Flags by Marcus Sodervall
Back in July of 2007, even before the economic meltdown hit the United States with full force, the Edmonton Journal reported that the number of Americans admitted to Canada the previous year had hit a 30-year high. This seemed to dispel the firmly entrenched idea of Canada’s ‘brain drain’– the phenomenon of professional Canadians taking advantage of our country’s education and training, only to head south of the border to pursue better career opportunities. The article seemed to indicate that a reverse migration was actually taking place. But if professionals can theoretically make a better living in the States, why would Americans be moving here instead?
Getting over the hurdle
While the article didn’t supply any hard data as to why Canada is becoming a preferred destination for our southern neighbours, it did point out that we have a long history of being a haven for Americans. During the Vietnam War, Canada admitted up to 26,000 American citizens per year, many of them draft dodgers. While the U.S. is still engaged in military operations throughout the world, it seems likely that most of the current influx of Americans is more interested in Canada’s economic growth than in its political neutrality.
Canada’s lower unemployment rate—just over 7 percent as of November 2011, compared to just over 9 percent in the U.S.—and sustained economic strength in major centres such as Toronto, which alone attracts an estimated 100,000 new arrivals a year, are attractive incentives for moving to Canada.
Prospective American expatriates will want to know how to take advantage of all this economic stability. Specifically: how do you find a career in Canada? And what is required to start working?
