Canada

Canada is a comparatively LGBTQ+-friendly country located in North America, north of the United States, with legal protections for trans people written into the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, part of the Canadian constitution.

Warning: As of October 16, 2025, there have been no successful claims for asylum for US individuals based on transgender status. However, initiating the asylum process can be an option for those who have no other options when weighed against overall risk. See Canada#Refugee_Status below for more info.

Why Canada?

• Legal gender recognition: Yes; gender transition and non-binary classification on official documents is available and recognized.
• Anti-discrimination laws: Yes; Federal Protections for "gender identity or expression" as prohibited grounds for discrimination were added to section 318 of the Canadian Human Rights Act in 2017. ^{(citation needed)}
• Public healthcare: Yes, public healthcare covers the cost of regular GP visits and most procedures, including emergency procedures. It doesn't cover prescriptions and ambulance rides.
• LGBTQ+ rights and community: Very Yes; The community here is strong and we are fighting HARD to bring any one of you into safety. It’s not perfect here, but our pride and advocacy communities are tight-knit and are working closely to fight against Anti LGBTQ policies that are plaguing at-risk populations globally.
• Immigration pathways: A variety of work and family visas are available, and people with a Canadian ancestor are automatically eligible for Canadian citizenship. Asylum claims are not a viable approach for US citizens at this time.

Why not Canada

• Provincial-level Anti-trans laws have been put into affect in many provinces including Alberta, Saskatchewan, PEI and others. Even though advocacy groups are fighting legal battles to stall and overturn these violations of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a pending federal election in October that may put the an ant-trans legislator as head of the federal government as Prime-Minister
• Housing crisis shortage
• The federal government has recently limited the number of potential immigration, work, and study visas available to foreign parties. The lottery draws for permanent residence have also become more competitive (if they happen at all).
• Jordan Peterson is from here (sorry)

Political Situation for Trans People

Trans people enjoy federal protections as a protected class of people under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (equivalent to the United States Constitution)

Despite this, many provincial governments have attempted or begun passing anti-trans legislation aimed at excluding or eliminating trans-individuals from public life. This has been seen in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and PEI, particularly aimed at trans minors while talks occur about tabling more severe legislation.

Anti-trans rhetoric does exist here. Different provinces have different levels of transphobia in their governments, though every province does still provide trans care to at least an extent, including bottom surgery and some top surgeries.

In Alberta, the United Conservative Party (UCP) under Premier Danielle Smith have begun pushing through anti-trans legislation, primarily targeting minors. (Danielle Smith formerly ran the Wild rose Party of Alberta that fought against the criminalization of conversion therapy in 2007.)

Saskatchewan also has a an anti-trans government in the form of the right wing Saskatchewan Party government of Premier Scott Moe, similarly bringing anti-trans legislation into law.

These policies are not popular nationwide; in New Brunswick, Blaine Higgs's right wing Progressive Conservatives lost a recent election in a landslide in part due to their efforts to push similar anti trans legislation. British Columbia's center left NDP government, supported by the Green Party, under leadership of Premier David Eby ,is generally supportive of trans rights.

Access to Trans Healthcare

Access to gender affirming healthcare is available. In Alberta, for example, the wait time to see a gender specialist is about 6 months.

Obtaining HRT as an adult is as simple as travelling to any pharmacy with a prescription. But provincial healthcare doesn't cover the full cost of HRT and many other necessary medications. Likewise, healthcare does not cover the cost of mental health resources or visits.

Surgeries require the signature of two (2) separate and independent psychiatrists and the wait times are two (2) years on average.

There are only 2 clinics approved for performing gender confirmation. One (1) in British Colombia and one (1) in Ontario. Despite this, the one in British Columbia doesn't take patients from specific provinces, like Alberta.^{(citation needed)} Trans femme people have reported that the full gender confirmation process has taken approximately 5 years.

Immigration Policy

In general, you must have a work or study permit to reside in Canada for longer than 180 days.

Canada offers the following types of visas:

• Student Visa
• Remote Work / Digital Nomad (simply enter Canada and work remotely up to 180 days)
• CUSMA Professional Work Permit for in-demand professions, such as tech and nursing.
• Work Permit under LMIA for all other job categories
• Intra-company Transfer Permit if your employer relocates you
• Open Work Permit for students and family members of those on other permits
• Start-up Visa for entrepreneurs
• Self-employed Visa
• Family Reunification Visa for those who can be sponsored by family members
• Super Visa for parents joining their children who are Canadian residents

You can see all detailed visa options at Canada/Visa.

