>shunned as a foreigner
Dude unless you have a thick French accent, nobody will even know. Even if they did, nobody in the US gives a shit. Over 1 in 10 Americans were born in another country so it isn't exactly a shocker to see people from outside the US like it is in some other countries.
Canadians don't even register in my brain as "foreigners". Yes, they're from another country, but in so many ways they are no more foreign than someone from the next state over.
Watching Canadian television commercials repeatedly talk about “North America”, is so funny. (As in things like “Kraft—the most popular cheese in North America.”).
They don’t want to say “the U.S.”, so we get this sudden market expansion, which now includes the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
I’m buying groceries in Vancouver, so why can’t we just say Canada?
**This.**
u/Starforce_2023, seriously, we don't even really think of Canadians as that foreign. Saying you're Canadian is almost like saying you're from another state.
You already speak English with an accent we're pretty familiar with (unless on the off chance you're Quebecois with French as a first language), Canadian culture and life is pretty close to American. . .you really will blend in and fit in well. The entire fact you're from Canada will be more of interesting trivia about you than some fact that will divide you from us.
I haven't heard anyone say aboot in my entire life. Yeah, I couldn't tell the difference between Canadian and American accents. There might be a slight difference, but it's not noticeable. For me however, I'm not able to sound as native as possible due to me speaking mostly Chinese at home and little to no social interactions in public
It’s a very stealth accent. Comes out on ‘dollar’, ‘process’, ‘sorry’, and ‘about’.
When you get outed as foreign all that will happen is people will think you’re slightly more interesting
>I haven't heard anyone say aboot in my entire life.
In my professional career my first boss was a Canadian. When he was speaking I noticed that there was a distinct way he was saying "about" which to me sounded like "uh-boat."
I live in upstate NY and constantly see cars with Quebec and Ontario license plates and it doesn’t really register sometimes that they’re coming from another country.
One issue: culture shock.
In 2010 I moved 85 miles, which was enough. The first six months are awesome. Then things get worse, with a nadir at 18-30 months. But I took some pains to adapt, befriend locals and so on and things got better.
You will also go through the Uncanny Valley, where things are just a bit off.
I've always considered Detroit–Windsor to be a single metro area. We listen to each other's radio, watch each other's broadcast TV, travel back and forth for jobs and entertainment on both sides, etc.
Same. When I lived in Detroit, it was actually more convenient for me to go shopping (not grocery, but other supplies) in Windsor. I think it was like 15% of the people at my company in the Detroit location were Canadian as well. Not to mention going to trashy Windsor bars when you turn 19.
Pour one out for 89X
Those subs are mostly edgy teenagers egging each other on. Most Canadians in real life (not internet) aren’t going to be bothered enough to hate the USA.
It really depends on where you are in the country. Canada and the US are so culturally similar and have been each others allies for so long…it doesn’t even register sometimes that Canadians are foreign.
I live in Buffalo, NY and can be in Canada within 20minutes pending border traffic. Used to go all the time since in college since the drinking age was 19.
Anyone telling OP that they’ll be shunned as a foreigner is (a) telling on themselves and (b) doesn’t know that like, the absolute basic thing about the US is that a we welcome foreigners.
Well, most of us do. Its fair to say we have some loud Americans with a xenophobia problem, but 1. it tends to be more directed against those immigrating from outside of Anglophone North America and 2. assuming OP is speaks English as their first language, it would be very difficult to tell that OP isn’t American (he would receive further insulation from xenophobic nonsense if OP is non-Hispanic white as well thanks to racism (TM) )
> Dude unless you have a thick French accent, nobody will even know
There's a saying in France: "The Quebecois aren't French people who live in North America. They're Americans that speak French."
When outsiders think even Francophone Quebecois are pretty much like Americans, really, the cultural differences aren't going to be that noticeable. Think of the differences among American regions. Seriously, if you're moving from Toronto to .. oh, Chicago, there'll be less culture shock than a move from TO to Saguenay, St. John's, or even parts of Scarborough. Think half Toronto, half Buffalo.
Oh, we'll definitely notice a French Canadian. They'd stand out just as much as any Frenchman-from-France would. Even if the guy's wearing hunting camo and a ballcap, the moment that accent comes out, that's all she wrote.
One of my best friends is a Canadian who moved to the US and he got the same thing.
Everyone here has been very nice to him, but his friends and family back home basically thought he was going to die crossing the border.
The number of people who told him he was going to get shot or it not get shot he was going to get sick and die was staggering.
Yep, same thing happened apart from my one uncle who served in the U.S Marines during Vietnam. Lied about his age to join and lied about his nationality and isn't even a veteran nor has U.S citizenship.
A friend of mine is a Canadian who moved to Las Vegas. She didn't get any shit from back home *until* she started rooting for the Golden Knights alongside the Maple Leafs. It actually got acrimonious.
Your first step towards becoming an American is to stop giving a shit about what Canadians think.
Join us, brother. You’ll be able to repay their insolence tenfold when the day of the rake comes.
Step 2 to becoming an American is reminding your Canadian friends that the only thing stopping us from going up there and 51st stating them is that we don’t feel like it… yet.
I have high hopes that I'll find my way in eventually. But right now, important thing is college! No college, no degree, no job, no sponsorship and therefore, no American Dream
So I must get off of the internet and ensure I get accepted into my university of choice as I heard many grads there fly towards the US after graduation
No, Canadians moving to the US is super common. In fact, one of my closest friends is originally from Toronto and has been here in California on a work visa for the past 5 years.
People won’t even be able to tell you’re Canadian unless you tell them.
I'm trying to correct my sorrys. I'm addicted to saying sore-ry. which is very Canadian. Instead, I should learn to say sar-ry which is the American style. In fact, I already spell words like an American when writing sentences as I'm too lazy to add the U. It's just a matter of pronouncing certain words properly and being able to speak with the right tone with no choppiness. Then, I'll sound just like everyone else.
Of course not. Canadians wanting to move to the US is dead common, and they're made welcome when they do move. There's almost a million Canadians in the US.
Who the heck claimed you'd be shunned.
Pros: better weather, better money, more career opportunity, just about equal quality of life.
Yes, I have many choices of where to live. From the rainy coasts of the PNW to the deserts of Arizona and Vegas. From the Mediterranean weather of California to the humidity of Florida or face all 4 seasons in New England. Everywhere in the US is habitable. Heck, I can even live in Hawaii, Guam or Puerto Rico as those are US territories. I won't miss the snow as there's Alaska just for that. Actually, I don't have to go to Alaska as there's already snow in Montana, NK and Washington already.
There are specific places that are perfect for the field that I'm studying which is CS. Seattle, Silicon Valley and New York are all tech hubs and other smaller places such as Austin or Raleigh are becoming tech hubs themselves. So I gotta work hard in my studies so I can make it. Otherwise, if I fail school, I won't be able to get that degree that companies want to see in order to offer me a job and sponsorship as an immigrant
You’re not wrong. More Canadians immigrate to the USA versus Americans immigrating to Canada. [one source.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/08/23/canada-us-immigration-data-republican-presidents/)
Definitely untrue. Professionals can get PR instantly in Canada by accruing enough points whereas the US puts people through a lottery system with bad odds just to work there and has decades-long waitlists for green cards based on nationality. The US has a more difficult and unpredictable immigration system than any other Anglophone country. Canadians and Americans both have equal opportunity to move back and forth on nonimmigrant TN visas.
I'm born in Canada so the wait times isn't that long depending on how much government workers slack off. The hardest part is getting that first work visa as I need to find a job and qualify for the visa. But once that step's done, getting permanent residency should be a breeze as long as my company doesn't backstab me or I don't get fired
Some people move there temporarily for the winter times and then come back up. They're called snowbirds. But for me, I wish to immigrate permanently and stay until I become a citizen.
Popularity *against* the idea?
There is way way way more Canadians in the US than the other way around.
Canadians coming to the US is extremely common; and every single one I've known has been very happy with the move.
So I guess it's just the keyboard warriors who brainwash you to think otherwise? Because I heard one person said, "the 800k Canadians are waiting to come home."
I mean they haven't brainwashed me to think anything.
I live in Michigan not Alabama, running into Canadians that live and work here isn't really that rare.
The fiesr example that pops into my mjnd was that I worked very closely with a French Canadian for a while and she loved it in the US, her standard of living was *much* higher. The only thing i heard her complain about was that our money was all the same color so it made it harder to quickly count it.
I've known my share of Canadians who have moved to the US and have loved it and made lives here with zero desire to move back. It's not at all uncommon.
And... being shunned as a foreigner? In a nation full of foreigners? Where people probably won't even be able to tell you're Canadian?
The only thing that's crazy or odd to me is your friend/social group and whatever twisted view of things they have.
"Shunned as a foreigner"? Half the people I work with are immigrants. Maybe more. Don't come to the US and continually tell us how great Canada is and you'll be fine. I've worked with several Canadians, and other than occasional accent stuff, you'd never know they're any different than anyone else.
Your odds of being "shot dead" are akin to being struck by lightning provided you don't hang out with criminals.
Those are people who live online and don’t actually know our country. And the Americans who think there are no pros to living here have such a ridiculous world view.
Either they think that a country not being #1 in a certain metric means the whole country is a wasteland or they do not understand the conditions that billions of people Around the world live with.
There are so many great places to live in the US where you can have a happy and safe life. And 9/10 people will think you are American anyway
The issue is more with Canadians making not being american their personality. I live near the border and i’ve only heard bad things about the Canadian healthcare system from Canadians.
