Why Canada?

Urgent Warning!: As of February, 10 2025 there are likely no viable routes to gain Refugee/Asylum status for current U.S. Citizens.

If you attempt to make a refugee/ asylum claim at the border and you don't qualify for any of these exceptions to the satisfaction of a border official, you will lose your ability to make a claim PERMANENTLY. Please, consult an immigration lawyer before making an asylum claim, there is a high bar for documentation required to make these claims and it should not be considered a viable option in most cases. 

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.

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.

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 parent 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
• 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.

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

US citizens need a visa to move to Canada, unless the applicant applies for, and is eligible of, refugee status. The languages available for obtaining a visa are English and French. The methods of entry are listed below.

• Refugees: Available under eligibility guidelines regarding ones safety in their location of origin, their criminal record, and passing a medical exam. Neither refugee status nor asylum claims are viable for US citizens as of the 10th of February 2025.

• Student Visa: Available to …
• Family-Route: …
• Work Visa: A number of different work permits are available, full details of which - along with their application process - may be found on the work visa application information portal. They are typically conditional on a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), which your prospective employer must complete to prove that they genuinely need a foreign worker for the job, as opposed to a Canadian national. Most work visas of this kind are available via the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). The International Mobility Program (IMP), does not require an LMIA be carried out.
  
  Employment positions eligible for IMP status are those which "provide broad economic, cultural or other competitive advantages for Canada, and provide reciprocal benefits for Canadian citizens and permanent residents."
  Workers eligible for the IMP include those entering Canada as part of trade treaties, such as the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) or the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA), those entering Canada on an open work permit (see below), and those entering Canada as intra-company transferees.This latter category has potential for US staff of companies with a significant presence in Canada, who may have the opportunity to request a transfer overseas.
  
  Open work permits are not tied to a specific employer, but are only available to people in a limited range of circumstances, including:
  • international students who have graduated from a designated learning institution and are eligible for the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program
  • student who can no longer able to meet the costs of their studies (destitute student)
  • workers with an employer-specific work permit who are being abused or at risk of being abused in relation to their job in Canada
  • those who have applied for permanent residence in Canada
  • dependent family members of someone who applied for permanent residence
  • the spouse, common-law partner or dependent child of a low- or high-skilled worker
  • the spouse or common-law partner of an international student
  • the spouse or common-law partner of an applicant of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program
  • refugees, refugee claimants, protected persons or their family members
  • personal under an unenforceable removal order
  • temporary resident permit holders
  • young workers participating in special programs
• Other business-related immigration options include:
  • The Start-Up Visa program for entrepreneurs with innovative business ideas, intended to boost innovation and growth in Canada. Applicants need a viable business plan, support from a designated organization, and intermediate language skills
  • The federal Self-Employed Visa Canada for individuals with relevant self-employment experience who wish to become permanent residents after setting up a business in Canada. Applicants must have two years of relevant experience within the past five and "must demonstrate both the intention and the ability to create their own employment, significantly contributing to Canada’s cultural, artistic, or athletic sectors."
  • For the wealthy, the Buy A Business and Move to Canada program.

Medical Inadmissibility

Canada requires some temporary residents and all permanent residents to complete an Immigration Medical Exam (IME) to determine whether they are medically admissible to Canada. You are required to complete a medical exam if you fall into one of the following situations.

• You plan to work in a field where public health must be protected (ie: a clinic, or a school). This is based on the employer and building you work in, not the job you do. So if you were a cleaner at a hospital for example, you would still need an IME.
• You want to stay in Canada more than 6 months or work in agriculture, and you have spent more than 6 months in a row in a listed country in the previous year. If you have not spent more than 6 months outside the USA in the last year, this does not apply to you.
• You are applying for a parent or grandparent super visa.
• You are applying for permanent residency (including refugee claimants).

If you need an exam it will likely be completed while you are still in the United States by a designated panel physician. You can find a listing at https://secure.cic.gc.ca/PanelPhysicianMedecinDesigne/en/Home. This exam will include blood testing and a chest X-Ray. People who are pregnant may be able to defer their chest X-Ray, but will be required to complete it later.

Canada reserves the right to refuse you entry to the country based on the results of this exam if they believe

• You are a danger to public health. For example if you have an active transmissible disease like Tuberculosis or Syphilis)
• You are a danger public safety. If you are determined to have a risk of unpredictable or violent behaviour or sudden incapacity.
• Your healthcare would cost the government more than $135,810 over five years. This does not apply to refugees, or sponsored dependent children, or partners.

If you are refused on medical grounds you may have the option to submit a mitigation plan.

Permanent Residency

If your spouse is Canadian, there is a simplified pathway for obtaining permanent residency. Unlike all other pathways, there is a far lower income requirement by the sponsoring spouse and far fewer disqualifying medical conditions.

The process is relatively straightforward, but the fees are quite high, starting at CAD 1205 to sponsor your spouse.

The current processing time is approximately 10 months if the non-Canadian spouse is living outside Canada, and 28 months if the non-Canadian spouse is living inside Canada. Note also that the in-Canada path does not permit appeal in case the application is denied, while the out-of-Canada path does permit appeal.