Info on crossing the border here.

Refugee Status

How you apply as an asylum claimant is vital!

Application to refugee status or asylum claims at the physical border are not viable for US citizens as of August 24^th, 2025.

Instead, refugee lawyers that have been in-contact with TWE have recommended arriving as a visitor first, and only then applying for asylum via. the online IRCC portal. This should be considered an EMERGENCY measure and has its risks.

The application process is fairly swift (1-2 weeks) and the legal process guarantees you a prolonged stay (2-3 years) wherein you'll be assigned a UCI number to qualify for public health care, financial assistance, etc. You can also apply for Legal Aid, on financial merit. (Our source has stated that Legal Aid has significantly reduced fees by half ($1,134.00 per family/individual claimant) for LGBTQ+ individuals.) The risk of a legal ruling against your claim and the removal of your ability to make a claim in the future must be weighed against the benefits of residing in Canada for 2-3 years to wait out a change in conditions within the US.

Available under eligibility guidelines regarding ones safety in their location of origin, their criminal record, and passing a medical exam. Asylum applications from U.S. citizens are unprecedented and border officers have significant discretion on determining when a claim is and isn't viable.

Non-U.S. citizens (including Green Card holders/permanent residents) are subject to the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA), must settle in the country they landed, and can not cross the American/ Canadian border to settle in the other instead. The agreement's policy on refugees does not apply to US citizens directly, but provides legal precedent for the United States having legal status as a "safe" country, thereby burdening applicants efforts to justify why they cannot safely be returned to the US.

Human rights advocates and organizations such as Rainbow Railroad and the UNHCR have appealed the Canadian federal government to make an emergency exemption for trans US citizen to protect them from persecution. This would remove barriers to asylum status that prevent claimants from applying successfully at the border. At this time, no decision has been made on the appeal. In addition, there are a few high profile cases of transgender US citizens testing the waters and seeking asylum in Canada. This route should generally be considered risky at the moment, and anyone seriously considering it should consider all other options first, including other potentially viable countries, discuss with an immigration lawyer specializing in refugee claims before proceeding, and be prepared for a long and expensive legal battle, which may end in your refoulement to the U.S. Anyone who claims asylum and is not immediately denied at the border will not be able to return to the U.S. without forfeiting their claim until it is processed, they receive permanent residence, and they become a citizen -- a process which can take many years.

For more details on rules around asylum applications, see Options_to_Applying_for_Refugee_Status:_Applying_from_Inside,_Outside,_and_at_the_Border_of_Canada

Permanent Residency

As soon as you get a temporary work or residence permit, you can apply for several federal and provincial nominee programs, which essentially put you into a drawing to gain PR.

There is also the Rural Community Immigration Pilot, which fast-tracks PR for those living in certain rural communities.

More details in Canada/Visa

Citizenship Pathways

You can qualify via family descent or by being a permanent resident for 3 years. More details at Canada/Visa.

Banking

The key to getting access to all of Canada's banking possibilities is getting a SIN (Social Insurance Number). You will get a SIN if you can get a work or study permit.

Without a SIN

Those who are without SIN... can at least get a checking account. All you need to do is make an appointment at a bank physically located within Canada and show up with your passport. If they ask for an address, you can give them your old US address or wherever you're staying now.

You WILL NOT be able to get a credit card but your bank account will have a debit card you can use. You can use this card in many card readers, but some card readers won't accept it because they only execute credit transactions.

With a SIN

You will then be able to get all banking services, including a credit card. Many banks have "newcomer" plans that give you better credit limits off the bat without having a credit history established.

Cross-Border Accounts

All of Canada's major banks offer some variation of a cross-border or "borderless" account. It's a soup of product names that boils down to 2 types of accounts:

• You can open a US-dollar (USD) account in your Canadian bank. You can freely transfer money between this account and your Canadian dollar (CAD) account and you get better exchange rates. This can be a good place to stash cash if you think that the USD will remain strong vs the CAD so you can hold USDs and transfer out to CAD as needed.
• Many Canadian banks have branches in the US. If you open an account at a US branch and link it to your Canadian account, these banks offer seamless transfers between your accounts without having to do expensive wire transfers.

Transferring Money from the US

Normally, you can initiate an international wire transfer from your US bank to your Canadian bank but they can be expensive (can be $50 at some banks) and can take a few days. N.B. Canadian banks do not use ABA routing numbers for wire transfers. You'll need your account's SWIFT code, branch ID, transit number, and account number.