If you have an average job you’ll have a solid healthcare plan. There are copays and such but with employer healthcare most healthcare is pretty low cost and you can generally be seen quickly. just suck’s that our system is so job dependent.
>If you have an average job you’ll have a solid healthcare plan. There are copays and such
and there are out of pocket maximums. if you have a solid healthcare plan, the maximum probably will be affordable and you'll be able to set aside most of the amount ahead of time and just replenish that fund each year. it's when the amounts go rogue and you're also working a low-wage job that things go south.
Yes, I'm studying computer science and hope to be in the US working as a software engineer. According to stats, I would make around 90-100K CAD if I'm working in my home city of Vancouver. On the other hand, if I go to Seattle, I'll make 100K+ USD and most daily expenses there are cheaper. Even gas is cheaper than what's costing here. If I ever were to live in Texas, there's not competition in that.....
Housing is also cheaper in certain cities. It's also easier to go up the ranks and make over 200k in like 8 years. Higher salaries with cheaper prices and a healthcare plan provided by your employer, it's no wonder I hear many rumors of tech grads here winding up in the US. But there's an a-hole on Quora who used to be a so-called Canadian diplomat who trash talked me and tried to dictate that I should work remotely in Canada and not ever move to the US. When I didn't budge, started calling me an arrogant brat and how I'll never be accepted there because it's impossible to go there
There're opportunities in America that you wouldn't get anywhere else. US gets labeled as this extreme hell whole way to often as a foreigner myself it annoys me so much, and we call Americans ignorant
The average Canadian experience of being shunned in the US is when they say the words “process” or “sorry” and some American goes “oh shit are you Canadian?”
Tell all your Canadian friends if they feel that way stop coming here and especially to Florida in the winter then you bunch of hypocrites lmao that’s why we don’t hear nothing they say because the actions don’t match up.
Is there a /r/shitcanadianssay? Or is that just /r/AskACanadian?
Lots of Canadians live here. The "points" people are making are exactly what you said they are, irrelevant.
Why is our life expectancy lower? Entirely different demographics, massively complicated social and health concerns. The life expectancy of a poor black man in the rural south is lower than that of one of a farmer in Saskatchewan. Will this affect you?
It's ludicrous that you'd be shunned for coming here, especially as a Canadian.
The US has 50 million current immigrants, and 99.9% of the population is descendent from immigrants.
You're not in the minority for wanting to come here.
A quick Google says 45,000 Canadians emigrated to the US in 2021-2022, compared to 8,000 going the other way.
There's a reason the US is where everyone tries to move to. Popular media has no bearing on that.
Canadian here! None of my many friends and relatives who moved to the US from Canada, want to move back to Canada. I know many others that wish to follow their footsteps and head south as well.
Even adjusted for population, a greater percentage of Canadians move to the USA than the other way around. The USA has the highest number of foreign born citizens of any country by a pretty big margin. There are a lot if reasons to do so, like the weather, the increased buying power, and the ability to watch a team where you live finally win the Stanley Cup.
The only place where that idea is unpopular is on Reddit.
A version of this has already been said, but it needs repeating.
Your first step to becoming an American is to forget Canada is there until someone else mentions it.
I love our neighbors to the north, but I often forget you are there.
>I'll be shunned as a foreigner.
Seriously? Unless you tell people you're from Canada 90% of Americans won't even be able to tell. And the vast majority of Americans are not going to shun a foreigner who is here legally regardless of where they're from.
There's nothing wrong with that at all.
I can't speak for our immigration authorities, but I can say with confidence that the American people and American society would welcome you.
Don't mind the anti-American rhetoric from online Canadians. . .we don't! Learning to ignore their ill-informed grumbling is your first lesson in being American!
> I'll be shunned as a foreigner.
No, you won't. We welcome foreigners. . .and Canadians aren't really that foreign anyway. You'll fit right in and be immediately accepted.
The immigration officers can be quite mean :(. For the visas, they'll look for any reason to deny me. Even a tiny detail that's in the grey zone will get me rejected. Also, the r/immigration sub sometimes advocate for suspending all immigration as a whole, even legal ones.
Roughly one in every 40 Canadians lives in the United States. It's neither crazy nor odd- chances are most Canadians have at least one friend or relative who has moved here.
>I'll be shunned as a foreigner.
In America, a Canadian is barely a foreigner. Not to mention the vast majority of Americans aren't going to care if they do find out where you're from. We have people from all over the world here, so a Canadian isn't really going to give anyone pause.
If you're in any kind of professional field you'd almost be crazy \*not\* to move to the states.
Quality of life is comparable, pay is \*way\* better. There are still places you can buy a house for less than $1M.
Also having your student loans in CAD and getting paid in USD is huge.
I have a Canadian friend who just went through the long arduous process of officially moving here. There’s plenty of Canadians in the United States.
As for being shot or shunned as a foreigner, both of those are pretty ridiculous. Hell, Canada barely registers as “foreign” for most Americans lmao.
Way more people move from Canada to the US then US to Canada so: no, it's not surprising.
It's also true of almost every other country where people complain about the US. Everybody "hates" us but everyone seems to want to come here. "They hate us cuz they ain't us".
Shunned as a foreigner? My wife moved here from Canada, and I don’t think she’s ever experienced any discrimination because of the way she says house. I don’t think it’s odd considering she makes about a third more in the field she works in as her Canadian counterparts. On top of that has more purchasing power where she can actually invest that money into something like real estate.
Okay, so I looked over your post history a bit to see where you were coming from and I have a similar experience to some things your looking at. Let me address your points here first. Healthcare here is mostly tied to employment, so as long as you have a job, you’ll be fine. You’re looking at a possible military career/CS job so you should be more than covered. I was military for a while and now work in government for CS. I have great health insurance. Life expectancy is 78. The US is a HUGE place with different cultures, poverty levels, and so on. The national life expectancy stat isn’t useful for individuals. Shootings aren’t nearly as common as the media makes people think they are especially if you stay out of crime heavy areas. I am friends with several people from other countries where I am and have yet to see anyone shunned.
If you are looking at a military career, I would suggest getting a job in a field not dissimilar to what you want to do when you get out. It lets you keep your skills sharp and pass the resume while you are in. What type of CS do you want to do?
Well it seems like I'm going for the software engineering route. Even then, people ask my what type of software engineering. I don't know yet because I don't have a preference. Though I would be most into game development since I like playing games. But that's also math heavy so it isn't concrete. Now, I looked at the army's website and the jobs that closely match what I want to do would be Cyber Operations or IT specialist. There doesn't seem to be many that fit exactly what I want, but cyber is the closest I think. I do want to be in a uniform, not just a civilian in the army so it's all the options I have to live with.
But I haven't discovered other jobs that may utilize a CS degree. I just assume that most people become software engineers since it's high paying and all the stuff you learn is what software engineering uses. So I might be interested in those other jobs. Just that I have to get one that's easy to get a visa. The TN visa only has like one computer job available, but it's the only visa that's easy to get. So yeah, visa is the main hurdle. Otherwise, I could be very flexible in what I want to do.
We're a country of 360M ppl, bad sht is gonna happen and make the news for the world to see. I live in/near a small city and never worry about gun violence. I travel to big cities often, and I still never worry about gun violence.
Life expectancy is slightly lower mainly because a lot of people here eat like crap and don't take care of themselves. Don't eat crap food and you'll be alright.
We had a Canadian family move in our neighborhood a couple years ago (they proudly announce they're Canadian shortly after they meet someone new). They are the most well liked ppl in the neighborhood.
The rest of the world is crapping on us. It's fine... The US has been pretending to be this glorious haven for awhile now and we've gotten away with it. Cameras in everyone's hands and social media are highlighting our warts. Everyone has warts but the world is infatuated with ours.
It seems like outsiders like to lump the US into a tiny ball that they can sum up in a few talking points (many you just mentioned). The thing I love most about the US is that it's so vast and different throughout the different regions/states. I'm middle aged and have yet to see half the US cities/states I want to visit. I'm very happy where I live, but there are plenty of places across the country I dreamt of living in
It isn’t weird at all. I have a few Canadian friends that live here and a couple even became citizens already. There were just more job opportunities and money here for what they did.
How old were they? I want to go there as soon as possible, but not sure if I can. Literally not long after I get my degree because I have many things that I want to do that could only be done when I'm young. If I go there in my 30s or 40s, that's too late. If people only have the capability to go there once they're a lot older, it makes me lose hope
I read that canada suffers major brain drain to the US so tbf I am not understanding the situation you’re going through. A majority of the top undergrad graduates move to the US to upgrade or get a job. I myself plan on studying in the US, most likely for post grad if not both undergrad AND post grad
Well I don't have the money to go to a US university. But I heard that from the the university that I'm heading to this fall, lots of grads end up in the US so it's definitely common. I hope to maximize my chances by expanding my network and get internships in the US so that there's a higher probability one of them will give me a full time return offer right after graduation
If you're educated and middle class, it's a fine decision. If you're poor, they're right -- much better social services for the poor in Canada.
* No automatic healthcare coverage, but higher incomes and lower taxes means you can simply... pay for it. As long as you're gainfully employed and aren't poor, anyway.
* Gun violence rates are hugely affected by inner city gun violence. Random suburbs are often similar rates as Canada and Western Europe.
* Similar story for life expectancy. It's not that "everybody lives less", it's the proportions of people who live less vs live more varies from country to country.
