Moving to Canada is starting to look more attractive every day!

[bif]

I live in Detroit and am getting really sick of this country. Canada is right across the river and I have to say, I feel a sigh of relief every time I cross the border. My wife and I are retired, so we won't be looking for jobs. I was tempted back when Bush stole the election, but now it looks even more attractive. Sick of the killings. Sick of Republicans. Sick of dumbshits who worship TFG.

[bif]

3. Actually, they don't mind us, as long as we don't take their jobs.

[SoCalDavidS]

6. The R's Are Obviously Going Nowhere

There is NO bridge too far for them. In fact, it is their goal to make America even more of a Shithhole than it already is.

When so few people even care to vote, and the repubs make up such a large portion of the population, I see ZERO hope for the future in America.

Things will not stay the same, they WILL get worse. Count on it.

[SoCalDavidS]

2. I'm Right There With You

My only fear is that Canada is too close. You know, the whole thought that When, Not If, America goes completely to Shit, Canada might be impacted.

I've looked at countries like Denmark, New Zealand, Australia, and my friend keeps telling me that I should consider Portugal.

The main thing keeping me here for now, is that my parents are still alive and in their 80's. I can't abandon them. But I've told them that I want to leave this Shithhole country, and there has been NOTHING in the last 25 years that has given me pause for feeling that way.

[bif]

7. A friend is looking into Portugal

They're very welcoming to Americans And they'll fast track your EU citizenship!

[SoCalDavidS]

10. I Feel Like I Have To Put It On My Itinerary The Next Time I Travel To Europe

I'm hopefully going next summer, to see some Bruce Springsteen concerts. He's not playing Portugal, but perhaps a trip there is in order.

I really have a soft spot for Denmark though. Aside from the cold and dreary climate. They have the Progressive climate that America can only dream of having.

[helpisontheway]

26. I'm in a FB group for expats that live in Portugal

Most seem to really like it. We plan to fly to Spain next year. We plan to travel to Portugal and stay a few days. Who knows? Maybe we will end up there.

[Delphinus]

33. I've thought

about Portugal too.

[Tom Kitten]

47. Pitcairn Island or Tristan da Cunha

Its down to those two. Although the Kerguelens look mighty tempting. Closest neighbor is Madagascar, 3000 miles away!
Oh well I'll probably stay in California, unless I can make it back to the PNW..

[shrike3]

59. We may also be visiting Portugal this year.

I'm working hard to make it happen.

Getting DH out of America (or even out this county) would be like pulling teeth. But maybe if he likes Portugal, he'll see it as an option.

[Hortensis]

4. :) But how attractive are Americans looking to Canada these days?

Canada's always attracted me. But personally, if I were Canadian (or French, Mexican or whatever), I'd want Americans to fix their own country before applying to come to mine.

Officially, they'll consider specific skilled workers, but the days when we could just post some money to prove we're solvent are over. Door closed. Of course some back door must be left open for the wealthy to buy their way in, but it'd now take a lot more than we could come up with. And I do agree with them -- we have work to do here.

[LeftInTX]

44. Mexico will accept us

They like our $$

I think you can even purchase health insurance there

[Hortensis]

54. :) We really like Mexico and moving there was always a happy option.

In this era of growing national and regional instability, though, I'd hesitate to spend our elder years there -- in case things got worse. Unfortunate era to grow up or old in.

Of course, a lot of people we've known do live very comfortably as expats in expat communities there and elsewhere. That's never appealed, but joining a community of mostly old farts with common needs would probably be a way to go. Not that we can't find that right here.

[Silent3]

5. The problem is other countries not wanting us

If I could easily become a full citizen of a relatively sane country, I might have left years ago.

[Wednesdays]

8. So, we're basically throwing up our hands and say, "We surrender"?

[bif]

12. Yep! I'm tired of fighting!

I've been hearing things are going to get better for 50 years. They haven't This country is fucked.