The best path is to have a USD account with a US branch of BMO Harris or TD. Once you set up a Canadian bank account with the same parent company, you can call customer support to enable an international transfer option. This gives you free transfers between your US and Canadian accounts that usually only take a day or two to process. When you execute the transfer you specify your USD "cross-border" account as the target. You can then transfer from your Candian USD to the CAD account at a cheap exchange rate.

Interac e-Transfer

You will see many businesses accepting payments via Inetrac. It is very similar to Zelle in the US. You associate an email address with it and you send folks money from your banking app by specifying their email as the recipient. There are no transaction fees and it's instantaneous. If you get a checking account/debit card without a SIN, you can still use Interac.

Ease of Travel to Other Countries

Canada's main land border is with the United States to the south. It also shares a small (though mostly ceremonial) land border with Greenland (Denmark) on Hans Island in the Arctic and a sea border with France's overseas département of St. Pierre and Miquelon in the east. Canada is, however, isolated from Europe, Asia, and Africa by large oceans on both sides, and from Latin and South America by the United States, making air travel to those parts of the world potentially expensive and time consuming.

Entering Canada from the United States

By land, crossing points are located all along the 8,891 km (5,525 mi) long US-Canada border. Despite what government websites may say, a passport is not strictly required to cross the land border: a state-issued photo ID and certified birth certificate with a state seal may draw extra scrutiny but will suffice in both directions. Many Amtrak trains cross the border, including the Adirondack (New York ↔ Albany ↔ Montréal), Cascades (Seattle ↔ Portland ↔ Vancouver), and Maple Leaf (New York ↔ Albany ↔ Buffalo ↔ Toronto trains.

By air, flights are available from many US cities. Passports are strictly required to fly to any international destination, including Canada, from the US.

Flagpoling

Some Canadian visas which require extensive processing by IRCC can be received much more quickly by having the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) do the processing at the border. This includes the CUSMA Professionals work permit discussed in Employer Specific Work Permits. Only US Citizens may flagpole for any visa; citizens of other countries may be able to flagpole depending on their nationality and the specific visa which they are seeking:

• US Citizens and Permanent Residents: may flagpole for any visa, including the standard 6 month visitor status (though consider applying for a visitor record instead)
• Mexico, Chile, Panama, Peru, Colombia, South Korea: if seeking entry under a professional visa under their country of citizenship''s free trade agreement
• Panama, Colombia, South Korea: spouses of persons seeking entry under a professional visa under their country of citizenship''s free trade agreement

Be aware that Canada is not required to let you back in once you leave; flagpoling is a risk and you may be required to enter the US if Canada ultimately denies you entry. Always double check flagpoling hours and availability before you go as it may vary by border checkpoint. Depending on your circumstances, if you otherwise have status in the US, it may be easier to just enter normally and take the first U-turn past the checkpoint.

To flagpole, you'll need to cross the land border by car or on foot and tell the US officer that you don't want to enter and ask for a refusal. You don't need an ESTA or US visa if you're not a US citizen. They will send you to secondary where they will take your picture and fingerprints and issue you an administrative refusal before sending you back to Canada. Note that you may need to declare this refusal on future immigration applications in Canada, the US, and other countries, but any officer should accept the explanation.

Returning to the United States safely from or via Canada

The Canadian border with the United States has many land crossings available, but it's important to assess your individual risk and risk tolerance when crossing the border this way as you may expose yourself to additional risk.

Crossing the border by air may potentially allow a safer crossing when done at a Canadian airport which has US Border Preclearance. This is a program operated by US Customs and Border Protection where the immigration control is done at a foreign airport and the flight may arrive in the United States with everyone having already cleared customs into a domestic terminal.

The benefit for this as a person potentially targeted by the United States government is that you have rights under Canadian law when crossing the US border at a Canadian airport which you do not have when crossing by land. The preclearance officers are bound by the Preclearance Act (2016), which limits their ability to detain and search people. If the US ultimately denies you the ability to enter the country, or begins invasive questioning to the point where you no longer wish to travel back, unless the officer requests that Canadian authorities get involved and they believe that you should be detained for a violation of Canadian law, you may simply decide not to travel and leave the terminal without going through a potentially traumatic and lengthy experience of being detained and deported from the United States. You retain this right until you board the plane, though you may have to explain yourself to airport staff or a Canadian border official. This extends to anyone connecting through Canada to the United States: they will first be screened for entry into Canada and then proceed to the US-bound terminal to clear US customs.