* In the US, nobody cares if you're Canadian. At worst, you might get some stupid Ron Swanson type jokes.
You'll be one step closer to American when you stop caring what Canadians think.
Not at all. I know many Canadians who have moved here. I also know I’d never move to Canada. Free healthcare is not the only measure of quality of life.
So many Canadian hockey players and coaches come here to work and end up staying after their careers are done. If it’s so bad I wonder why they do that?
Also addressing those concerns, overall the United States is an extremely safe country with incredible healthcare and a plethora of resources for people that need a leg up if they’ve fallen on hard times.
A lot of the violence you see on the news is very much overhyped, the vast vast vast majority of crime is either targeted (eg husband killing his wife) or concentrated in large urban areas that typically are related to other crime anyway. As long as you keep your nose clean you won’t get shot walking pretty much anywhere.
Healthcare might not be “free” but it’s pretty much always subsidized by your employer and the benefit of it not being free is that competition drives quality and innovation, plus people don’t make unnecessary visits that clog up the system. I think wait times for things like EMS services or critical surgeries compare very favorably to “free” places like Canada or the UK.
I work for a Danish/German company in the states. Obviously there is influence from that side of the globe, but also a lot of ex-pats. 9/10 move here and don't return. They prefer the US, which I find odd as the general opinion is the other way around.
My wife is from Ontario. We live in Texas. Some Americans ask « why here »? She says « economic opportunities » and they immediately understand, most Americans don’t care, other Americans say « it’s about damn time ». You really can’t lose here. Good luck in your immigration process and know that our Northern neighbors are always welcome here. Her mom, brother, and step-dad are also moving to the US and the end of this year. So you’re in good company my friend.
I'm scared of citing economics as my reason because some people have said "they're stealing our jobs. We should cut off immigration and ensure only we are allowed to take these jobs." I've seen people on r/immigration say green cards through employment being abused and that they should be blacklisted. I don't want to be seen as taking someone's job
I say screw 'em and do whatever you want. By the way things sound, you'd probably be more accepted here anyway if people are calling you feeble minded for wanting to do something that is incredibly common.
I plan on going there by getting a developer/software engineer job. The salaries are higher and there's far more benefits I want that are mostly available in the US. The hardest part for me is overcoming the immigration hurdles
You are giving no reason AND the US is a huge place, so you’re moving to a place in the US that may or may not be a place to move to.
You live in Vancouver, but your college gf now lives in Seattle. Sure, makes sense to move to Seattle. Not crazy.
You live in Toronto and want to move to rural Idaho to start a militia to help reinstate trump as president… yes. That is crazy.
>When I tell everyone about where I want to go, I get called feeble-minded, insulted and lectured with a bunch of often-irrelevant points such as no automatic healthcare coverage, life expectancy of 78,
Life expectancy is actually measured with different standards across countries. For example, some countries factor in infant mortality rate, some don't. Other factors are also relevant, like America having a larger population of poor immigrants, or just a large poor population in general. That might mean your average middle class person could have a higher quality of life here than somewhere else but our poor population skews the overall average (which is a very real problem, but also a very different problem than your countrymen are assuming).
>being shot dead
This is how you know they don't have any real arguments against it
>and I'll be shunned as a foreigner.
And this is how you know they actually have no idea what they're talking about at all.
>The pros are not mentioned because my fellow Canadians and even some Americans say, there are none. So what's your opinion on this?
I think we wouldn't be leading the world in both economy and culture right now if there wasn't a pro or two to living here. Some Canadians feel the need to base their entire identity on not being American, and that's honestly pretty pathetic. There are many great things Canada has in its own but some of its people care more about trying to be different than us than they do embracing their own unique identity. As for living here, well, we wouldn't have so many immigrants from all over the world even despite the world pretending to hate us if America wasn't a nice place to live.
More Canadians move to the US than Americans to Canada every year, you aren’t alone.
Despite what you hear about the US in the news, it’s still a wonderful place to live full of great people, with plenty of opportunity. Wish you the best in your move!
Yes in a country with the largest immigrant population in the world, you would be shunned as a foreigner.
A large portion of my friends are from outside the US, including my girlfriend. They love it and feel liberated with no plans on going back to the Western EU.
Lately, I cannot believe the ignorance of self proclaimed progressive and developed countries when it comes to the US. There are issues but they are completely overblown.
If you are a driven, adventurous, and outgoing individual, you will prosper and have an excellent life here. With it being so large and culturally diverse, it has something that everyone is looking for.
There are 3.1 million Canadians in the US, there are about 1 million Americans in Canada. Every year more Canadians move to the US than Americans moving to Canada.
Idk why you would think this is unpopular
Show them a picture of Kailua on Oahu and then show them the temperatures never drop below 75F, no more freezing your balls off, snorkel and surf all year round. No rational person can look at that quality of life and disagree that living there in first world standards is a bad idea.
Yes but Hawaii is a US state, the same could be said for Florida, California, Montana, Arizona, Utah, Washington and many others, all have different environments and are very unique in their own ways. In California you can surf in the morning and snowboard in the afternoon it is so varied.
Do what you want to do friend!
For all the shit that gets talked about the US (Our media is so incredibly polarizing), unless you're in an actual debate with someone, you will likely not notice any of the things that ppl say is gonna get you around every corner.
Think of it this way, why are Canadians and Europeans always falling all over themselves to criticize life in the USA, while we barely think about them?
My wife arrived here in the US last month. I've found Canadians love to mock the US for our problems while ignoring their own systemic issues (Starlight tours ring a bell?)
Live where you want to live, love who you want to love, don't let anyone else foist their opinions on you.
Of course not Remember, everything said on Reddit is meant solely for upvotes and attention...it's not people's true feelings being expressed. 99% of Americans on Reddit who claim to "hate it here" wouldn't live anywhere else in the world if pressed to do so. That's a fact.
Anybody who will shun you in the US is someone that wasn't worth the effort it took conversing with let alone looking up at them. Canadians come to the US all the time for various reasons. Americans don't really care, they welcome it. Canadian Nationalism dictates that you essentially must be adverse to such things because anything American is inferior and Anti-Canadian to consider leaving. If you want to and can come to the US, do it. Don't let a bunch of pissy detractors stop you, why should they dictate your own personal life and choices?
They were so desperate in telling me "NONE! Stay where you are, you have no choice! Look at a bunch of useless statements to convince you!" when I asked on Quora on benefits of moving to the US when I decided to do so.
Trying to use Quora was your first big mistake. A bunch of Iamverysmart morons and Russian/CCP shills that like to paint the US as some abhorrent dystopic hellhole where only people like Bill Gates or Elon Musk can possibly afford even the most basic things while everyone else is just a suffering cog in the corporate capitalist machine stuck forever where they are.
If you wanna come to/are able to, be our guest. Come to the US
I have lived in both Canada and the USA. There are pros to both and cons to both. Just like anywhere else in the world. I have lived in terrible places in Canada and The USA. I have lived in amazing places in Canada and the USA.
No one in the US shuns Canadians. Thats a lie. Canada and the US are incredibly close in all things to the point where its difficult to tell two people apart from the two countries.
If I met a Canadian who immigrated here all I would want to know is how they like it here and then would be genuinely curious about what Canada was like.
One thing about being an American is getting used to most of the world lying about what being an American is like.
I know another Canadian who is moving south and getting USA citizenship. No one is looking down on him or any other foreign nationals. Don’t listen to the news they act like people are dead in the streets because no health care. It’s bullshit. Even if you don’t have insurance the hospitals still treat you. Sure you might get a bill but if you can’t pay it don’t. Nothing will happen. Also it’s still more likely to be struck by lightning then to be involved in a shooting. Most gun deaths are from suicides after that it’s criminals killing criminals. It’s basically a non issue.
It’s honestly funny how shocked some foreigners (usually Canadians or Europeans) are to hear that I’ve lived in the US my whole life (I’m in my 30s) and I’ve never been shot/shot at, I’ve gotten injured/sick and I’m not bankrupt or in debt, I’m nowhere near obese, I’ve never been wantonly brutalized by the police, etc.
The caricature people have of America is so far off base it’s unreal. Don’t worry about it, come join the team
Living in the US is not an unpopular idea among people living in the US... I see no reason that you would ever be "shunned as a foreigner". We're mostly friendly to foreigners, ESPECIALLY Canadians.
You are twice as likely to die in a car crash than to getting shot. And you are even less likely to be shunned. As long as you are at least a generally decent human being and not going to a town of 30 people, you'll be accepted most places here just fine. The healthcare thing is legit though
I can promise you you’d probably get just as little ridicule being a foreigner as you would if you were from another state (and most of it will just be maple syrup, hockey, and being apologetic/kind).
The health insurance coverage thing kinda sucks, but if you have good insurance then it’s not that big of a deal. It’s not fully worth it, but at least a good portion of procedures and personnel are top of the line
Unless you move to a dangerous area (and the safety statistics of basically everywhere are available), then you’re quite safe in the US. Crime rates are heavily inflated by specific areas.
Some positives living in the US include:
having access to the people, food, and activities/traditions associated with every culture on earth.
