Minimum net worth of $10M and a minimum investment in a company of $2M for at least 2 years for landed immigrant status not citizenship.
[immigration.ca]

@Surfpirate Yeah that's more resources than I have.

It's unfortunate their views are so un-nuanced. I already own a business that basically follows me wherever I happen to be. If I weren't mostly staying put in one spot I'd be termed a "digital nomad". The first thing I would almost certainly do after moving to Canada is hire a Canadian local as a subcontractor. So I don't need a job because I already have one. It's just that I'm the employer. And I would be "employing" others right out the chute (I put it in scare quotes because technically I'd be hiring them as contractors, not employees).

@shockwaverider, I could, at the expense of a lot more administrative overhead, put myself on a salary instead of just withdrawing funds from the business as I need them, so thanks for the idea of opening a business office in Canada. That might cause me to fall into a category that "computes" with Immigration.

@Surfpirate @mordant Yeah but each province / territory has programs that require far less. Maybe start with a work permit, then you'll build more points towards landed immigrant status...

For example
Prince Edward Island
Work Permit Stream

Individuals applying under the P.E.I. Work Permit Stream must obtain a Canadian work permit and work for a P.E.I. business for a certain amount of time as designated in a Performance Agreement.

After the Performance Agreement is fulfilled, the applicant must make a minimum $150,000 investment in the business and commit to managing the business on a daily basis from within P.E.I.

I PM'd you ... I definitely will share what I learn.

I've heard Canada's current regime expects to take in about 1% of the entire population in immigrants in the next year, a good chunk of them refugees. I don't know what their criteria is for refugee status, but in my book, that alone makes me love them. Compared to the concentration camps we're building for people seeking refugee status, especially!

@mordant Thanks for the reply! Justin said he would be willing to take in people from the US if trump won. Watching the game. They got the senate. House is 207/194 right now.

@mordant Just checked. Didn't get the message.

doubt the refugee angle would fly as, at least in theory, the US is still a land of laws. The increase in refugees is based on a need to settle people displaced by wars and climate change. If you have skills/business that "Benefit" Canada, the country has a merit based immigration system

Here's an angle you may not have explored yet, why not try emigrating to a country like Syria where the US government is bombing the shit out of them and creating real refugees, it should be pretty easy to get citizenship in a country where everyone is fleeing for their lives. Once you become a Syrian citizen you can legitimately apply for refugee status in Canada because you really will be in danger of imminent death instead of just annoyed at having to deal with Trump. FYI, Canadians still have to listen to Trump's horseshit every day, so that won't change should you be accepted as a refugee in Canada.

@Surfpirate That's thinking outside the box!

@mordant As someone who has lived in several other countries for extended periods of time, here's my advice to you, give Canada a trial period of 6 months. You can work while taking an extended vacation in Canada, just so long as you are working remotely and getting paid in the US but I believe 6 months is the cut off period. You may find that the culture and the climate are not to your liking but it is better to find out on a trial basis than to up and move to a new country with only vague notions of what it is really like to live here. I've seen far too many expats move to a foreign country after a two week vacation there, they buy a house after selling off everything back home, then within a year or two they can't stand the new country and take a huge loss to return to their home country. Also you should try getting professional advice instead of winging it and taking the advice of people who have lived in Canada for a while and then moved back to the US. Why did they move back if it was so wonderful? Did they actually integrate into Canadian society or were they ugly Americans that are so loathed by Canucks?

@Surfpirate Oh it would play out something like that, I'm no fool. Also while my wife was on board last night, that may not survive the light of day. Although with Sessions fired and Rosenstein apparently removed from overseeing Mueller less than 24 hours after the election, the shitshow is really on here ...

@Surfpirate We both mentioned dual. I do not plan on selling my house. I plan on leaving most of my things here. Travel with the bare minimums. Clothes, phone (might have to get a different one international calls aren't cheap). Computer, and really just as much as I can fit in a car. All I need.

@TheGreatShadow most cellular phone plans have free calling in Canada and the US as part of the package now.

@Surfpirate I called a friend in B.C. a while ago, and that call was expensive! Maybe things have changed, or maybe it's just my carrier.

@TheGreatShadow Maybe the problem is on your end? The Canadian carriers have free calling anywhere in Canada or the US, usually from 5pm to 7am and a bundled price for so many minutes during business hours.

@Surfpirate It's very possible.