[Hortensis]

16. Fighting consists of voting conscientiously, though.

I'm sure there's a lot more left -- every two years for a few minutes in total safety?

Of course the real dread fighting for most who can dredge up enough sense of responsibility for that is in staying at least informed enough to do no major harm and hopefully some good. We can't afford to lose anyone who's up for that.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

9. I am 56 this summer. My wife and I are looking at being able to retire at 60

and move to Mexico. I think we can make it work on my minorly reduced pension from retiring before I'm fully vested.

If a bullshit Repub is President in 2024, I want to be ready, because I don't have it in me to be here through another 4 years of that.

[demmiblue]

13. For some reason, I thought you lived in Grosse Pointe.

Which is the polar opposite of living in Detroit, for the most part.

Anywho, love our neighbors to the North! Sigh.

[bif]

17. I do. I say Detroit because not everyone know where GP is.

And we refer to Canada as our neighbors to the South. (Look at a map of Detroit).

[demmiblue]

19. Yes, I know.

Fun fact: Kristin Bell was born Huntington Woods (a suburb of Detroit).

[DFW]

48. Grosse Pointe is obscure?

What about if you grew up outside a town named Falls Church?

[bif]

52. Hmmm...I didn't think I'd get shit for saying i lived in Detroit

SORRY!!!

[DFW]

56. LOL !

I can be happy that as a Texan born in Virginia that I can even find Michigan on a map.

[llmart]

61. I live in dumbfuckistan Macomb County, so can I come with you?

I can be in Canada in 20 minutes. I love Canada! I'm retired and not originally from Michigan. I've lived in three states and moved quite a bit, so moving and new places has never bothered me. I just wonder how difficult it would be to move there.

My next door neighbor is from Canada but has lived here most of his adult life. I always ask him why?

[Fiendish Thingy]

14. As a retiree, you may find it difficult to qualify for PR status

I recommend consulting with a good Canadian immigration attorney to get a clear picture on the odds of obtaining Permanent Residency.

The need for self-preservation and sanity-preservation sometimes outweighs patriotism, loyalty or fighting for what’s right.

[Delphinus]

34. The minority,

is indeed, terrorizing us.

[Hortensis]

18. A far easier route to self and sanity preservation would be to

just quit social media. And maybe take up a rewarding new hobby to help emotional needs. Moving to Canada wouldn't do it for people who took all their old negative baggage to a new neighborhood.

We winter in Florida and meet many who'd put way too much hope into moving themselves elsewhere, only to find themselves there too. Also way too little consideration for what they were leaving behind.

[Fiendish Thingy]

21. Social media is poison wherever one lives

But avoiding social media is , for many, not an effective solution to alleviating the despair of living in a failing democracy that is rapidly turning into a cesspool of violence, racism and virtuous cruelty.

When one is past the midpoint of life, self-preservation and sanity become a priority.

[Hortensis]

23. :) Well, we do all differ tremendously in temperament and resilience.

You don't have to be a mental health professional to know that those prone to despair and/or grievance (epidemic these days!) won't preserve or improve their mental state by embracing the malady and its sources of nutrition.

I was chatting earlier with a neighbor who's been virtuously awaiting the rapture, and I'm recognizing now a righteous willingness to abandon an unworthy world to suffer. She also deserves/has to give up, in her case not because she's old for self preservation but because gog says so. Actually, it is self preservation too. Whatever.

Fwiw, my point of view is that older people owe those who'll inherit what we leave to suck it up and fix it while we're still here. After all, a decade of the New Deal turned a state of supposed final national collapse into our greatest era of widespread prosperity and wellbeing, and advances in individual rights. Just voting for Biden (surely easy enough?) got some very important legislation passed, and many people today owe not just their economic but their literal survival to those who bothered.

[Polybius]

20. They won't take you

It's not as easy as it seems.