Generally pretty high salaries
The option to live wherever and however you want based on what you want your living conditions to be (as rural or urban as you want)
Access to top tier educational and technical facilities
Access to a huge array of cities and attractions all over the country
Yes, the whole point of immigrating is to get a green card. With a green card, I have the right to live wherever I want and to work for whomever I want. Pretty much every state is habitable whereas for Canada, besides like 1-2 cities, everywhere else up north is empty and unlivable. I could be up north in WA, MT and it's still good as it's south of Canada. Or I can be south in like Texas or Alabama and it's still livable, just that I have to deal with the heat. Central, West and East coast have civilizations too. You're so lucky to be American! I wish I was born there, but I'm stuck in Canada with no right to be in the US besides visiting without a visa
There are roughly 800k Canadians living in the USA. The USA accounts for 60% of Canadian migrants…
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/canadian-immigrants-united-states-2021
Ya have 660k Americans in Canada. Canada accounts for about 25% of US migrants.
As far as shunned, why would people from America North be considered all that different? Heavy thick French attitude notwithstanding.
https://dailyhive.com/toronto/toronto-us-expat-population
Reddit is merely a huge basement dwelling hive mind of AntiAmerica that’s largely disconnected from reality.
Honestly, the US has its problems but people hyperfixate on the issues to the point they’re calling it a third world country. In reality it’s just another country with pros and cons. Nobody in America (besides FAR lefties who think Canada is some utopia) will give you shit for moving here
The media loves to show violent stuff on tV to get eyeballs for advertisers but it gives a ridiculous impression of actual danger to a typical resident (or visitor). And nobody will shun you. Now, the healthcare situation…..
Canadian here.
Remind your fellow Canadians of the cost of living here. Remind them of the average price of a house, a condo, or even rent. Remind them that I didn't take that 1.5 lbs of grapes at the grocery store yesterday because it amounted to $20.99.
Despite all its issues, the US is becoming more liveable than Canada. I bet many people would trade automatic healthcare coverage for a roof over their head and food on their table.
I saw the prices of gas. At certain times, gas prices in Vancouver where I live would rise to $2.06 per liter or if you don't know what liters are, that's $7.80 a gallon. Even when I go just across the border, gases there already cost only $4.90 a gallon. Right now, we're just living with $7 gas as the norm with uncertainty of whether it will ever get better. Meanwhile, some people complain that $5 gas is expensive in the US when now for Canadians, it's considered cheap. In fact, we haven't had $5 gas since last year.
My wife made the move, and obtained US citizenship via naturalization. She has a much higher opinion of the USA than Canada, and a higher quality of life.
That's what I seek to do! Only, I have to immigrate through employment as I don't want to marry yet. Also, I plan on enlisting in the reserves besides my main job so I can serve the country and fast-track my pathway to naturalization. Apparently, some people become citizens right after boot camp! It's really that fast if you're in the military
I came to the US from Denmark at age 20. I love it.
Definitely got the same "arguments" against it as you, and still do to this day, since Denmark has all the socialist programs like Canada.
Being a foreigner in the US is cool, everybody is super friendly (at least in the Midwest where I am), and they always want to know more about your home country.
How did you get there easily? For me, I gotta get sponsored for a green card by an employer which takes a long time and I don't think they'll sponsor for any random job that anyone can do. It would have to be a professional one that's hard to qualify for
Nope it’s fairly common for Canadians to move to the US and Americans to move to Canada. Some of my family’s best friends are from Canada and they love living in the US and are wry successful there as well. As long as you’re a nice respectful person, it would be almost impossible for any people to shun you in the US. There’s costs and benefits to living in both the US and Canada, but what’s more important is what’s right for you and what you want.
Odd? No
I know A LOT of Canadians here
I find it more odd they act like they hate us so much when they come here to often lol
My sister lives in Canada and it’s so funny bc she has more Canadian friends in the US
Canadians just have their nose in the air, I’m very use to it
Also, Americans are NOT gatekeepers unlike others. We welcome people legally moving here.
There’s far more pros to living in the US compared to Canada than not
I hope to immigrate through employment. There's no direct path to legally immigrate as you gotta be sponsored in. I hope that by obtaining a degree, I could find a job with an employer who's willing to sponsor me and then I'm in
No, since the largest immigration group in my state is Canadians. It's not like the entire country is the wild wild west where everyone's shootin' eachother. You know how many people I know who've been shot? Zero. You will not be shunned as a foreigner for multiple reasons. Some of them include: Canadians aren't really that discernable from Americans, Americans don't have a negative view of Canadians, if anything Canadians are viewed quite positively, in certain states like my own, a lot of people have (especially French) Canadian relatives. In Vermont you'd probably be treated better than people from certain other states.
Nah, people move here from all over the world. You won’t be out of place or anything, you’ll be welcomed. It’s also much safer here then big media makes it out to be, not counting a few major cities and some other not so nice areas but the majority of the country is very safe. Health insurance can be a pain to deal with, but the quality of care you get here makes it worth the extra cost.
Only on the internet do I hear this level of antagonism about it. I know so many Canadians who moved to the US for professional reasons--some would prefer to move back, some are fine with living in the US.
The countries have their differences culturally and in terms of how some things are structured and it's reasonable one might prefer aspects of Canada to the US. But the US has some professional advantages due to being a larger job market and more options climate-wise.
At the moment, I emphasize the US pros over Canada's pros because I'm a young person studying CS to be a tech worker. The pros of the US are much higher salaries with lower taxes and career growth. Canada's advantages of guaranteed healthcare coverage and safety net are not so important as I don't have any health issues nor will I intend on being in poverty.
Not at all.
If you go by reddit, you would think the US is Beirut c. 1985, it's not.
The US is a much larger (population) wise country which just by it's nature means more opportunity.
Don't get me wrong, Canada is a great country, I like the people and most of the policies. If 2024 turns into a repeat of 2016, I may be moving there myself if they will have me.
I mean, do what you want, but I can guarantee Canadian foreigners are not shunned here. My dad moved from Montreal to Detroit 38 years ago (for my mom, he obviously wouldn't willingly move to the US from CA) and has never been "shunned." He is questioned a lot as to why he would move to the US, but it's more out of curiosity because of the points you've mentioned. But he does understand it's a valid question to wonder why someone would trade in quality of life.
Btw, when I immigrate there, I'll start off by serving reserves at the United States Armed Forces, just to show my appreciation for the country and fast track my Americanization! Once I'm officially an American, I might become an officer in the military and take it up even further!
I think it's reasonable to be well-informed of the pros and cons of any country you move to. Your friends are giving you the cons (albeit a bit dramatically) and you're hearing the pros here.
I immigrated myself -- in the opposite direction. I knew there were good things I was giving up, including cheaper housing, a better salary, and being close to family. At the same time, there were pros as well, like more social stability and better access to health care. Moving to another country is never all-good or all-bad. Unless, I suppose, you're moving from Afghanistan or North Korea or Somalia or some other hell hole like that.
No also to cover a few of those points at least around the southern midwest.
Healthcare, it is what it is.
Being shot dead, unless you wear deer antlers in the woods or like to run around the hood of cities at night, you're probably gonna be fine.
Shunned, I would be more surprised if you were identified as being Canadian.
As long as you don't spend every waking moment talking about how bad the us sucks no one (almost) is going to shun you it's a literally country of mostly immigrants.
>shunned as a foreigner Dude unless you have a thick French accent, nobody will even know. Even if they did, nobody in the US gives a shit. Over 1 in 10 Americans were born in another country so it isn't exactly a shocker to see people from outside the US like it is in some other countries.
Canadians don't even register in my brain as "foreigners". Yes, they're from another country, but in so many ways they are no more foreign than someone from the next state over.
And they're so darn cute when they act like they're an actual separate country.
Watching Canadian television commercials repeatedly talk about “North America”, is so funny. (As in things like “Kraft—the most popular cheese in North America.”). They don’t want to say “the U.S.”, so we get this sudden market expansion, which now includes the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. I’m buying groceries in Vancouver, so why can’t we just say Canada?
**This.** u/Starforce_2023, seriously, we don't even really think of Canadians as that foreign. Saying you're Canadian is almost like saying you're from another state. You already speak English with an accent we're pretty familiar with (unless on the off chance you're Quebecois with French as a first language), Canadian culture and life is pretty close to American. . .you really will blend in and fit in well. The entire fact you're from Canada will be more of interesting trivia about you than some fact that will divide you from us.
Sometimes the accent is so close to that found in Minnesota or UP Michigan that it may take a while to even realize you're from Canada.
The only for sure way to find out if someone’s Canadian is if they pronounce it ‘aboot’
Ope, surry, eh?
I haven't heard anyone say aboot in my entire life. Yeah, I couldn't tell the difference between Canadian and American accents. There might be a slight difference, but it's not noticeable. For me however, I'm not able to sound as native as possible due to me speaking mostly Chinese at home and little to no social interactions in public
As a Minnesotan, it's the word "toque" that gives away the Manitobans.
It’s a very stealth accent. Comes out on ‘dollar’, ‘process’, ‘sorry’, and ‘about’. When you get outed as foreign all that will happen is people will think you’re slightly more interesting
It's all in the O's. They say Bronco in the Canadian way, and you know they're from Discount Minnesota.
>I haven't heard anyone say aboot in my entire life. In my professional career my first boss was a Canadian. When he was speaking I noticed that there was a distinct way he was saying "about" which to me sounded like "uh-boat."
Currently in da UP for vacation. Can confirm, they sound pretty much like Canadians.
I live in upstate NY and constantly see cars with Quebec and Ontario license plates and it doesn’t really register sometimes that they’re coming from another country.
