j u n o

Unhappy Democrats Must Wait to Get Into Canada
Wed Nov 3, 2004 04:01 PM ET

By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Disgruntled Democrats seeking a safe Canadian haven
after President Bush won Tuesday's election should not pack their bags
just yet.

Canadian officials made clear on Wednesday that any U.S. citizens so
fed up with Bush that they want to make a fresh start up north would
have to stand in line like any other would-be immigrants -- a wait
that can take up to a year.

"Let me tell you -- if they're hard-working honest people, there's a
process, and let them apply," Immigration Minister Judy Sgro told
Reuters.

Asked whether American applicants would get special treatment, she
replied: "No, they'll join the crowd like all the other people who
want to come to Canada."

There are anywhere from 600,000 to a million Americans living in
Canada, which leans more to the left than the United States and has
traditionally favored the Democrats over the Republicans.

But statistics show a gradual decline in U.S. citizens coming to work
and live in Canada, which has an ailing health care system and
relatively high levels of personal taxation.

Government officials, real estate brokers and Democrat activists said
that while some Americans might talk about moving to Canada rather
than living with a new Bush administration, they did not expect a mass
influx.

"It's one thing to say 'I'm leaving for Canada' and quite another to
actually find a job here and wonder about where you're going to live
and where the children are going to go to school," said one official.

Roger King of the Toronto-based Democrats Abroad group said he had
heard nothing about a possible exodus of party members.

"I imagine most committed Democrats will want to stay in the United
States and continue being politically active there," he said.

Americans seeking to immigrate can apply to become permanent citizens
of Canada, a process that often takes a year. Becoming a full citizen
takes a further three years.

The other main way to move north on a long-term basis is to find a
job, which in all cases requires a work permit. This takes from four
to six months to come through.

Statistics show the number of U.S. workers entering Canada dropped to
15,789 in 2002 from 21,627 in 2000. In 1981 some 10,030 Americans
gained permanent residency, compared to 5,541 in 2003.

Asked if there had been signs of increased U.S. interest, Sgro said:
"Not yet, but we'll see tomorrow."

The Canadian foreign ministry said there had been no increase in hits
on the Washington embassy's immigration Web site, while housing
brokers doubted they would see a surge in U.S. business.

"Canada's always open and welcoming to Americans who want to relocate
here, but we don't think it would be a trend or movement," said Gino
Romanese of Royal Lepage Residential Real Estate Services.

Those wishing to move to Canada could always take a risk and claim
refugee status -- the path chosen earlier this year by two U.S.
deserters who opposed the Iraq war.

"Anybody who enters Canada who claims refugee status will be provided
with a work permit...it doesn't matter what country they're from,"
said an immigration ministry spokeswoman.

Refugee cases are handled by special boards, which can take months to
decide whether to admit applicants. The rulings can be appealed and
opposition politicians complain some people ordered deported have been
in Canada for 10 years or more.

(With additional reporting by Randall Palmer in Ottawa and Larissa
Liepins in Toronto)

i report, you decide

Canada is a great place to live.

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yolanda blais

Even shit like you is accepted in our community.

srebrnik

Dear Unhappy Democrats:

I am an American who resides legally in Canada. However, I am
planning to retire to the United States ASAP. I'd be delighted to
trade or sell my beautiful home in Prince Edward Island, furnished or
unfurnished, to a fellow American . . .

I'm hoping to find a home in eastern Oregon or in New Mexico.

Cheers . . .

len

Hey, I hope a whole commune buys your place, at California prices too.
The fewer of them the better off we will all be.
So you learned, warm is good, eh?
==

A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to
you when you have forgotten the words.