I’m leaving for Canada
 
Canadian officials made clear on Wednesday that any
U.S. citizens so fed up with Bush that they want to
make a fresh start up north would have to stand in
line like any other would-be immigrants -- a wait that
can take up to a year. 
 
"Let me tell you -- if they're hard-working honest
people, there's a process, and let them apply,"
Immigration Minister Judy Sgro told Reuters. 
 
Asked whether American applicants would get special
treatment, she replied: "No, they'll join the crowd
like all the other people who want to come to Canada."
 
 
There are anywhere from 600,000 to a million Americans
living in Canada, which leans more to the left than
the United States and has traditionally favored the
Democrats over the Republicans. 
 
But statistics show a gradual decline in U.S. citizens
coming to work and live in Canada, which has an ailing
health care system and relatively high levels of
personal taxation. 
 
Government officials, real estate brokers and Democrat
activists said that while some Americans might talk
about moving to Canada rather than living with a new
Bush administration, they did not expect a mass
influx. 
 
"It's one thing to say 'I'm leaving for Canada' and
quite another to actually find a job here and wonder
about where you're going to live and where the
children are going to go to school," said one
official. 
 
Roger King of the Toronto-based Democrats Abroad group
said he had heard nothing about a possible exodus of
party members. 
 
"I imagine most committed Democrats will want to stay
in the United States and continue being politically
active there," he said. 
 
Americans seeking to immigrate can apply to become
permanent citizens of Canada, a process that often
takes a year. Becoming a full citizen takes a further
three years. 
 
The other main way to move north on a long-term basis
is to find a job, which in all cases requires a work
permit. This takes from four to six months to come
through. 
 
Statistics show the number of U.S. workers entering
Canada dropped to 15,789 in 2002 from 21,627 in 2000.
In 1981 some 10,030 Americans gained permanent
residency, compared to 5,541 in 2003. 
 
Asked if there had been signs of increased U.S.
interest, Sgro said: "Not yet, but we'll see
tomorrow." 
 
The Canadian foreign ministry said there had been no
increase in hits on the Washington embassy's
immigration Web site, while housing brokers doubted
they would see a surge in U.S. business. 
 
"Canada's always open and welcoming to Americans who
want to relocate here, but we don't think it would be
a trend or movement," said Gino Romanese of Royal
Lepage Residential Real Estate Services. 
 
Those wishing to move to Canada could always take a
risk and claim refugee status -- the path chosen
earlier this year by two U.S. deserters who opposed
the Iraq (news - web sites) war. 
 
"Anybody who enters Canada who claims refugee status
will be provided with a work permit...it doesn't
matter what country they're from," said an immigration
ministry spokeswoman. 
 
Refugee cases are handled by special boards, which can
take months to decide whether to admit applicants. The
rulings can be appealed and opposition politicians
complain some people ordered deported have been in
Canada for 10 years or more.