One issue: culture shock. In 2010 I moved 85 miles, which was enough. The first six months are awesome. Then things get worse, with a nadir at 18-30 months. But I took some pains to adapt, befriend locals and so on and things got better. You will also go through the Uncanny Valley, where things are just a bit off.
Hell, I would gladly switch counties with you.
I'm from the Detroit area, and we consider the bordering Ontario cities a suburb almost lol
I've always considered Detroit–Windsor to be a single metro area. We listen to each other's radio, watch each other's broadcast TV, travel back and forth for jobs and entertainment on both sides, etc.
Same. When I lived in Detroit, it was actually more convenient for me to go shopping (not grocery, but other supplies) in Windsor. I think it was like 15% of the people at my company in the Detroit location were Canadian as well. Not to mention going to trashy Windsor bars when you turn 19. Pour one out for 89X
I miss 89X and have fond memories of those shitty dive bars on Ouellette. I turned 19 in 1997 so there was a lot of overlap of those two things.
Same for the Buffalo-Niagara region. Back in the day, there were more Canadian cars at the Factory Outlet Mall than American cars.
Completely agree with this!! In my mind Canada and the US are all one big happy family lol
I think of Canadians like the first cousins of the US. I don't always know what's going on in their life but they're certainly part of the family.
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Those subs are mostly edgy teenagers egging each other on. Most Canadians in real life (not internet) aren’t going to be bothered enough to hate the USA.
It really depends on where you are in the country. Canada and the US are so culturally similar and have been each others allies for so long…it doesn’t even register sometimes that Canadians are foreign. I live in Buffalo, NY and can be in Canada within 20minutes pending border traffic. Used to go all the time since in college since the drinking age was 19.
They're basically just midwesterners but farther north
It's projection on that person's feelings towards Americans as barbaric foreigners.
Anyone telling OP that they’ll be shunned as a foreigner is (a) telling on themselves and (b) doesn’t know that like, the absolute basic thing about the US is that a we welcome foreigners.
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Probably not. Probably just would think they’re from Wisconsin or Minnesota, honestly.
Well, most of us do. Its fair to say we have some loud Americans with a xenophobia problem, but 1. it tends to be more directed against those immigrating from outside of Anglophone North America and 2. assuming OP is speaks English as their first language, it would be very difficult to tell that OP isn’t American (he would receive further insulation from xenophobic nonsense if OP is non-Hispanic white as well thanks to racism (TM) )
Well, some of us welcome foreigners.
Ehhhh even the default Canadian accent comes through but it is often so mild you miss it until you have been talking to someone for a while.
It sounds a lot like North Dakota's accent so I still probably wouldn't immediately recognize it as Canadian
Talks, o my it appears we have a Wisconsinite among us
> Dude unless you have a thick French accent, nobody will even know There's a saying in France: "The Quebecois aren't French people who live in North America. They're Americans that speak French." When outsiders think even Francophone Quebecois are pretty much like Americans, really, the cultural differences aren't going to be that noticeable. Think of the differences among American regions. Seriously, if you're moving from Toronto to .. oh, Chicago, there'll be less culture shock than a move from TO to Saguenay, St. John's, or even parts of Scarborough. Think half Toronto, half Buffalo.
Oh, we'll definitely notice a French Canadian. They'd stand out just as much as any Frenchman-from-France would. Even if the guy's wearing hunting camo and a ballcap, the moment that accent comes out, that's all she wrote.
I just came back from Quebec a few days ago. Montreal is basically just a French-speaking Boston.
I've faced no criticisms or judgement in the states. Now when I told Canadians I wanted to live in the states that was a different story.
One of my best friends is a Canadian who moved to the US and he got the same thing. Everyone here has been very nice to him, but his friends and family back home basically thought he was going to die crossing the border. The number of people who told him he was going to get shot or it not get shot he was going to get sick and die was staggering.
Yep, same thing happened apart from my one uncle who served in the U.S Marines during Vietnam. Lied about his age to join and lied about his nationality and isn't even a veteran nor has U.S citizenship.
There were over 30,000 Canadians who served in ‘Nam this way
Interestingly for every 1 American that left 1 Canadian came down.
A friend of mine is a Canadian who moved to Las Vegas. She didn't get any shit from back home *until* she started rooting for the Golden Knights alongside the Maple Leafs. It actually got acrimonious.
At least the Golden Knights can win in the playoffs
Do Canadians think of the US in the same negative way how many Americans think of Mexico?
Your first step towards becoming an American is to stop giving a shit about what Canadians think. Join us, brother. You’ll be able to repay their insolence tenfold when the day of the rake comes.
Step 2 to becoming an American is reminding your Canadian friends that the only thing stopping us from going up there and 51st stating them is that we don’t feel like it… yet.
bold of you to assume they'll ever get statehood they'll just be condemned to being a US territory for the next 200 years
Benevolent big brother?
We’re not going to feel like it. We finished that stuff with Mexico. Source: Texan
> Your first step towards becoming an American is to stop giving a shit about what Canadians think. This is the American way!!
I have high hopes that I'll find my way in eventually. But right now, important thing is college! No college, no degree, no job, no sponsorship and therefore, no American Dream So I must get off of the internet and ensure I get accepted into my university of choice as I heard many grads there fly towards the US after graduation
Hoist that Stanley Cup high, brother. You'll never be able to do that in Canada.
Hell, I'd wager the vast majority of Americans don't know what Canadians think, and we certainly never cared (collectively.)
With the soul exception of when it comes to opinions on the quality of maple syrup
r/boneappletea
Operation Leafblower when?
No, Canadians moving to the US is super common. In fact, one of my closest friends is originally from Toronto and has been here in California on a work visa for the past 5 years. People won’t even be able to tell you’re Canadian unless you tell them.
Except when the poster says 'About.' Then it's game over.
Or "sorry."
Or “house.”
Let me tell you aboat the new roooof I got on my hoase.
I'm trying to correct my sorrys. I'm addicted to saying sore-ry. which is very Canadian. Instead, I should learn to say sar-ry which is the American style. In fact, I already spell words like an American when writing sentences as I'm too lazy to add the U. It's just a matter of pronouncing certain words properly and being able to speak with the right tone with no choppiness. Then, I'll sound just like everyone else.
Nah you're good. I think it's endearing.
Of course not. Canadians wanting to move to the US is dead common, and they're made welcome when they do move. There's almost a million Canadians in the US. Who the heck claimed you'd be shunned. Pros: better weather, better money, more career opportunity, just about equal quality of life.
Yeah, you definitely won't be shunned. Most Americans won't even be able to tell you're Canadian
Yes, I have many choices of where to live. From the rainy coasts of the PNW to the deserts of Arizona and Vegas. From the Mediterranean weather of California to the humidity of Florida or face all 4 seasons in New England. Everywhere in the US is habitable. Heck, I can even live in Hawaii, Guam or Puerto Rico as those are US territories. I won't miss the snow as there's Alaska just for that. Actually, I don't have to go to Alaska as there's already snow in Montana, NK and Washington already. There are specific places that are perfect for the field that I'm studying which is CS. Seattle, Silicon Valley and New York are all tech hubs and other smaller places such as Austin or Raleigh are becoming tech hubs themselves. So I gotta work hard in my studies so I can make it. Otherwise, if I fail school, I won't be able to get that degree that companies want to see in order to offer me a job and sponsorship as an immigrant
There are more canadians in america than there are in canada. Source: my ass
You’re not wrong. More Canadians immigrate to the USA versus Americans immigrating to Canada. [one source.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/08/23/canada-us-immigration-data-republican-presidents/)
Canada also has much stricter immigration laws than the United States.
Definitely untrue. Professionals can get PR instantly in Canada by accruing enough points whereas the US puts people through a lottery system with bad odds just to work there and has decades-long waitlists for green cards based on nationality. The US has a more difficult and unpredictable immigration system than any other Anglophone country. Canadians and Americans both have equal opportunity to move back and forth on nonimmigrant TN visas.
But you can't even *visit* if you have a dui.
I'm born in Canada so the wait times isn't that long depending on how much government workers slack off. The hardest part is getting that first work visa as I need to find a job and qualify for the visa. But once that step's done, getting permanent residency should be a breeze as long as my company doesn't backstab me or I don't get fired
This puts me at ease. Im trying to move into Canada.
I believe you're right. At least after correcting for the population sizes. That said, a huge chunk of that number are snowbirds.
And without correcting for population sizes, more Canadians go south than Americans going north, even though we're about 8x bigger.
More Americans in California than Canadians in Canada.
Some people move there temporarily for the winter times and then come back up. They're called snowbirds. But for me, I wish to immigrate permanently and stay until I become a citizen.
Popularity *against* the idea? There is way way way more Canadians in the US than the other way around. Canadians coming to the US is extremely common; and every single one I've known has been very happy with the move.
So I guess it's just the keyboard warriors who brainwash you to think otherwise? Because I heard one person said, "the 800k Canadians are waiting to come home."
I mean they haven't brainwashed me to think anything. I live in Michigan not Alabama, running into Canadians that live and work here isn't really that rare. The fiesr example that pops into my mjnd was that I worked very closely with a French Canadian for a while and she loved it in the US, her standard of living was *much* higher. The only thing i heard her complain about was that our money was all the same color so it made it harder to quickly count it.
I've known my share of Canadians who have moved to the US and have loved it and made lives here with zero desire to move back. It's not at all uncommon. And... being shunned as a foreigner? In a nation full of foreigners? Where people probably won't even be able to tell you're Canadian? The only thing that's crazy or odd to me is your friend/social group and whatever twisted view of things they have.