[bif]

22. Well, it's worth looking into

[Celerity]

25. if you have long term substantial health issues that are considered to be a burden

on the state, Canada will likely reject you for permanent status, even if you are married to a Canadian citizen or even if you are the child of one, but not one yourself.

Seen it happen to multiple fellow Brits (I was raised in London), and despite the fact that the UK and Canada are both in the Commonwealth, which the US is not.

Also, unless you have a lot of wealth saved up, if you are older you will find the EU (I live in Sweden now) and the UK hard to do as well, overall. Same for Norway, Switzerland, (both are non EU) Australia and NZ.

[DFW]

49. Same with Germany

Though I am married to a German citizen, I still had to provide proof of financial stability, a steady job, outside (i.e. from where I came) health insurance, a health check-up, and language proficiency in German. Only then was I given a three year residence permit, converted to permanent only after the three year temporary permit was up, and I hadn't been convicted of anything evil (littering, or whatever passes for a felony here). I was then allowed to apply for German health insurance ($35,000 a year due to my pre-existing conditions). I kept my American Blue Cross. It's useless because they deny everything, but it has still been cheaper than the eleven years of $35.000 that they wanted from me here. It has been eleven years now, so that's $385,000--a substantial chunk of change (to me, anyway!).

This being the EU, I was liable for taxes, of course, from day one, And since I am a US citizen, I never stopped being liable for US taxes as well.

As they say in Spain, "de invierno a invierno, todo el dinero para el gobierno."

[BlackSkimmer]

24. Have you looked into the requirements?

It's not a cakewalk.

[roamer65]

27. Why go to Canada when we can bring it to us?

Province of Michigan has a nice sound to it.

Premier Gretchen Whitmer!



So does Province of New York, Province of New England, etc, etc.

[bif]

28. That does sound nice!

But we'd still be burdened with a bunch of rednecks.

[roamer65]

36. They'll move.

[Kaleva]

29. You may not be able to do so. Canada has strict requirements.

"Retiring in Canada Full-Time
Retiring full-time and making the permanent move to Canada is much more difficult as there is no set route BUT don’t worry, there are options."

https://www.visaplace.com/blog-immigration-law/retire-in-canada/

[Marius25]

30. I hate this country. Me and my family are desperate to leave

but we don't have anywhere we can move to. I can't get a job in another country which makes it nearly impossible to move.

[Celerity]

42. If you are Jewish you can move to Israel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Return

The Law of Return (Hebrew: חֹוק הַשְׁבוּת, ḥok ha-shvūt) is an Israeli law, passed on 5 July 1950, which gives Jews the right to relocate to Israel and acquire Israeli citizenship. Section 1 of the Law of Return declares that "every Jew has the right to come to this country as an oleh [immigrant]". In the Law of Return, the State of Israel gave effect to the Zionist movement's "credo" which called for the establishment of Israel as a Jewish state. In 1970, the right of entry and settlement was extended to people with one Jewish grandparent and a person who is married to a Jew, whether or not they are considered Jewish under Orthodox interpretations of Jewish law.

On the day of arrival in Israel, or occasionally at a later date, a person who enters Israel under the Law of Return as an oleh would receive a certificate confirming their oleh status. The person then has three months to decide whether they wish to become a citizen and can renounce citizenship during this time. The right to an oleh certificate may be denied if the person is engaged in anti-Jewish activity, is a hazard to the public health or security of the state, or has a criminal past that may endanger public welfare.

[Marius25]

51. Yeah, I know I can move to Israel but I'm not sure that's a whole

lot better. They just had 19 people killed from Hamas/ISIS terrorist attacks.

[Celerity]

55. I only responded to what you posted

Me and my family are desperate to leave
but we don't have anywhere we can move to. I can't get a job in another country which makes it nearly impossible to move.

You could move and get a job there, in Israel. That was my main point.

If we lose either chamber (or both) in 2022, and then the Rethugs win POTUS and both chambers in 2024, there will be a shedload of people leaving the US, so crazy competition.

