Ditching Trump’s America

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13 days ago

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Moving to Canada is harder than you may think

UNFORGETTABLE SAGAS, SCOOPS AND SCANDALS
from Toronto Life’slong-form archives

NOVEMBER 9, 2024

Dear reader,

After Donald Trump was elected president of the United States on Wednesday, Google searches for “move to Canada” surged. Of course, we’ve been here before—I remember reading similar headlines in 2016. It may be easy for Canadians to feel smug. But, in our supposedly liberal utopia, we’re also seeing the creep of privatized health care, stricter immigration and refugee policies, and attacks on trans rights. And—though Pierre Poilievre can’t really be compared to a certain orange-tinted, hate-spewing convicted felon—we may also be on the cusp of electing a radically conservative leader.

Still, I must admit that, in those terrifying early hours after the election was called, I felt a rush of gratitude to live in a country where issues like reproductive rights aren’t up for debate. Escaping Trump’s America is a worthy endeavour, and I sympathize with those who are seriously considering it. So, this week, we’re revisiting Steve Kupferman’s 2016 piece “Dear Americans: Moving to Canada Is Hard,” about the realities of making that leap.

For more great long-reads from Toronto Life, subscribe to our print edition here.

—Madi Haslam, digital editor

Dear Americans: Moving to Canada Is Hard

The election is over, and once again Americans are wondering: What if we just left the country?

BY STEVE KUPFERMAN | NOVEMBER 10, 2016

In the popular imagination, there’s a persistent notion that the border between America and Canada isn’t a real thing. Americans are used to the idea that Canadians are their friends, and friends don’t treat friends like potential risks to national security, right? So imagine Steve Kupferman’s surprise when he learned that getting permanent residency wasn’t just a matter of filing some paperwork and waiting for his documents to come in the mail. Here, his account of the winding and exhausting process.

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