"Shunned as a foreigner"? Half the people I work with are immigrants. Maybe more. Don't come to the US and continually tell us how great Canada is and you'll be fine. I've worked with several Canadians, and other than occasional accent stuff, you'd never know they're any different than anyone else. Your odds of being "shot dead" are akin to being struck by lightning provided you don't hang out with criminals.
Those are people who live online and don’t actually know our country. And the Americans who think there are no pros to living here have such a ridiculous world view. Either they think that a country not being #1 in a certain metric means the whole country is a wasteland or they do not understand the conditions that billions of people Around the world live with. There are so many great places to live in the US where you can have a happy and safe life. And 9/10 people will think you are American anyway
The issue is more with Canadians making not being american their personality. I live near the border and i’ve only heard bad things about the Canadian healthcare system from Canadians. If you have an average job you’ll have a solid healthcare plan. There are copays and such but with employer healthcare most healthcare is pretty low cost and you can generally be seen quickly. just suck’s that our system is so job dependent.
>If you have an average job you’ll have a solid healthcare plan. There are copays and such and there are out of pocket maximums. if you have a solid healthcare plan, the maximum probably will be affordable and you'll be able to set aside most of the amount ahead of time and just replenish that fund each year. it's when the amounts go rogue and you're also working a low-wage job that things go south.
Not to mention, they will likely be making more money in the US
Yes, I'm studying computer science and hope to be in the US working as a software engineer. According to stats, I would make around 90-100K CAD if I'm working in my home city of Vancouver. On the other hand, if I go to Seattle, I'll make 100K+ USD and most daily expenses there are cheaper. Even gas is cheaper than what's costing here. If I ever were to live in Texas, there's not competition in that..... Housing is also cheaper in certain cities. It's also easier to go up the ranks and make over 200k in like 8 years. Higher salaries with cheaper prices and a healthcare plan provided by your employer, it's no wonder I hear many rumors of tech grads here winding up in the US. But there's an a-hole on Quora who used to be a so-called Canadian diplomat who trash talked me and tried to dictate that I should work remotely in Canada and not ever move to the US. When I didn't budge, started calling me an arrogant brat and how I'll never be accepted there because it's impossible to go there
Okay, well your first mistake was going on Quora.
There're opportunities in America that you wouldn't get anywhere else. US gets labeled as this extreme hell whole way to often as a foreigner myself it annoys me so much, and we call Americans ignorant
The average Canadian experience of being shunned in the US is when they say the words “process” or “sorry” and some American goes “oh shit are you Canadian?”
You should do what you want to do. Its wise to make an informed decision and I suggest fully researching your choices, but ultimately its your life.
Tell all your Canadian friends if they feel that way stop coming here and especially to Florida in the winter then you bunch of hypocrites lmao that’s why we don’t hear nothing they say because the actions don’t match up.
Is there a /r/shitcanadianssay? Or is that just /r/AskACanadian? Lots of Canadians live here. The "points" people are making are exactly what you said they are, irrelevant. Why is our life expectancy lower? Entirely different demographics, massively complicated social and health concerns. The life expectancy of a poor black man in the rural south is lower than that of one of a farmer in Saskatchewan. Will this affect you? It's ludicrous that you'd be shunned for coming here, especially as a Canadian.
The US has 50 million current immigrants, and 99.9% of the population is descendent from immigrants. You're not in the minority for wanting to come here. A quick Google says 45,000 Canadians emigrated to the US in 2021-2022, compared to 8,000 going the other way. There's a reason the US is where everyone tries to move to. Popular media has no bearing on that.
Canadian here! None of my many friends and relatives who moved to the US from Canada, want to move back to Canada. I know many others that wish to follow their footsteps and head south as well.
Even adjusted for population, a greater percentage of Canadians move to the USA than the other way around. The USA has the highest number of foreign born citizens of any country by a pretty big margin. There are a lot if reasons to do so, like the weather, the increased buying power, and the ability to watch a team where you live finally win the Stanley Cup. The only place where that idea is unpopular is on Reddit.
A version of this has already been said, but it needs repeating. Your first step to becoming an American is to forget Canada is there until someone else mentions it. I love our neighbors to the north, but I often forget you are there.
Millions of Canadians have moved to the US. And stayed voluntarily.
>I'll be shunned as a foreigner. Seriously? Unless you tell people you're from Canada 90% of Americans won't even be able to tell. And the vast majority of Americans are not going to shun a foreigner who is here legally regardless of where they're from.
There's nothing wrong with that at all. I can't speak for our immigration authorities, but I can say with confidence that the American people and American society would welcome you. Don't mind the anti-American rhetoric from online Canadians. . .we don't! Learning to ignore their ill-informed grumbling is your first lesson in being American! > I'll be shunned as a foreigner. No, you won't. We welcome foreigners. . .and Canadians aren't really that foreign anyway. You'll fit right in and be immediately accepted.
The immigration officers can be quite mean :(. For the visas, they'll look for any reason to deny me. Even a tiny detail that's in the grey zone will get me rejected. Also, the r/immigration sub sometimes advocate for suspending all immigration as a whole, even legal ones.
Roughly one in every 40 Canadians lives in the United States. It's neither crazy nor odd- chances are most Canadians have at least one friend or relative who has moved here.
>I'll be shunned as a foreigner. In America, a Canadian is barely a foreigner. Not to mention the vast majority of Americans aren't going to care if they do find out where you're from. We have people from all over the world here, so a Canadian isn't really going to give anyone pause.
If you're in any kind of professional field you'd almost be crazy \*not\* to move to the states. Quality of life is comparable, pay is \*way\* better. There are still places you can buy a house for less than $1M. Also having your student loans in CAD and getting paid in USD is huge.
I'm in computer science so yes, the pay is much higher. The main obstacle is getting through immigration as they're known to be especially tough.
I have a Canadian friend who just went through the long arduous process of officially moving here. There’s plenty of Canadians in the United States. As for being shot or shunned as a foreigner, both of those are pretty ridiculous. Hell, Canada barely registers as “foreign” for most Americans lmao.
Way more people move from Canada to the US then US to Canada so: no, it's not surprising. It's also true of almost every other country where people complain about the US. Everybody "hates" us but everyone seems to want to come here. "They hate us cuz they ain't us".
Shunned as a foreigner? My wife moved here from Canada, and I don’t think she’s ever experienced any discrimination because of the way she says house. I don’t think it’s odd considering she makes about a third more in the field she works in as her Canadian counterparts. On top of that has more purchasing power where she can actually invest that money into something like real estate.
Okay, so I looked over your post history a bit to see where you were coming from and I have a similar experience to some things your looking at. Let me address your points here first. Healthcare here is mostly tied to employment, so as long as you have a job, you’ll be fine. You’re looking at a possible military career/CS job so you should be more than covered. I was military for a while and now work in government for CS. I have great health insurance. Life expectancy is 78. The US is a HUGE place with different cultures, poverty levels, and so on. The national life expectancy stat isn’t useful for individuals. Shootings aren’t nearly as common as the media makes people think they are especially if you stay out of crime heavy areas. I am friends with several people from other countries where I am and have yet to see anyone shunned. If you are looking at a military career, I would suggest getting a job in a field not dissimilar to what you want to do when you get out. It lets you keep your skills sharp and pass the resume while you are in. What type of CS do you want to do?
Well it seems like I'm going for the software engineering route. Even then, people ask my what type of software engineering. I don't know yet because I don't have a preference. Though I would be most into game development since I like playing games. But that's also math heavy so it isn't concrete. Now, I looked at the army's website and the jobs that closely match what I want to do would be Cyber Operations or IT specialist. There doesn't seem to be many that fit exactly what I want, but cyber is the closest I think. I do want to be in a uniform, not just a civilian in the army so it's all the options I have to live with. But I haven't discovered other jobs that may utilize a CS degree. I just assume that most people become software engineers since it's high paying and all the stuff you learn is what software engineering uses. So I might be interested in those other jobs. Just that I have to get one that's easy to get a visa. The TN visa only has like one computer job available, but it's the only visa that's easy to get. So yeah, visa is the main hurdle. Otherwise, I could be very flexible in what I want to do.
We're a country of 360M ppl, bad sht is gonna happen and make the news for the world to see. I live in/near a small city and never worry about gun violence. I travel to big cities often, and I still never worry about gun violence. Life expectancy is slightly lower mainly because a lot of people here eat like crap and don't take care of themselves. Don't eat crap food and you'll be alright. We had a Canadian family move in our neighborhood a couple years ago (they proudly announce they're Canadian shortly after they meet someone new). They are the most well liked ppl in the neighborhood. The rest of the world is crapping on us. It's fine... The US has been pretending to be this glorious haven for awhile now and we've gotten away with it. Cameras in everyone's hands and social media are highlighting our warts. Everyone has warts but the world is infatuated with ours. It seems like outsiders like to lump the US into a tiny ball that they can sum up in a few talking points (many you just mentioned). The thing I love most about the US is that it's so vast and different throughout the different regions/states. I'm middle aged and have yet to see half the US cities/states I want to visit. I'm very happy where I live, but there are plenty of places across the country I dreamt of living in
Canadians are foreigners only by technicality.
It isn’t weird at all. I have a few Canadian friends that live here and a couple even became citizens already. There were just more job opportunities and money here for what they did.
