Ottawa is starting consultations with industry groups and immigrant settlement organizations across the country to develop a new “startup-visa program” to fast track immigration of entrepreneurs.
“Canada cannot afford to lose out in the competition for foreign entrepreneurs among immigrant-receiving countries,” Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said.
Tories launch bid to speed up immigration for entrepreneurs
This is an interesting article. As I was reading it I had the following thoughts:
1. I pity the entrepreneurs who go to the U.S. without knowledge that they are entering a massive “shake down” for keeping bank accounts at home, etc.
2. Because immigrating to the U.S. is a dangerous thing to do (unless it is corrected) this presents a wonderful opportunity for Canada to attract some of the best and brightest.
3. Makes me think of moving to New Zealand
And finally:
It is essential that the Government of Canada understand how allowing U.S. citizens to immigrate to Canada can hurt Canada, including the comment that:
A recent post appeared at the Isaac Brock Society which described how Alberta is seeking U.S. workers. It noted that:
“Alberta is launching a new recruitment drive to get skilled US workers to move to Canada. At a purely economic level it makes a lot of sense for Alberta is they have an unemployment rate that is starting to drift toward 4% at which point labor shortages start to occur. However, I can’t help but notice no mention is being made by the Alberta government of the US tax and filing requirements that these prospective US Citizen migrants to Canada are subject to.”
A comment to the post, questioned whether Alberta knew what it was getting into. Is it a good idea to accept U.S. citizens as immigrants? The comment stated:
“This is a big mistake on the part of Alberta. U.S. citizens are economic threats to the stability of the Canadian economy and the Constitutional integrity of Canadian life.”
We have had ample discussion of how the FBAR rules, etc. have the potential to hurt Canada (and any other countries that U.S. citizens move to). Might be worth adding to the comments on this or any similar article.
See the following comment to another post about the U.S. “land locking” it’s citizens.
recalcitrantexpat
April 19, 2012 at 11:18 am
@bubblebustin- I have been wondering what will be the reaction of someo of our critics when and if the day comes that they want or need to live overseas only to find out that the U.S. has effectively land locked them? They may suddenly realize that we were right.
http://isaacbrocksociety.com/2012/04/16/reuters-article-attosa-abrahim/#comment-13830
Alberta is also busy doing “emigration” roadshows in Ireland as well. Obviously the best way to attract workers is to have them simply drive up, but the attitude of Americans leaving the US for better days ahead is alien. However the Irish have no such mental limitations or tax problems – let the Americans keep surviving on umemployment cheques.
I have a cousin in the US and I mentioned to her that Alberta was looking for autobody repairmen (which is what her husband does and was unemployed at the time) as part of an emigration programme, why doesn’t she consider moving to Canada? This was just after she had had a bad experience returning from South Carolina looking for work and the dream fell through.
The reaction to the suggestion about going to Canada – I might as well have had two heads on my shoulders.
And she knows I’ve lived outside the US for years.
Homeland Americans have to start waking up to the idea of emigration or maybe they shouldn’t. They’d be less international jobs for us ex-pats if homelanders suddenly woke up to the fact there’s a life outside the US.
Can any suggest to Webster’s dictionary to make a definition for “homelander” – noun – An American who is ignorant of the world or issues beyond US borders
Homelander isn’t on dictionary.com and “homeland” has 3 definitions including something about South African tribes.
My impression of these skilled workers who come to Canada is that they’re willing to “hold their noses” to US policies when they believe that they’re here only on a temporary basis. This temporary basis seemingly can last years. For a sample of this mentality go to the Facebook group “Americans in Canada”. Say ANYTHING negative about the US and watch the gatekeepers come out!
@bubblebustin: The gatekeepers have exactly what they’re protecting – an inward looking America that has seem to lost interest of anything that happens outside of its borders.
An example when I visit New England, I like to watch the news in my local bar (especially international), but the other patrons hate it. They can’t get beyond that ESPN news bird brain channel with its endless non-sense. It does my head in.
Ironically, the countries which might benefit the most from American skilled workers are the ones which take forever to give guest workers any form of permanent status. I’m thinking specifically of all the Caribbean tax havens, which are always in need of more “key worker” financiers and lawyers and even IT people to feed their offshore sectors, but which ration out “Status” grants at two-decade intervals. If their American immigrants get impoverished by US taxation, those host countries won’t be on the hook for them in sickness or retirement; they can just revoke their visas and kick them out.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/16/us/more-us-children-of-immigrants-are-leaving-us.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120416
First generation children of immigrants to the US have already begun to move back to their parents’ countries such as China, India and Brazil and are the better off for it. The people who balk at moving to Canada, a first world nation, and who stand to gain from such a move are only going to be left behind in the future as they waste away in the US when they could have a chance to be successful and build a new life just a few hundred kilometres to the north…years of propaganda and believing that everywhere else in the world is a “socialist hell-hole” and that the “US is the best…just because we said so!” are going to take years, if not decades and a major collapse to change.
Lawyers specializing in Expatriation services for Americans are going to make a fortune.
Reblogged this on Renounce U.S. Citizenship – Be Free.
New Zealand has a pathway to residence for entrepreneurs visa.
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/invest/entrepreneur/