Good luck.

[treestar]

31. Would Canada accept you to live there legally?

[panader0]

32. Bye-bye. I'm not retreating. My votes are needed here. This is my country.

Zalenskyy didn't leave when his country was in trouble. I'm not either.

[IcyPeas]

35. I remember when Americans traveling to Europe would say they were Canadian

A lot of people in the world don't look upon us in a very good light anymore.

I think this was back when Bush was is power. Trump humpers haven't made this any better.

[Celerity]

46. The majority of Canadians I know in the UK & EU are dismayed when people assume them to be American

Some get rather argy bargy over it.

[DFW]

50. I never deny where I'm from. You can even do some good here in the right situation

Around 2005, I was buying some of those "orange-red" apricots from southern France that are only in season in June and July. I was at a fruit market on the Rue Cadet in Paris. I asked the guy to pack them securely, as I was taking them to Germany that evening. He asked, "oh, you are from Germany?" I said no, I was from Texas. He frowned. He said, "Bush is from Texas. I am from Iraq." Now, we had both been speaking French the whole time, so he obviously had been there a long time.

I explained to him that I was deeply sorry for what Bush had done to his country, and plenty of us in America, including in Texas, were strongly opposed to the invasion of his country. He was stunned, probably only listened to media that was as slanted as Fox Noise is in the USA. He listened intently to me, said he literally had no idea that there was such sentiment in the USA, and he came out from behind the counter to shake my hand and wish me safe travels.

Just one tiny incident with an ex-pat Iraqi at a fruit stand in Paris, but imagine if EVERY American abroad were able to spread a little good will that way. What a difference, right?

[budkin]

37. They don't want us

Seriously. It's very difficult for an American to move there now from what I hear.

[moondust]

40. Find out if eligible.

https://onlineservices-servicesenligne.cic.gc.ca/c2c/eapp.do

[Xolodno]

41. I prefer Mexico...

...but that's just me.

[LeftInTX]

45. Lots of affordable housing in Mexico is not "code"

I looked into housing and they have odd steps and stuff like that..Not handicap friendly

Now to be a permanent resident you must have an income over $3,270 per month.

[shrike3]

60. The articles I've read must be outdated.

$3,270 a month was definitely not mentioned.

Just found this. Dated March of this year.

A retired couple can expect to retire comfortably in Mexico with an average income of about $2,500 a month, or $30,000 a year, according to InternationalLiving.com. These figures include the cost of a house, a maid service, utilities, groceries, entertainment, health insurance and more.

A few factors play into your cost of living for retirement in Mexico. The biggest is location: Mexico is a large country with big cities, small towns, resort areas and everything in between, and your exact costs will largely depend on where you live. It also depends on the lifestyle you plan to lead. Whether you want to retire early, late or on time will also affect your expenses timeline. You will also want to keep an eye on the exchange rates from USD into pesos. Not everything in Mexico is marked as pesos, with many merchants accepting USD, especially in tourist areas. Plus, shopping and living like a local, like buying from street vendors, can save you even more money.

[neverforget]

43. My wife is a dual citizen. In order for us to move and get jobs, she has

to get her Canadian passport which she is in the process of obtaining. Once she has that in hand, she can move to Canada and find a place to live. Then, once she has a home and a utility bill and a Canadian drivers license, she can then legally work in Canada because she needs 2 forms of ID. As for myself as an American citizen, she can sponsor me and I can get a green card in one year and can legally work in Canada.

Caveat: I may have something wrong because it is confusing but that is my understanding.

[kairos12]

53. I figure they want nothing to do with us.

Can't blame them.

[area51]

57. Understandable,

especially since it's unlikely the US will ever get universal healthcare.

[PasadenaTrudy]

58. Come to CA

it's much saner here. I love living here, and I never want to leave. Maybe Hawaii if I have to, that's where my brother moved when he retired