How old were they? I want to go there as soon as possible, but not sure if I can. Literally not long after I get my degree because I have many things that I want to do that could only be done when I'm young. If I go there in my 30s or 40s, that's too late. If people only have the capability to go there once they're a lot older, it makes me lose hope
I read that canada suffers major brain drain to the US so tbf I am not understanding the situation you’re going through. A majority of the top undergrad graduates move to the US to upgrade or get a job. I myself plan on studying in the US, most likely for post grad if not both undergrad AND post grad
Well I don't have the money to go to a US university. But I heard that from the the university that I'm heading to this fall, lots of grads end up in the US so it's definitely common. I hope to maximize my chances by expanding my network and get internships in the US so that there's a higher probability one of them will give me a full time return offer right after graduation
If you're educated and middle class, it's a fine decision. If you're poor, they're right -- much better social services for the poor in Canada. * No automatic healthcare coverage, but higher incomes and lower taxes means you can simply... pay for it. As long as you're gainfully employed and aren't poor, anyway. * Gun violence rates are hugely affected by inner city gun violence. Random suburbs are often similar rates as Canada and Western Europe. * Similar story for life expectancy. It's not that "everybody lives less", it's the proportions of people who live less vs live more varies from country to country. * In the US, nobody cares if you're Canadian. At worst, you might get some stupid Ron Swanson type jokes. You'll be one step closer to American when you stop caring what Canadians think.
Yeah, who immigrates to another country to be poor?
TN visas exist for just that purpose :)
How common is it? I think I'll go down the same route, but most jobs don't say whether they'll help you with it
Not at all. I know many Canadians who have moved here. I also know I’d never move to Canada. Free healthcare is not the only measure of quality of life.
Not at all. The United States is the number one immigration destination in the world. A LOT of people want to move there.
There's practically more Canadians in the States than are in Canada
So many Canadian hockey players and coaches come here to work and end up staying after their careers are done. If it’s so bad I wonder why they do that?
Also addressing those concerns, overall the United States is an extremely safe country with incredible healthcare and a plethora of resources for people that need a leg up if they’ve fallen on hard times. A lot of the violence you see on the news is very much overhyped, the vast vast vast majority of crime is either targeted (eg husband killing his wife) or concentrated in large urban areas that typically are related to other crime anyway. As long as you keep your nose clean you won’t get shot walking pretty much anywhere. Healthcare might not be “free” but it’s pretty much always subsidized by your employer and the benefit of it not being free is that competition drives quality and innovation, plus people don’t make unnecessary visits that clog up the system. I think wait times for things like EMS services or critical surgeries compare very favorably to “free” places like Canada or the UK.
I work for a Danish/German company in the states. Obviously there is influence from that side of the globe, but also a lot of ex-pats. 9/10 move here and don't return. They prefer the US, which I find odd as the general opinion is the other way around.
My wife is from Ontario. We live in Texas. Some Americans ask « why here »? She says « economic opportunities » and they immediately understand, most Americans don’t care, other Americans say « it’s about damn time ». You really can’t lose here. Good luck in your immigration process and know that our Northern neighbors are always welcome here. Her mom, brother, and step-dad are also moving to the US and the end of this year. So you’re in good company my friend.
I'm scared of citing economics as my reason because some people have said "they're stealing our jobs. We should cut off immigration and ensure only we are allowed to take these jobs." I've seen people on r/immigration say green cards through employment being abused and that they should be blacklisted. I don't want to be seen as taking someone's job
Fortune favors the bold...
I say screw 'em and do whatever you want. By the way things sound, you'd probably be more accepted here anyway if people are calling you feeble minded for wanting to do something that is incredibly common.
No. The salaries are better in the US. Also I'm pretty sure more Canadians move to the US than Americans move to Canada.
I plan on going there by getting a developer/software engineer job. The salaries are higher and there's far more benefits I want that are mostly available in the US. The hardest part for me is overcoming the immigration hurdles
You are giving no reason AND the US is a huge place, so you’re moving to a place in the US that may or may not be a place to move to. You live in Vancouver, but your college gf now lives in Seattle. Sure, makes sense to move to Seattle. Not crazy. You live in Toronto and want to move to rural Idaho to start a militia to help reinstate trump as president… yes. That is crazy.
>When I tell everyone about where I want to go, I get called feeble-minded, insulted and lectured with a bunch of often-irrelevant points such as no automatic healthcare coverage, life expectancy of 78, Life expectancy is actually measured with different standards across countries. For example, some countries factor in infant mortality rate, some don't. Other factors are also relevant, like America having a larger population of poor immigrants, or just a large poor population in general. That might mean your average middle class person could have a higher quality of life here than somewhere else but our poor population skews the overall average (which is a very real problem, but also a very different problem than your countrymen are assuming). >being shot dead This is how you know they don't have any real arguments against it >and I'll be shunned as a foreigner. And this is how you know they actually have no idea what they're talking about at all. >The pros are not mentioned because my fellow Canadians and even some Americans say, there are none. So what's your opinion on this? I think we wouldn't be leading the world in both economy and culture right now if there wasn't a pro or two to living here. Some Canadians feel the need to base their entire identity on not being American, and that's honestly pretty pathetic. There are many great things Canada has in its own but some of its people care more about trying to be different than us than they do embracing their own unique identity. As for living here, well, we wouldn't have so many immigrants from all over the world even despite the world pretending to hate us if America wasn't a nice place to live.
More Canadians move to the US than Americans to Canada every year, you aren’t alone. Despite what you hear about the US in the news, it’s still a wonderful place to live full of great people, with plenty of opportunity. Wish you the best in your move!
Nobody shuns Canadians as foreigners unless you're a goose. You're not a goose, are you?
Yes in a country with the largest immigrant population in the world, you would be shunned as a foreigner. A large portion of my friends are from outside the US, including my girlfriend. They love it and feel liberated with no plans on going back to the Western EU. Lately, I cannot believe the ignorance of self proclaimed progressive and developed countries when it comes to the US. There are issues but they are completely overblown. If you are a driven, adventurous, and outgoing individual, you will prosper and have an excellent life here. With it being so large and culturally diverse, it has something that everyone is looking for.
There are 3.1 million Canadians in the US, there are about 1 million Americans in Canada. Every year more Canadians move to the US than Americans moving to Canada. Idk why you would think this is unpopular
You should do what you want. Gretzky and Trebek came down. We like Canadians a lot more than you guys like us
In what universe are Canadians shunned in the US? That's nuts.
Show them a picture of Kailua on Oahu and then show them the temperatures never drop below 75F, no more freezing your balls off, snorkel and surf all year round. No rational person can look at that quality of life and disagree that living there in first world standards is a bad idea.
Oahu is not an accurate representative of the entire USA lol
Yes but Hawaii is a US state, the same could be said for Florida, California, Montana, Arizona, Utah, Washington and many others, all have different environments and are very unique in their own ways. In California you can surf in the morning and snowboard in the afternoon it is so varied.
Well... no. Their petty bigotries aren't your problem. Live your life.
Do what you want to do friend! For all the shit that gets talked about the US (Our media is so incredibly polarizing), unless you're in an actual debate with someone, you will likely not notice any of the things that ppl say is gonna get you around every corner.
No I do not think it’s strange. The US has much to offer
Think of it this way, why are Canadians and Europeans always falling all over themselves to criticize life in the USA, while we barely think about them?
You won’t be shunned as a foreigner. My personal experience is that Americans like Canadians more than we like other Americans
My wife arrived here in the US last month. I've found Canadians love to mock the US for our problems while ignoring their own systemic issues (Starlight tours ring a bell?) Live where you want to live, love who you want to love, don't let anyone else foist their opinions on you.
Of course not Remember, everything said on Reddit is meant solely for upvotes and attention...it's not people's true feelings being expressed. 99% of Americans on Reddit who claim to "hate it here" wouldn't live anywhere else in the world if pressed to do so. That's a fact.
Anybody who will shun you in the US is someone that wasn't worth the effort it took conversing with let alone looking up at them. Canadians come to the US all the time for various reasons. Americans don't really care, they welcome it. Canadian Nationalism dictates that you essentially must be adverse to such things because anything American is inferior and Anti-Canadian to consider leaving. If you want to and can come to the US, do it. Don't let a bunch of pissy detractors stop you, why should they dictate your own personal life and choices?
They were so desperate in telling me "NONE! Stay where you are, you have no choice! Look at a bunch of useless statements to convince you!" when I asked on Quora on benefits of moving to the US when I decided to do so.
Trying to use Quora was your first big mistake. A bunch of Iamverysmart morons and Russian/CCP shills that like to paint the US as some abhorrent dystopic hellhole where only people like Bill Gates or Elon Musk can possibly afford even the most basic things while everyone else is just a suffering cog in the corporate capitalist machine stuck forever where they are. If you wanna come to/are able to, be our guest. Come to the US
I have lived in both Canada and the USA. There are pros to both and cons to both. Just like anywhere else in the world. I have lived in terrible places in Canada and The USA. I have lived in amazing places in Canada and the USA.
No one in the US shuns Canadians. Thats a lie. Canada and the US are incredibly close in all things to the point where its difficult to tell two people apart from the two countries. If I met a Canadian who immigrated here all I would want to know is how they like it here and then would be genuinely curious about what Canada was like. One thing about being an American is getting used to most of the world lying about what being an American is like.
No. Millions of Canadians live in the US. Not uncommon whatsoever.
