Any expatriates out there? Looking for advice on migrating to Canada. Building a homestead.

Voodoo Flóra
Voodoo Flóra Posts: 258 ✭✭✭

TGN has such a diverse community from around the world. Hoping maybe some of you can lend us your ear and give us advice on our goal of leaving America to migrate and establish a homestead elsewhere.

Are you an expatriate? What has been your experience? Which are some of the most welcoming countries to take up residence in?

Currently, we are American citizens living in the PAC NW region. We would very much like to migrate away from the United States and were thinking of Canada as our first choice. However, we realize that there are a lot of challenges in making this move. Has anyone on TGN been able to migrate from America to another country? What have been your biggest difficulties making this journey? We are a young family, in basic good shape and have tech skills and a wide-ranging educational background. We also can invest in a homestead and would rather do that outside of the United States.

Does anyone know about the most effective first steps we can make in setting up a homestead as expats, thank you for your time.

Comments

  • silvertipgrizz
    silvertipgrizz Posts: 1,990 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @aprilbbrinkman The very first thing anyone should do before moving to another country with plans to stay there...for whatever reason, but the money you will need to invest is one of the many important reasons to..........Know EVERYTHING about the country, and their laws before you decide... and also be looking at any other, and all other countries you are considering before you make the move. Time is short if you are leaving the US because of the bull and turmoil... The best to you and your family.

  • Voodoo Flóra
    Voodoo Flóra Posts: 258 ✭✭✭

    @silvertipgrizz yes I'm beginning to think that wall is to keep us in rather than keep others out. If you have any specific advice for Canada or any other country please let me know and I will contact you privately. Thanks and have a great day.

  • silvertipgrizz
    silvertipgrizz Posts: 1,990 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @aprilbbrinkman I can tell you this for absolute... before I moved to AK I knew so little about it and you can't know to ask what you don't know about if it is not common issue.

    I"ll email you through the list..give me a min and I'll check it later..got to get to the work part of my day lol..

    One option though, ask others here about where they live, not necessarily what town, but their state. Just in case we run out of time to get to the point of moving.... you at least might still know where to runnnnn.. sad state of our country...

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    First, terms are important. So, a reminder that you would be considered an immigrant. If you went back the the US, you would be considered an expat.

    I think that I will pm you other things that you would need to know, speaking as a Canadian citizen who has always been. Our culture is still much different than American culture.

    It might take a while, as internet access has been spotty lately.

  • silvertipgrizz
    silvertipgrizz Posts: 1,990 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited August 2020

    @aprilbbrinkman Don't forget 'the cost of living' issue as it's far ranging in some places.

  • Voodoo Flóra
    Voodoo Flóra Posts: 258 ✭✭✭

    @LaurieLovesLearning yes I have seen how the illegals are treated in the United States and it is abhorrent. I am against illegal immigration, just because it gives GUBMT the power to enslave people basically. So we will never be illegals and give GUBMT that kind of power. However, damn if I'm going to be taxed and tormented to death by stupid local bureaucraps. We'll find our way, what a fun journey LOL.

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    @aprilbbrinkman In agreement with @LaurieLovesLearning that American and Canadian cultures are quite different despite our closeness as neighbours. Whatever country you decide, make that a priority, to learn about the culture as well as the legal systems of other countries. History books (written in Canada) might help understand how the culture has developed. Watch some Canadian comedy on TV. Watch Canadian new broadcasts. Or CBC Radio. But we also have many different ethnic backgrounds that make up the Canadian population. Some communities may have higher concentrations of some ethnic or religious backgrounds. Availability of churches of your affiliation might enter the picture.

    There are lots of online resources that might help you narrow down your search. If you are looking for a particular climate, then there are plant hardiness zone maps for most countries, that will give you an idea of what weather extremes to expect. That might have a bearing on the type of homesteading/farming that you intend to do. Here is a link to Natural Resources Canada for our plant hardiness maps. http://planthardiness.gc.ca/?m=1&lang=en

    Research the cost of living as @silvertipgrizz has suggested. Real estate prices vary widely in Canada, depending on which province you choose and how rural you wish to be. The further north you go, the cost of living increases due to the cost of shipping, not to mention heating costs during winter. Internet service can be expensive if you want high speed in rural areas. Cell service is non-existent in many rural communities.

    You may need to work outside the homestead for a time, while you are getting your homestead established, so employment opportunities might be a consideration for you. Lots of job sites on the internet to check out to see what kinds of industries are hiring in any given location.

    You mentioned taxes. They might be a bit higher in Canada but we may have better social benefits because of that. Alberta is the only province without a sales tax, although the Yukon, Northwest and Nunavut Territories also have no sales tax. We also have a Federal sales tax.

    Our medical system is more or less free but that has its drawbacks in long wait times. Bit of a detriment for natural health practitioners as our services are not covered so it is cheaper to see a medical doctor.

    But don't forget to include your families choices about recreation as well. Find a place that is conducive to the activities that suit your lifestyle. Do you want to be close enough to a big city to access music, theatre, shopping, services, etc.? Or more about wilderness camping? Is you family into extreme sports activities? After all, its not all about the homestead.

  • Voodoo Flóra
    Voodoo Flóra Posts: 258 ✭✭✭

    @silvertipgrizz and @LaurieLovesLearning thank you it looks like Canada is not for us, I appreciate your teaching me more about your home country! I don't need a statist regime with more statism. I'm looking to reduce the statism intake to our lives. For health reasons!!!

