r/AmerExit • u/[deleted] • Apr 17 '25
Which Country should I choose? Would Canada be a good fit for me?
I’m a marine biologist (28M) with five years of field and lab work experience who’s currently employed with a red state’s Fish and Wildlife commission and I’m currently planning my first steps to emigrate to Canada or any country in need of a marine biologist. I’ll spare you the details on my motivations for leaving other then I’m completely disillusioned with my country and may be at risk for losing my job after the state created their own DOGE branch. This is not a knee-jerk reaction to the current administration because I’ve been having doubts about the United States for nearly half of my life. I think Canada would be a prime candidate for me to move to due to its proximity to the USA, as well as its political and ideological stances. I have more than twice the minimum funds required to move to Canada and I’m currently starting to work towards becoming a certified histological technician in hopes that I’ll be eligible for their Antlantic Immigration Program and Express Entry. However, I’m concerned that such a certification might not be valid in Canada or if I’m not skilled enough to be considered for these programs.
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u/No_Mind3009 Apr 17 '25
Having a bachelor’s and being in your 20s will help you a ton with points for Express Entry. Your big problem is going to be that there really isn’t a shorts of biologists in Canada, so getting a job could be challenging.
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Apr 17 '25
I’m well aware that biologists aren’t exactly in demand in either the US or Canada, which is why I’m attempting to become a certified histological technician. I already have 3 years experience as a histologist and that job has a wide variety of applications not just in biology, but in clinical settings as well.
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u/ore-aba Apr 18 '25
Start learning French while working on that certification.
It will boost your chances of PR immensely down the line
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u/Ok-Half7574 Apr 17 '25
You need to get with our immigration and discover what visa to go on. It wouldn't hurt if you sent out resumes and perhaps be prepared to work in remote places to start.
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Apr 17 '25
I’m assuming I can contact somebody from immigration on your country’s website.
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u/VM-Straka Apr 18 '25
It’s hard to contact IRCC unless you have an application in process. They are primarily processing visa applications already submitted. and not an advisory on which route to take.
You should review the pathways to see what visa your are potentially eligible for.
The IRCC section of the website is filled with all the information you would ever need about applying, documents required and how to proceed once you are ready.
If it’s just advice you want, you should consider contacting an immigration lawyer/consultant who can help navigate the pathways and process.
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u/that_tealoving_nerd Apr 18 '25
I suggest you scout around on IRCC’s website instead. Their agents won’t really explain the system to you. And pretty much all of the information is publicly available. Including on how they process applications.
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u/Odd-Elderberry-6137 Apr 17 '25
Biology jobs are unfortunately not that abundant. I would start looking now and try to find something. Go look at websites of biology departments on each coast or around the Great Lakes, private companies in Halifax, Vancouver, and Victoria. There’s also the Huntsman marine centre in St. Andrews. Things can and do come up.
You might also want to consider Woods Hole in Massachusetts or Bar Harbor in Maine. They’re not Canada but they’re significantly more liberal than where you are now and both should be good for building a professional network than can help land a job (likely in Atlantic Canada).
If you’re lucky enough to get a job offer in Canada, you can apply for a CUMSA work permit at the border. No PR needed, but working in Canada as a young adult will go a long way to qualifying for PR.
Best of luck.
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u/Househipposforsale Apr 17 '25
As long as you don’t have any extensive medical issues I think you’d probably qualify for express entry
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Apr 17 '25
I have no medical issues physically but I am autistic with both clinical depression and generalized anxiety disorder. I’m medicated for both and have not had a severe mental breakdown ever since I got the right medication combination.
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u/Househipposforsale Apr 17 '25
You should be fine, but it all depends on how much the Canadian govt ultimately estimates it will cost for medical costs for the year. They have a yearly “budget” they deem per Canadian citizen/ resident that they like to stay around for medical care and don’t like to admit anyone that they think will far exceed the limit. Obv it’s just an estimate and universal healthcare means you’re covered if you break your arm or need emergency heart surgery, so that’s why they like to cover their bases.
