On departing the U.S. (simulcast at contentgoeshere.com)

[substitute]

Since a lot of my Internet-linked friends and acquaintances are either liberals, libertarians, or leftists I have heard a lot lately about leaving the U.S. because of disgust with or fear of the current government and their policies.

Let's talk sense about this.

1. You can't just "move to Canada" or Sweden or France or the U.K. or anywhere, really. Unless you're independently wealthy and/or retired it just doesn't work that way. You have to go through an immigration process and it's long and painful. It can easily take years for even an experienced professional with a job offer to get through the thicket of bureaucracy that any well-run country erects for immigrants.
   
   
2. You can't run from Imperial America. Canada is an especially laughable choice here; when we sneeze, they get a cold. The long arm of U.S. power extends to every place in the world, certainly to every place you could stand living. Go up there and watch things get worse here if you want. At some point an apologetic Mountie will arrive to explain that you're being deported back because of a joint security agreement.
   
   
3. Foreign countries, surprisingly, are different. The peculiar luxuries, freedoms, and opportunities of our country will not be present there. Things cost a lot more, the weather is different, and the justice system may shock you. If you're not already an experienced traveler who enjoys surprises and strangeness, it's entirely possible you'll hate everywhere but home.
   
   
4. Cowardice is not rewarded, either in respect or in results. Stay and fight for what you believe. Whether you are a libertarian who despises Ashcroft's new police state, a liberal who rejects warmongering and theocracy, or a core leftist despairing at corporate America, there is work to be done here. Defeatism is a self-fulfilling apocalypse.
   

In sum, don't leave unless you have another good reason to do so and a plan for achieving it. The wealth and privilege and freedoms you have as your birthright carry with them the obligation to serve your country in its time of need. Be a citizen first for a change. If you leave here, your new home will demand no less of you.

Comments

[melsmarsh.livejournal.com]

I have a friend who went to Canada within 2 monthes after finding out he had a job, so it obviously isn't that difficult. He is not wealthy, but he is a liberal who had skills that Canada was looking for. He will be there for the next few years at the least.

I'll be in Canada where civil liberties are better than here and where they are looking for anthropologists. Or Holland, I have connections there and I know the culture almost as well as I know the culture here, plus the EU is looking for people for ESA. Either way my skills are in demand and they do not care that I am queer.

I hope you can affect some change. I have fought. I am tired. I don't want to fight anymore. Perhaps in a few years I will be able to fight again, but for now I want to move somewhere to take a nice long vacation with no neocons for miles.

[halfjack.livejournal.com]

He will also only be allowed to stay legally until he loses that job. If he quits, he has to change countries again or do the immigration dance or re-do the work visa dance. And he has to go home until he solves it. A work visa is not immigration and immigration is not citizenship. Trust me; we've danced or started to dance all three.

Also watch those wacky income tax laws -- it kinda looks like you keep funding the regime you run from which is bizarre.

I'm not actually trying to dissuade you here, but you should make sure you know what you're getting into before you bolt. I wonder if the Immigration Canada web site has been slashdotted yet?

[melsmarsh.livejournal.com]

His employer (McGill U) can easily cut through the red tape and contradicts what you say.

Holland, I can get citizenship within 6 monthes according to my Dutch cousins.

My husband was told by the New Zealand government that it would take only a year to become a citizen. Even less if the company wants to cut through the red tape.

My husband and I have been through this dance as well a few years ago.

[fimmtiu.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm glad that your friend had such useful connections, but that's not particularly useful for the large majority of immigrants who don't. Saying that his case implies that it's "obviously not that difficult" is setting yourself up for a serious ulcer later, believe me.

Also note that, unlike Holland, you have to have lived as a permanent resident in Canada for at least 3 years before you can even apply for citizenship. The application process takes another 1 or 2 years. It's not for people in a hurry.

[strychnyn.livejournal.com]

well, again this is a somewhat special case, but i have Canadian family, and very shortly after 9/11 (coincidentally) i applied for my Canadian citizenship (i was born and raised in California). i was told at the time it could take up to a year to process, and with the crackdwon on everything in the states after the attacks, and everyone looking to the north to blame them for giving terrorists easy citizenship, i assumed it would take even longer.
i had my papers in a month.
i also have a number of friends who have moved here without the benefit of any family ties, or special jobs with McGill university, and have had little, if any, trouble with permanent resident/immigration issues. so while the system certainly sets you up to expect huge hassles, i can't say i've personally seen any evidence of that.

[stimps.livejournal.com]

Having family in Canada who can support you makes all the difference in the world. If I had 100 000, I could basically say "this guy is my fiance, we're getting married on x date, and I can support him until he gets his papers", it would take no time at all. You need either relatives or cash, or a very very highly sought after job skillset.

As far as the other person saying that McGill will go to bat for whoever... well, that's fine, and that's what they say now. Unfortunately McGill is an institution that relies on government funding as much as any educational institution. They have to balance the needs of their students and employees with the requirements of the government, and they're going to pick on the government's side if anything about someone's case looks difficult. I would (personally) rather be more pessimistic about how long things would take than optimistic, so as not to delude myself. A pleasant surprise if it works out faster, though. =)

It took fimm's papers 2 years to come through, that's largely because he had no relatives here and not a large amount of cash. Fortunately he's a geek. =)

[strychnyn.livejournal.com]

see, that's what i've always heard too... though i have a small handful of friends who came up here with no family, no large amounts of cash, and no special skills (that i know of), and they seemed to get through the process pretty quick. then again those i know that married or have fancy schmancy jobs did make it through quicker. dunno, maybe it's just a fluke, or it just depends on who happens to get your paperwork on their desk?

[stimps.livejournal.com]

Yeah, could be, or could be that they just needed a work permit (which isn't very hard) vs. full blown permanent resident status. I know a lot is definitely based on who you end up talking to, just like at customs. These guys seem to have a lot of bad days...

[fimmtiu.livejournal.com]

The CIC is quite inscrutable. All I know is that it was a long and aggravating process in my case, and the cases of a couple friends who were immigrating and/or studying in the country. The best thing to do, I'd say, is to plan for the worst case scenario. It's nice if you get in quickly, but you can't count on it.

[strychnyn.livejournal.com]

yup, lord knows that's what i did... i fully expected it to take forever, and i about got whiplash from the double-take i did when i got my papers. but i guess having family ('specially in the military) greases the wheels a bit.

[fimmtiu.livejournal.com]

Actually, I did have a pretty significant amount of cash at the time. I think that might have played a rather large role, frankly. Less so now after a few years of college and economic recession, of course...

[stimps.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but not in the six-figure range. =) That's the minimum they get worked up about, I think. ;)