  • Annie Kate
    Annie Kate Posts: 680 ✭✭✭✭

    Yes, if you're looking to escape to more freedom, Canada may not be the best place. On the other hand, we seem to be a whole lot more laid back than the US with less extremes in many different ways. Would you agree with that, @LaurieLovesLearning and @torey ?

  • frogvalley
    frogvalley Posts: 675 ✭✭✭✭

    @aprilbbrinkman Have you tried Central America? Costa Rica? I prefer Canada myself, but Costa Rica might be on my list to visit because of the plant life there.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    @Annie Kate I think that I would agree with that.

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    @Annie Kate Yes, I would also agree.

    @aprilbbrinkman Good luck with your search. I hope you find what you are looking for. However, there are taxes and bureaucracy to be found everywhere.

    But another suggestion for you. Alaska has no sales tax or personal income tax. The people who live there seem to be very independent individuals. If you choose a coastal location the winters can be quite mild in comparison to inland areas. All that wonderful seafood! Amazing Northern Lights! Long summer days to grow a great garden and establish a homestead. But again, there is that cost of living issue in the north. More to heat a home, more electricity in the dark, winter months, higher cost for groceries or just about anything from the lower 48, more expensive internet. Someone else on the forum has mentioned the difficulty of having some online purchases shipped to Alaska.

    So pros and cons to everywhere.

  • Voodoo Flóra
    Voodoo Flóra Posts: 258 ✭✭✭

    @frogvalley I lived in Central America and Costa Rica. I love it there. Not quite home. Even though I speak the languages there fluently. There I'm forever the gringa. The ruling class has done a great job dividing us while they think they're reaping the spoils, right?

  • Voodoo Flóra
    Voodoo Flóra Posts: 258 ✭✭✭

    @Annie Kate @torey @LaurieLovesLearning we will go off grid as much as we can and statism it's imploding everywhere. Where we are now seems most like home as it's where I grew up and we're all attached to the ecology and the land. Home is more than anything where my family is. You really made me think about this and we've come to a good resolution thank you. Have a great day!

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    Coming to a satisfying (if I can call it that) conclusion is a good thing.

  • erikawinterton
    erikawinterton Posts: 98 ✭✭✭

    This might be unrellevant to the actual question about being an expat., but in your case I felt might be very beneficial to hear.... I did read that Canada also has free land available. I can't find the original article, but this was the first one that popped up and looks to be useful start.


    https://www.theloop.ca/9-canadian-towns-where-you-might-be-able-to-score-free-land/

  • erikawinterton
    erikawinterton Posts: 98 ✭✭✭

    I just read through the abovr comments and realized the last comment is rather irrelevant.


    I also feel we likely are in need of individuals like you in the US right now to helps us change things here.


    I know it can feel rather overwhelming and stifling, but I also feel that because there is such a deep awareness of much needed change that it is inevitably where we are headed.

    Either crashing & burning or riding high. We shall see.

  • Nicoleburba
    Nicoleburba Posts: 58 ✭✭✭

    @aprilbbrinkman I am not sure what your reasons are to leave the US. If you just want to live in the area that is located in a beautiful place with the mountains and lakes further from the polluted cities, you can find it in the US. Depending on your education level, you can work remotely and live where you want. My work place is in NJ, but we have employees who live in Washington State. This way you can find a place where you want to live, and you will have a financial source to support you by working remotely. It is nice to grow your own food, but it does not provide enough financial support and let us be realistic, it requires a lot of hard work which is well above any hobbies. Therefore, I appreciate what people on this network do. I think, although money is not everything, it is not happiness by any means, but we need just enough of it to support the foundation of our desired way of life. It is easier to move around for retirees, they have that somewhat sufficient financial support, it is quite different for a young couple. About 30 years ago, we moved to the US. It was quite a change, but we came to the US with green cards as legal residents. It made a big difference, we could get jobs, education. Now world cultures are so much melted and globalized; therefore, culture was not of any inconvenience to us. I do not think culture issues would cause a problem moving to Canada. It could be a bit easier, I think sometimes you can still keep your job, or may be there are US company affiliates in Canada. My advise, you need to evaluate what you can keep, what you can build on, so you do not need to start everything from scratch.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin
    edited August 2020

    As as Canadian looking over these suggestions in the article, here are my thoughts.

    This type of title for an article is very misleading and poor journalism. Click bait, as it were. These types of stories were all the rage a few years back and are generally gone out of the limelight. You really need to check into why these places are doing it, what you actually get, the true conditions of "free" and so on.

    The majority of these places listed are for town lots with conditions, with the only land being potentially farm land is in the Yukon, and I would approach that with a great abundance of caution. Nothing like making things extra difficult for yourself. Crown land is generally that because it is considered worthless land for whatever reason.

    Most of the places listed have no jobs available.

    Each of the MB towns listed are in the heart of oil country. These come with their huge pitfalls, including no jobs for quite some time already. The land is without feature. Pipestone/Reston is known for its F4 tornado a few years back. Scarth had a deadly tornado just recently. It is smack dab in Manitoba's tornado alley. Not many people want to live in these places. This is why these towns are dying. I look at these offers as a desperate last effort.

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,935 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited August 2020

    @aprilbbrinkman you might check Kiplinger's website, one of the latest issues had a whole article on Expats and what you need to know before moving or if you can find Kiplinger's Personal Finance 04/2020, the article is called "Money Management Advice for Expats.

    I found it on this website - www.kiplinger.com/personal-finance

  • Annie Kate
    Annie Kate Posts: 680 ✭✭✭✭

    Yes, there's something about blooming where you're planted. The grass on the other side of the fence is still just grass, after all. Coming to a good resolution can be an enormous relief, so I'm very happy for you. All the best!