada in February 2002, at the end of a three-month backpacking trip from Mexico to Brazil (yes, by bus).

I wasn’t planning to stay.

Canada was simply a stopover before returning to France. Twenty years later, I have a Canadian passport and a Canadian kid.

Why Canada?

A stop in Canada was not part of my original travel plan. It was a last-minute decision because I found a cheap Rio–Toronto ticket. So instead of flying back to France, I followed Feng, my Canadian travel partner-turned-partner-turned-spouse, to Ottawa.

I caught a glimpse of the country before eventually flying back home to France a few weeks later.

I returned briefly in 2003 before heading to Central America for another backpacking trip with Feng.

In February 2004, after several more months on the road, we flew from Guatemala City to Toronto, broke and tired. I received a six-month visitor stamp upon arrival and decided to stay in Ottawa long enough to figure out whether Canada could become home.

I spent the next few months improving my English (believe it or not, I barely spoke any), exploring the job market, surviving my first Canadian winter, and learning how to shovel a driveway.

It turned out that I liked Canada—and Feng—enough to stay. I started researching how to get a work permit and, eventually, permanent resident status.

In September 2004, I travelled back to France and applied for a Working Holiday Visa (WHV). Canada wasn’t yet the wildly popular destination it would later become. The WHV was free, quotas rarely filled, and I walked out of the Canadian embassy in Paris a couple of hours after applying with a visa already stapled into my passport.

I returned to Canada in November 2004 and started working right away while completing my university degree in France. By mid-2005, I was ready to apply for permanent residence.

I was lucky. My application moved remarkably quickly, and a few months later I became a permanent resident. In 2009, I became a Canadian citizen.

From Visitor to Citizen

Every immigration journey is different. Mine moved unusually fast, especially by today’s standards. For anyone curious, here’s the timeline from my permanent residence application to Canadian citizenship.

• March–April 2005: Prepared my application, completed the forms, and gathered supporting documents.
• April 19, 2005: Completed my immigration medical exam in Ottawa.
• May 19, 2005: Submitted my permanent residence application.
• June 2005: My application was briefly returned because it wasn’t clear whether I was residing in Canada or France. After clarifying the issue, I resubmitted it.
• June 30, 2005: Sponsorship approval received.
• July 2005: Submitted our marriage certificate, which had originally been missing from the application package.
• August 5, 2005: My file was transferred to the Canadian embassy in Paris.
• September 27, 2005: The embassy acknowledged receipt of my application.
• October 20, 2005: Permanent residence approved.
• November 17, 2005: Became a landed immigrant.
• August 5, 2008: Became eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship and submitted my application.
• November 12, 2008: Received the acknowledgement letter.
• June 11, 2009: Took the citizenship test in Ottawa.
• July 3, 2009: Took the oath of citizenship and officially became Canadian.

Looking back, what started as an unplanned stopover became a new life.

I arrived with a backpack, very little money, and almost no English. I stayed because of a relationship, but also because Canada gave me opportunities I hadn’t expected.

Twenty years later, I have a Canadian passport, a Canadian kid, and no idea when exactly a temporary stay turned into a life.