While the process is relatively straightforward, a recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling that states that missing any item, no matter how small, is sufficient grounds to deny a PR application leads to recommending hiring an immigration lawyer to at least consult on the application, if not file the application on your behalf. Costs of an immigration lawyer can easily reach into the thousands of dollars.

Citizenship Pathway

Canadian citizenship is primarily via jus soli. If you were born in Canada, you are a Canadian citizen.

However, Canadan citizenship can also be transmitted by descent.

If either parent was a Canadian citizen by either naturalization or by being born in Canada, you are also a Canadian citizen from birth.

This Canadian government website link allows one to check if one potentially is a Canadian citizen.

The process for verifying one's Canadian citizenship is quite straightforward.

The documents required are:

• Your long form birth certificate
• Your Canadian parent's Canadian birth certificate or naturalization certificate
• If your name and/or gender are dissonant with what is on your birth certificate, the court order that confirms the change in name and/or gender
• Other documentation may be acceptable in lieu of a court order for gender; contact Immigration and Citizenship Canada to inquire

This Canadian government website link includes a tool to determine if you are eligible to apply online or if you must apply on paper.

Current processing times for these applications is approximately 3 months. At the end of the process, one receives a Canadian Citizenship Certificate which can be used in conjunction with another travel document for entry into Canada or to obtain a Canadian passport.

Additionally, Canada does potentially offer expedited processing of applications "to help avoid situations of potential harm or hardship due to.. sexual orientation, gender identity or expression." Note that this may require submitting an application for a passport at the same time.

LGBTQ+ Friendly Cities

What are potentially good places to live in?

• Vancouver
• Calgary
• Toronto
• Montreal
• Victoria

Top Trans-Friendly Cities

• please add

Community & Support Resources

• There are several community Trans and LGBTQIA2S+ organizations depending on your location in Canada
• Skipping Stone in Calgary; offering free services and resources related to medical and social transition, community engagement, and mental health for trans people regardless of age.

National Organizations

• please add

Cost of Living

• The cost of living in COUNTRY is how comparable to the US/where in the US?
• Rent is high. Canada is currently considered to be suffering under a housing crisis
• Public transport is widely available and is generally affordable but differs between locations
• Healthcare is free for regular visits with your general practitioner, some procedures, and emergency services. Ambulance rides, prescription costs, mental health services, and some other exemptions are not covered by public healthcare.
• Grocery prices are high in comparison to living wages.
• Education widely available. Public education is free for minors. And various subsidies and scholarships are available for higher education, especially for minority groups.

Housing Access & Cost

• add details on discrimination in rentals if applicable
• Mortgage rates are high, housing availability is low, and rent is high

Law Enforcement ("How bad are the cops?")

• incidents of LGBTQ discrimination among the police force have been reported in many cities across Canada, particularly against trans women. But the police are not publicly hostile to Trans people.

Censorship & Digital Privacy

• Beyond some legislation regarding the sharing of news outlets on social media, rights to free speech and right to gather are highly regarded as is digital security for Canadian residents and nationally as a whole.

Ease of Travel to Other Countries

• Canada's largest border is with the US, its only other land border is with Denmark, and it's a short ferry ride from Newfoundland to the French territory of St Pierre et Miquelon.
• The main international airports in Canada are YVR (Vancouver International Airport), YYZ (Pearson International Airport), Toronto, and YUL (Trudeau International Airport), Montreal, which have most of the transatlantic traffic. Secondary international airports are YYC (Calgary International Airport). YEG (Edmonton International Airport), and YOW (MacDonald-Cartier International Airport), Ottawa.
• Air travel from Canada tends to be more expensive than comparable flights from the US.
• Canadian passports are currently ranked 7th on the Passport Index, with visa free or visa on arrival access to 173 countries as of the date of this edit.
  
  

Ease of Travel into Canada

• A NEXUS card allows entry into Canada from the U.S. by land or sea without a passport book. See www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/nexus for more details.
• An Enhanced ID is available from five U.S. states, and allows entry into Canada at land or marine points of entry (it does not allow entry at airports). See www.dhs.gov/enhanced-drivers-licenses-what-are-they for more information.
• If you are entering Canada via land or sea from the U.S., a state issued identification card (driver's license or ID) and a birth certificate or naturalization certificate to confirm your status as a U.S. citizen is sufficient. If you are Indigenous and carry a certificate of Indian status, this may be usable as well in addition to a state issued identification document.
• If you are entering Canada and not using a passport book or a WHTI document (passport card, enhanced driver's license or enhanced ID card, eligible trusted traveller card), expect to need to go through a secondary inspection.

Animal Policies

• All domestic pets and a variety of exotic pets are legal to own/ cohabitate with in Canada.
• This Canadian Food Inspection Agency page can clarify requirements and fees.
• Proof of current rabies vaccination is necessary for dogs and cats above 3 months of age. Identifying tattoos or microchips are not required, but are highly recommended.
• Policies on renting with pets vary wildly by province. Ontario has no restrictions on pets in rented units; BC permits restrictions on pets. Provincial tenancy boards and tenants' groups can provide more details.
• Service animals are protected, but most provinces require certification or evidence of training and have restrictions on the animals (e.g. requiring the animals be sterilized). Some provinces issue credentials to service animals, but these are not mandatory.
• Emotional support animals are not a concept in Canadian law.

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