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Share your Canadian Success Story
Hello everyone,
I decided to share my story with all of you and recount my experience in Canada as a new immigrant. My family and I moved to Montreal from Paris when I was 10 and it transformed our lives.
Canada had been my family’s choice of destination since my father had friends in Montreal and also because the official language there is French and therefore would facilitate our integration. Furthermore, my father had just recovered from a heart condition and he wanted us to have a fresh start and new perspective on life. The various exciting opportunities Canada offers also played a role in our decision to cross the ocean and start a new chapter in our lives.
We had traveled to Montreal a few months prior to moving there to get acquainted with the Metropolitan city and we all fell in love with it! We loved the change of scenery and although the French the Montrealers spoke was considerably different from our own polished Parisian accent, we found it very refreshing. My little brother and I were quite in awe of Montreal’s impressive skyscrapers, while my parents were enchanted with the vibrant cosmopolitan community. We returned to France eager to come back to this terrific city and its people that made us feel so welcome!
We immigrated to Canada under the investor category that my father had applied for while in France. We went through all the routine health exams and paperwork and we got our permanent resident Visa shortly after.
Come summer, we moved to Montreal and settled in our new lives!
My brother and I instantly learned English and though it was hard at the beginning, it was a
challenge we were more than happy to undertake.
My father ended up getting involved in real estate and my mother connected with various non profit- organizations to help out as a volunteer. We thrived both financially and personally as I joined an excellent school and improved my grades dramatically, my brother also achieved great academic results and we both went on to graduate from the prestigious McGill University and launched successful careers respectively.
We received our citizenship a few years after immigrating thanks to my mom who took the citizenship exam and passed with flying colors. (My father was over 54 years old and my brother and I were minors, therefore excluding us from the requirement to take the test.)The pride we felt to be officially part of the outstanding Canadian legacy was indescribable.
My mom used to sing this French song that goes as follows:
“Toi Paris qui m’a pris dans tes bras.” meaning, “You, Paris, that has taken me in your arms.”
In my case, it would be more fitting to change it to “You, Montreal that has taken me in your arms.”
I decided to share my story with all of you and recount my experience in Canada as a new immigrant. My family and I moved to Montreal from Paris when I was 10 and it transformed our lives.
Canada had been my family’s choice of destination since my father had friends in Montreal and also because the official language there is French and therefore would facilitate our integration. Furthermore, my father had just recovered from a heart condition and he wanted us to have a fresh start and new perspective on life. The various exciting opportunities Canada offers also played a role in our decision to cross the ocean and start a new chapter in our lives.
We had traveled to Montreal a few months prior to moving there to get acquainted with the Metropolitan city and we all fell in love with it! We loved the change of scenery and although the French the Montrealers spoke was considerably different from our own polished Parisian accent, we found it very refreshing. My little brother and I were quite in awe of Montreal’s impressive skyscrapers, while my parents were enchanted with the vibrant cosmopolitan community. We returned to France eager to come back to this terrific city and its people that made us feel so welcome!
We immigrated to Canada under the investor category that my father had applied for while in France. We went through all the routine health exams and paperwork and we got our permanent resident Visa shortly after.
Come summer, we moved to Montreal and settled in our new lives!
My brother and I instantly learned English and though it was hard at the beginning, it was a
challenge we were more than happy to undertake.
My father ended up getting involved in real estate and my mother connected with various non profit- organizations to help out as a volunteer. We thrived both financially and personally as I joined an excellent school and improved my grades dramatically, my brother also achieved great academic results and we both went on to graduate from the prestigious McGill University and launched successful careers respectively.
We received our citizenship a few years after immigrating thanks to my mom who took the citizenship exam and passed with flying colors. (My father was over 54 years old and my brother and I were minors, therefore excluding us from the requirement to take the test.)The pride we felt to be officially part of the outstanding Canadian legacy was indescribable.
My mom used to sing this French song that goes as follows:
“Toi Paris qui m’a pris dans tes bras.” meaning, “You, Paris, that has taken me in your arms.”
In my case, it would be more fitting to change it to “You, Montreal that has taken me in your arms.”
I'm posting this because the situation was unusual.
I am a U.S. citizen and I have a Thai partner. Prior to immigrating to Canada, I had been traveling to Thailand every year on vacation - usually just for a month - to see him. After a couple of years, I realized our relationship was very strong and I should try to find a way to live together permanently. Unfortunately, the U.S. doesn't recognize gay marriage or relationships, and so there was no legitimate way for him to get a visa. That led us to the decision to immigrate to Canada.
In a phone consultation with David Cohen, he advised me to move to Thailand in order to meet the 12 mo. cohabitation requirement for common-law partners and at the same time to apply for immigration as a skilled worker. That way, the 12 month cohabitation requirement would take place while my application was just waiting in queue. Then, after 12 months, I could amend my application to include my partner with very little disruption to the application process. This approach worked fantastically well - and our application was approved in about 19 months. It would have been shorter, but my first FBI background check was lost in the mail. We are now living happily in Canada. Much thanks to David Cohen.
I am a U.S. citizen and I have a Thai partner. Prior to immigrating to Canada, I had been traveling to Thailand every year on vacation - usually just for a month - to see him. After a couple of years, I realized our relationship was very strong and I should try to find a way to live together permanently. Unfortunately, the U.S. doesn't recognize gay marriage or relationships, and so there was no legitimate way for him to get a visa. That led us to the decision to immigrate to Canada.
In a phone consultation with David Cohen, he advised me to move to Thailand in order to meet the 12 mo. cohabitation requirement for common-law partners and at the same time to apply for immigration as a skilled worker. That way, the 12 month cohabitation requirement would take place while my application was just waiting in queue. Then, after 12 months, I could amend my application to include my partner with very little disruption to the application process. This approach worked fantastically well - and our application was approved in about 19 months. It would have been shorter, but my first FBI background check was lost in the mail. We are now living happily in Canada. Much thanks to David Cohen.