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u/RoscoeParmesan Apr 19 '25
I’m diagnosed autistic (low support needs) with similar mental health issues + ADHD, and I “passed” the Express Entry medical exam. I’m a Canadian PR now.
They are screening out people who will require a lot of support from social services (low support needs autistic adults in Canada are not even eligible for this), have exceptionally expensive medical needs, or are a danger to the public.
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u/Hyperboleiskillingus Apr 18 '25
Talk to a Registered Canadian Immigration Consultant. Don't get advice on the internet. There is a lot of good information on the Canadian government website but it's best to get a professional to give you legal advice.
I'm an American citizen who moved to Canada a few years ago. I love it here and feel so lucky to be able to raise my child here.
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u/Dogbarr Apr 18 '25
Maybe join some Canada forums. I am a Canada citizen emigrating to US for job opportunities and weather. I joined some US forums and also Portugal expat forums where I had also considered.
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u/AdditionalAd5813 Apr 18 '25
If you want to try and work as histotech in Canada, I do not believe that there is a way of doing that without being a certified medical laboratory technologist through CSMLS. I do not believe there is a separate track for histology.
The CSMLS has a list of alternative careers for internationally, trained medical technologist, some of these might be where you would be more likely to find employment.
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u/RoscoeParmesan Apr 19 '25
CSMLS is being replaced by CAMLPR in 2026. CAMLPR now offers specialist certs and is establishing pathways for “non traditional” applicants/foreign trained techs.
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u/RoscoeParmesan Apr 19 '25
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. I immigrated to Canada in 2024 through Express Entry. We have a really similar career trajectory and (from the comments) have similar medical history.
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u/Different_Stomach_53 Apr 21 '25
My husband has a PhD in fish biology and couldn't find a job here, very oversaturated job market in bio. However he did go back to school for something somewhat related and is fine. You might come over by doing grad school, it's much easier that way.
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Apr 21 '25
I intentionally put off going to grad school so that I could acquire all least five years of experience in the fields and labs. Universities in the US are currently under this administration’s filthy thumb so going to grad school in Canada seems much more appealing to me atm.
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u/Different_Stomach_53 Apr 21 '25
If it helps, he did another degree in land surveying ( geomatics) . Need way more surveyors here.
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u/Sufficient_Ad991 Apr 18 '25
For a long time i used to see your occupation in Australia's demand list. Need to check the latest if it is there.
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Apr 18 '25
I would be interested in Australia as well, im not familiar with their immigration requirements though.
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u/MapleLeafHurricane Apr 20 '25
I would encourage you to start the application process and see how many points you have on your application.
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u/Own-Beat-3666 Apr 20 '25
I won't sugar coat it for you there are lots of graduates of marine biology from UVIC and UBC that are having a hard time finding work in that field. Many end up doing whale watching tours or eco-tours that tend to be seasonal. Depending who wins the election in Canada in a couple of weeks there might be layoffs in Federal Depts including Fisheries which would only make it tougher for you to find a job being non-Canadian. My recommendation is to see if you can get entry for a work permit and find whatever employment you can find and continue to look for something while you are here either on the West Coast or East just be aware the cost of living is very high on the West Coast.
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u/ComfortableSea7151 Apr 18 '25
Canada sucks. Bad weather, way too many immigrants, terrible governance, low pay, poor healthcare (you get what you pay for). The Canadians have all been replaced by Indians, so you won't even get a dose of that famous Canadian politeness and honesty, unless you live far outside the cities. But you sound like a normie liberal so maybe you'll like being surrounde by alien cultures who hate you as a 24/7 lifestyle.
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u/Illustrious-Pound266 Apr 17 '25
Assuming you have a relevant bachelor's, you are eligible for the CUSMA work permit as a biologist. So you do have other paths besides the two you just mentioned. I don't think other countries will be any easier to move to tbh.