Well, early voting has begun! Regardless of your political persuasion and what current presidential campaign poll you choose to believe, it seems not a day goes by that doesn’t include someone talking about moving to Canada depending on the election outcome.
If you’re seriously considering making tracks for the Great White North, we’ve put together this playbook of sorts — Moving to Canada in 5 Easy Steps — so you can get a move on.
By the way, you just can’t simply move to Canada because you want to — it requires some preparation, in case you were wondering. And don’t be surprised if you run into a few celebrities who’ve had the same idea.
1. Check your Eligibility
After you have informed your family and friends of your move to Canada for the future of your bloodline, it’s time you knuckle down and do some research. It’s critical that you check your eligibility. Remember that time you got busted in your 20s? Yes, we realize it wasn’t yours, but it may come back to haunt you. There’s a reason Canada is safe— it keeps the bad apples out. In order to enter the country you will have to supply information about yourself including your criminal history. There are many visas to get into Canada. To find the visa best suited to you, we recommend consulting an immigration lawyer.
One thing your immigration attorney will tell you is that you MUST apply for a Canadian visa ahead of time. Getting through immigration without the proper paperwork will be a rude awakening if you haven’t done your visa application. Right on the spot, faster than you can grab a bottle of Duty Free booze and perfume, Canadian authorities will turn you around and refuse entry. So read up and educate yourself on the laws of entering the country.
2. Find a Place to Live in Canada
You really must find a suitable city that will reflect the lifestyle of your choosing. Here’s a quick geographic handicapping: Toronto is the only place in Canada where the main concerts are played. Quebec is largely populated by French speakers, 9.5 million speak French across Canada, along with toothless hockey players. In Manitoba, one word: snakes. Vancouver has great skiing and museums. Edmonton has one of the largest Ritchie Bros. auction yards, Banff has more snow, more skiing, and good God, it’s cold up there.
3. Ship your Stuff to Canada
So you’ve generally settled on a place that looks pretty good to live. And you’re already amazed how friendly and nice everyone is. At this point, you’re probably staying at a friend’s place, an Airbnb, or a hotel waiting for your belongings to arrive, then it hits you: you haven’t sent for your things in the U.S. yet! This is when stuff gets real.
There are several ways to transport your goods to Canada. One option is to do it yourself, but that’s costly and time consuming, and remember your sciatica. You could just sell everything, but this can be a bad decision as it’ll just be your friends taking advantage buying expensive stuff on the cheap. Or you can use uShip to connect with professional international movers!
4. Customs and Payment
Once you have listed your goods on uShip you will need to clarify in the question and answer section about customs with your transporter. uShip has a partnership with Livingston to help you arrange customs brokerage in conjunction with your transporter.
So the big day comes and your stuff arrives. Once it’s offloaded and you confirm all your belongings are safe and sound (why wouldn’t they be? It’s Canada!), you give your transporter your uShip Payments Code. This short code is how your provider gets paid. Do NOT release this number until you have received your goods in Canada.
5. Canada, Eh, you’re in!
Now, you can start living with the door unlocked, eating fresh salmon like a hungry bear, and eating the Canadian delicacy of poutine: french fries smothered in gravy and cheese curds.
But once you have started living in Canada, please be sure to tell your friends not to come. It’s full.
Now get out and vote and enjoy the rest of the campaign!
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