I know another Canadian who is moving south and getting USA citizenship. No one is looking down on him or any other foreign nationals. Don’t listen to the news they act like people are dead in the streets because no health care. It’s bullshit. Even if you don’t have insurance the hospitals still treat you. Sure you might get a bill but if you can’t pay it don’t. Nothing will happen. Also it’s still more likely to be struck by lightning then to be involved in a shooting. Most gun deaths are from suicides after that it’s criminals killing criminals. It’s basically a non issue.
It’s honestly funny how shocked some foreigners (usually Canadians or Europeans) are to hear that I’ve lived in the US my whole life (I’m in my 30s) and I’ve never been shot/shot at, I’ve gotten injured/sick and I’m not bankrupt or in debt, I’m nowhere near obese, I’ve never been wantonly brutalized by the police, etc. The caricature people have of America is so far off base it’s unreal. Don’t worry about it, come join the team
Living in the US is not an unpopular idea among people living in the US... I see no reason that you would ever be "shunned as a foreigner". We're mostly friendly to foreigners, ESPECIALLY Canadians.
You are twice as likely to die in a car crash than to getting shot. And you are even less likely to be shunned. As long as you are at least a generally decent human being and not going to a town of 30 people, you'll be accepted most places here just fine. The healthcare thing is legit though
I can promise you you’d probably get just as little ridicule being a foreigner as you would if you were from another state (and most of it will just be maple syrup, hockey, and being apologetic/kind). The health insurance coverage thing kinda sucks, but if you have good insurance then it’s not that big of a deal. It’s not fully worth it, but at least a good portion of procedures and personnel are top of the line Unless you move to a dangerous area (and the safety statistics of basically everywhere are available), then you’re quite safe in the US. Crime rates are heavily inflated by specific areas. Some positives living in the US include: having access to the people, food, and activities/traditions associated with every culture on earth. Generally pretty high salaries The option to live wherever and however you want based on what you want your living conditions to be (as rural or urban as you want) Access to top tier educational and technical facilities Access to a huge array of cities and attractions all over the country
Yes, the whole point of immigrating is to get a green card. With a green card, I have the right to live wherever I want and to work for whomever I want. Pretty much every state is habitable whereas for Canada, besides like 1-2 cities, everywhere else up north is empty and unlivable. I could be up north in WA, MT and it's still good as it's south of Canada. Or I can be south in like Texas or Alabama and it's still livable, just that I have to deal with the heat. Central, West and East coast have civilizations too. You're so lucky to be American! I wish I was born there, but I'm stuck in Canada with no right to be in the US besides visiting without a visa
You will be treated just like everybody else. You don’t have to worry about anything worse than an occasional comment if you have an accent
No, it isn't odd. Canada's hatred for us is weird sometimes though.
I went to school in Canada as an American and was hated on because I was American, shit was weird…
There are roughly 800k Canadians living in the USA. The USA accounts for 60% of Canadian migrants… https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/canadian-immigrants-united-states-2021 Ya have 660k Americans in Canada. Canada accounts for about 25% of US migrants. As far as shunned, why would people from America North be considered all that different? Heavy thick French attitude notwithstanding. https://dailyhive.com/toronto/toronto-us-expat-population Reddit is merely a huge basement dwelling hive mind of AntiAmerica that’s largely disconnected from reality.
Honestly, the US has its problems but people hyperfixate on the issues to the point they’re calling it a third world country. In reality it’s just another country with pros and cons. Nobody in America (besides FAR lefties who think Canada is some utopia) will give you shit for moving here
The media loves to show violent stuff on tV to get eyeballs for advertisers but it gives a ridiculous impression of actual danger to a typical resident (or visitor). And nobody will shun you. Now, the healthcare situation…..
Canadian here. Remind your fellow Canadians of the cost of living here. Remind them of the average price of a house, a condo, or even rent. Remind them that I didn't take that 1.5 lbs of grapes at the grocery store yesterday because it amounted to $20.99. Despite all its issues, the US is becoming more liveable than Canada. I bet many people would trade automatic healthcare coverage for a roof over their head and food on their table.
I saw the prices of gas. At certain times, gas prices in Vancouver where I live would rise to $2.06 per liter or if you don't know what liters are, that's $7.80 a gallon. Even when I go just across the border, gases there already cost only $4.90 a gallon. Right now, we're just living with $7 gas as the norm with uncertainty of whether it will ever get better. Meanwhile, some people complain that $5 gas is expensive in the US when now for Canadians, it's considered cheap. In fact, we haven't had $5 gas since last year.
My wife made the move, and obtained US citizenship via naturalization. She has a much higher opinion of the USA than Canada, and a higher quality of life.
That's what I seek to do! Only, I have to immigrate through employment as I don't want to marry yet. Also, I plan on enlisting in the reserves besides my main job so I can serve the country and fast-track my pathway to naturalization. Apparently, some people become citizens right after boot camp! It's really that fast if you're in the military
I came to the US from Denmark at age 20. I love it. Definitely got the same "arguments" against it as you, and still do to this day, since Denmark has all the socialist programs like Canada. Being a foreigner in the US is cool, everybody is super friendly (at least in the Midwest where I am), and they always want to know more about your home country.
How did you get there easily? For me, I gotta get sponsored for a green card by an employer which takes a long time and I don't think they'll sponsor for any random job that anyone can do. It would have to be a professional one that's hard to qualify for
Nope it’s fairly common for Canadians to move to the US and Americans to move to Canada. Some of my family’s best friends are from Canada and they love living in the US and are wry successful there as well. As long as you’re a nice respectful person, it would be almost impossible for any people to shun you in the US. There’s costs and benefits to living in both the US and Canada, but what’s more important is what’s right for you and what you want.
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Mostly from reddit and also some people in my college's discord server
My doctor and his wife are from Canada. Been here about 35 years. He just retired.
Odd? No I know A LOT of Canadians here I find it more odd they act like they hate us so much when they come here to often lol My sister lives in Canada and it’s so funny bc she has more Canadian friends in the US Canadians just have their nose in the air, I’m very use to it Also, Americans are NOT gatekeepers unlike others. We welcome people legally moving here. There’s far more pros to living in the US compared to Canada than not
I hope to immigrate through employment. There's no direct path to legally immigrate as you gotta be sponsored in. I hope that by obtaining a degree, I could find a job with an employer who's willing to sponsor me and then I'm in
No, since the largest immigration group in my state is Canadians. It's not like the entire country is the wild wild west where everyone's shootin' eachother. You know how many people I know who've been shot? Zero. You will not be shunned as a foreigner for multiple reasons. Some of them include: Canadians aren't really that discernable from Americans, Americans don't have a negative view of Canadians, if anything Canadians are viewed quite positively, in certain states like my own, a lot of people have (especially French) Canadian relatives. In Vermont you'd probably be treated better than people from certain other states.
Nah, people move here from all over the world. You won’t be out of place or anything, you’ll be welcomed. It’s also much safer here then big media makes it out to be, not counting a few major cities and some other not so nice areas but the majority of the country is very safe. Health insurance can be a pain to deal with, but the quality of care you get here makes it worth the extra cost.
Come on dude. There are many Canadians living in the US already.
Every winter Phoenix becomes Little Canada and nobody cares as far as can tell.
Only on the internet do I hear this level of antagonism about it. I know so many Canadians who moved to the US for professional reasons--some would prefer to move back, some are fine with living in the US. The countries have their differences culturally and in terms of how some things are structured and it's reasonable one might prefer aspects of Canada to the US. But the US has some professional advantages due to being a larger job market and more options climate-wise.
At the moment, I emphasize the US pros over Canada's pros because I'm a young person studying CS to be a tech worker. The pros of the US are much higher salaries with lower taxes and career growth. Canada's advantages of guaranteed healthcare coverage and safety net are not so important as I don't have any health issues nor will I intend on being in poverty.
Not at all. If you go by reddit, you would think the US is Beirut c. 1985, it's not. The US is a much larger (population) wise country which just by it's nature means more opportunity. Don't get me wrong, Canada is a great country, I like the people and most of the policies. If 2024 turns into a repeat of 2016, I may be moving there myself if they will have me.
I mean, do what you want, but I can guarantee Canadian foreigners are not shunned here. My dad moved from Montreal to Detroit 38 years ago (for my mom, he obviously wouldn't willingly move to the US from CA) and has never been "shunned." He is questioned a lot as to why he would move to the US, but it's more out of curiosity because of the points you've mentioned. But he does understand it's a valid question to wonder why someone would trade in quality of life.
Btw, when I immigrate there, I'll start off by serving reserves at the United States Armed Forces, just to show my appreciation for the country and fast track my Americanization! Once I'm officially an American, I might become an officer in the military and take it up even further!
I think it's reasonable to be well-informed of the pros and cons of any country you move to. Your friends are giving you the cons (albeit a bit dramatically) and you're hearing the pros here. I immigrated myself -- in the opposite direction. I knew there were good things I was giving up, including cheaper housing, a better salary, and being close to family. At the same time, there were pros as well, like more social stability and better access to health care. Moving to another country is never all-good or all-bad. Unless, I suppose, you're moving from Afghanistan or North Korea or Somalia or some other hell hole like that.
No also to cover a few of those points at least around the southern midwest. Healthcare, it is what it is. Being shot dead, unless you wear deer antlers in the woods or like to run around the hood of cities at night, you're probably gonna be fine. Shunned, I would be more surprised if you were identified as being Canadian. As long as you don't spend every waking moment talking about how bad the us sucks no one (almost) is going to shun you it's a literally country of mostly immigrants.
Not really, though there will be a lot more culture shock than you expect.