# Some questions regarding my specific circumstances for residing in Montreal



## Frostburg0311 (Dec 27, 2017)

Hi all, 

I have some questions about obtaining residency in Montreal. I've been searching the web, and have a basic understanding of what Canadian immigration officials are looking for in qualified candidates, but there are some gaps in my knowledge and have been having a slightly difficult time finding answers online. So I figured, why not ask people directly rather than depending on google searches?

So I'm a recent American college graduate. I have my degree in psychology with experience in scientific research. I'm interested in moving to Montreal to eventually find work in the non-profit sector doing social or community service work. I understand that this might not be the first job I land in Montreal, so I would be fine with starting off in customer service, sales, clerical assistance, receptionist, etc or even as a technical writer/editor. I speak French fairly well. Not like a native, but I can hold a conversation about nearly any topic or interest indefinitely. I do need some considerable improvement as there are some gaps in my vocabulary, but that can be done on my own time. 

Besides my college degree, I was previously honorably discharged from the military, have experience working in the restaurant industry as well as retail prior to that. I also spent some time volunteering in emergency medical services as an EMT. 

Another consideration that I cannot get clarification on via google, is I am financially very healthy. I get a monthly stipend of just a hair under $4,000 monthly tax-free from my time in the military that I can easily live off for my entire life in addition to the job I plan on finding. So there is really no concern of me not having a way to support myself while in Montreal. 

All these things considered, how difficult would it be for me to gain residency in Canada? I do not want Canadian citizenship, only to live and work in Montreal. I am primarily motivated to move there due to my interest in French language and culture. 

Any advice or opinions are welcome.


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## Frostburg0311 (Dec 27, 2017)

Btw, my age is 36 yo. I am single and have no dependents.


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## Frostburg0311 (Dec 27, 2017)

Forgot to mention, I'm also an artist and current fitness model. Those are more personal interests than anything else. I do commissioned drawings of various genres (fan fiction, etc), and my photo shoots are limited to private shoots and some local cosmetic companies.


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

You firstly, should determine your eligibility for immigration to Canada by reading the CIC website.


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## Frostburg0311 (Dec 27, 2017)

Okay, I just went online and did this. The site asked me a series of multiple choice questions. It stated that I'm not eligible, but did not state why. When I retook the test and stated that I had a job in hand, it then said that I was. I'm wondering what criteria they use to determine one's eligibility to reside in Canada. Do they require a Master's degree? Or perhaps they don't like the fact that I've had very limited employment in the past 5 years (due to having been a full-time student during that time?) Being a recent graduate from college as a full-time student, it would make sense that I would not have worked during my time in college (with the exception as an EMT). 
Does this mean that I would have to secure employment before being allowed to move there, even if I already have a healthy income? This is why it would be nice to ask someone questions in person.


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## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

Why not try to see if you can qualify under the Federal Skilled Worker program using your EMT experience? Don’t know where that occupation falls on the skills list but I should think that it would at least help you get your foot in the door and your Express Entry profile into the pool.

EMT skills aren’t so very different in Canada to what they are in the ‘States (when I lived in the Cayman Islands, I had a roomie from Calgary who is an EMT who was able to use her Canadian training in Cayman 1:1 without being penalised down to an EMT-B rank) so I’d imagine that you could find an ambulance gig to start; it may not be FT and it might not be at an English speaking station in Montreal (or in Ville de Montreal itself... you may end up in the suburbs or more rural areas of Quebec) but there’s always a need for EMT types out there.


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

Having pre-arranged, confirmed employment is an important factor for entering Canada if applicant’s skills are nor sufficient. It’s known as a LMIA and only the potential employer can attain it provided the necessary proof that the employer has search/advertised to prove no Canadian is eligible for the position.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

Frostburg0311 said:


> I speak French fairly well. Not like a native, but I can hold a conversation about nearly any topic or interest indefinitely. I do need some considerable improvement as there are some gaps in my vocabulary, but that can be done on my own time.


Your familiarity with French will help, but keep in mind that the French you learned and the French spoken in Quebec are not the same thing. Quebecois French is its own language.





> All these things considered, how difficult would it be for me to gain residency in Canada? I do not want Canadian citizenship, only to live and work in Montreal. I am primarily motivated to move there due to my interest in French language and culture.



As mentioned above, you will not be experiencing 'French' language and culture, you will be experiencing Quebecois language and culture.


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## Frostburg0311 (Dec 27, 2017)

Some good points made here. The EMT route is a good idea, and getting a contract with an EMS station or department is something I will consider. However, one of my primary career ambitions is to eventually end up doing community based non-profit work. With my psychology degree, I am interested in working with victims of domestic violence or in advocacy for gay/lesbian members of the community. While I am willing to find any available work to get my foot in the door, those are more of my true career ambitions. Due to my personal financial situation, I do not need the highest paying job, or even any pay at all. I am not interested in moving to Quebec for the money or job (I can attain either of those things here in the States), but I am interested in living there for the sake of exploring the culture and linguistic climate of the area. I've never lived in an area where English is not the dominant language and that is what fascinates me. I would like to clarify in response to one of the posters above; I understand that Quebecois culture and language isn't the same as European French. I'm just as interested in the culture and lifestyle of the Quebecois just as much as I am of the French, but my base knowledge in French should offer me a decent starting point as the Quebecois culture has French roots.


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## Frostburg0311 (Dec 27, 2017)

Here is the thing. What I am hoping to figure out is given my credentials, background, financial situation, ambitions etc, how likely is it that I will be granted residency? The reason I ask this is hypothetically, if I had good odds of gaining residency, I would be much more willing to invest, say 6 months, plunging into my French language studies. With my current ability, I would say that I would attain a high degree of fluency in that period of time; enough to socialize, work, be involved in formal business, take care of finances, and go about my life without any use of English, all without too much daily difficulty. That is however, a major investment of my time and energy, and one that I am reluctant to make if the immigration officer is only going to tell me I have no chance of being qualified for whatever reason, whether it's because they require a Masters or Ph.D., or they are only accepting applicants who intend to go into certain fields (biotechnology, medicine, computer technology) etc. 

Worst come to worst, I have a good shot, but fall short. I can accept that. Then at the very least I'll have a stronger ability in a foreign language that I will probably never get to make use of, and suffer some reasonable disappointment. But I would rather have a shot with decent probability and try, than have zero chance due to some unknown criteria and have completely wasted my time and efforts. 

Ideally, I would like to make some direct inquiries to a professional (immigration officer or lawyer) who could take my situation into account. At the very least, they could assess my situation and let me know what things I might want to do to improve my odds. 

Or as an alternative: Say I visit Canada as a tourist for 6 months (legal by visitation laws), rent some place in Montreal, spend that time immersing myself in the language, attending meetups, while continuing my studies of the language, and during that time, do some professional networking. I find an employer who is interested in hiring an ambitious and energetic young American such as myself. They meet with me, agree to offer me a job provided I gain residency. I then leave Quebec, bidding the border officer farewell after a wonderful vacation. I subsequently apply for residency with the support of my job offer. How well would this idea work? Is it a long shot? Best case scenario: I get the job, temporary residency, I realize I love it there, and then apply for more permanent residency and have a great life in Quebec. Worst case scenario: I hate it there, pack up my bags and go home. Lol, sorry about all the hypotheticals. But I'm trying to determine the feasibility of this entire plan.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

Frostburg0311 said:


> The EMT route is a good idea, and getting a contract with an EMS station or department is something I will consider.



Those are municipal government jobs which might require citizenship. Or maybe PR status is all that is needed.


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