As of December 7th, 2025, US Border Preclearance is available at the following airports in Canada:

• Calgary (YYC)
• Edmonton (YEG)
• Halifax Stanfield (YHZ)
• Montréal Trudeau (YUL)
• Ottawa MacDonald-Cartier (YOW)
• Toronto Pearson (YYZ)
• Vancouver (YVR)
• Winnipeg (YPG)

US Border Preclearance operations accept Global Entry and NEXUS if you are a member of these programs, but they are not required in order to use Preclearance -- all travelers bound for the US through these airports are processed through Preclearance. This includes travelers connecting from other flights, both domestic and international: international travelers will first be screened for entry into Canada and then for entry to the US all within the Canadian airport.

Community Resources

Canadian Government Database for Newcomer Resources

https://ircc.canada.ca/english/newcomers/services/index.asp

Alberta

Calgary

Immigrant Services Calgary Society - Center for Newcomers

https://www.centrefornewcomers.ca/

Immigrant Arrival Centre

https://www.immigrantarrivalcentre.ca/

Edmonton

Edmonton Immigrant Services Association

https://www.eisa-edmonton.org/

Assist Community Services Centre

https://assistcsc.org/

Alberta Immigrant Women & Children Centre (AIWCC)

https://aiwcc.ca/

Central Alberta Refugee Effort (CARE) Committee

https://www.carefornewcomers.ca/

British Columbia

Vancouver

Immigrant Services Society of BC

https://issbc.org/

Action Commitment Transformation (ACT)

https://act.successbc.ca/

Greater Victoria Area

Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria (ICA)

https://www.icavictoria.org/#

DIVERSEcity

https://www.dcrs.ca/

Chimo Community Services

https://chimoservices.com/

Options Community Services

https://www.options.bc.ca/

Prince George

Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society (IMSS)

https://www.imss.ca/

Kamloops

Kamloops Immigrant Services

https://immigrantservices.ca/

Kelowna

Kelowna Community Resources

https://kcr.ca/

Saskatchewan

Saskatoon

Global Gathering Place

https://globalgatheringplace.com/

Saskatoon Open Door Society

https://www.sods.sk.ca/

Prince Albert

YWCA: Prince Albert

https://www.ywcaprincealbert.ca/community-connection-centre

North & South Battleford

Battlefords Immigration Resource Center

https://www.battlefordsimmigration.ca/

Regina

Regina Open Door Society Inc.

https://rods.sk.ca/

1855 Smith Street, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4P 2N5

306-352-4600

Humbolt

The Humbolt Regional Newcomer Centre (HRNC)

https://www.thehrnc.com/

Manitoba

Winnipeg

Spence Neighbourhood Association

https://spenceneighbourhood.org/

430 Langside Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 2T5

431-444-3907

Ontario

Toronto

YMCA of Greater Toronto - Toronto Lansing Square YMCA - Newcomer Information Centre (North York East)

https://newcomersincanada.ca/

2 Lansing Square, Toronto, Ontario, M2J 4P8

416-502-2484

Centre for Immigant and Community Services (CICS) - North York

https://www.cicscanada.com/en/

1761 Sheppard Avenue East, Suite 1F, North York, Ontario, M2J 0A5

416-292-7510

The 519

https://www.the519.org/programs/category/new-to-canada/

519 Church St, Toronto, Ontario M4Y 2C9

416-392-6874

Ottawa

Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization - Orleans Cumberland Community Resources Centre (OCCRC)

https://www.crcoc.ca/en/

240 Centrum Boulevard, Ottawa, Ontario, K1E 3J4

613-830-4357

Quebec

Montreal

Centre D'Appui Aux Communautes Immigrantes (Immigrant and Reffugee Assistance Centre in Montreal)

https://caci-bc.org/?lang=en

12049, boul. Laurentien, Montréal, H4K 1M8

514-856-3511

Grand Montreal Gatineau - 211

https://www.211qc.ca/en/immigration-and-cultural-communities

Agence Ometz

https://www.ometz.ca/gethelp/immigrants/immigration+resources/

1 Cummings Square, 5151 Côte Ste-Catherine Road, Montreal, Quebec H3W 1M6

514-342-0000

Quebec City

French Office for Immigration and Integration (OFII)

https://www.ofii.fr/en/

Newfoundland & Labrador

Labrador City

Association for New Canadians

https://ancnl.ca/

43 Tamarack Drive, Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador, A2V 0C5

709-944-7775

Prince Edwards Island (PEI)

Charlottetown

Immigrant & Refugee Services Association PEI inc.

https://www.irsapei.ca/

49 Water Street, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, C1A 1A3

902-628-6009

• Canada Directory