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Emmigration to the USA and Canada

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:50 pm
by Hal
Hi,

I wonder if any Americans, Canadians or ex-pats (Amanda ;)) can help me.

I am thinking at some point in the future, soon maybe, I may want to "escape" the UK for Canada or the USA.

I am aware this will be difficult due to insurance issues in the USA. Is there any chance of me being given a job as an "alien" with kidney failure with insurance to cover my dialysis / get me on the transplant list?

Presumably this would be easier if I'd already had a transplant?

I am unsure, however, how the system works in Canada. I know there is government health care to cover some things? Would this cover dialysis / transplant stuff ??? Does anyone know if I have any chance of becoming a Permanent Resident in Canada or would I be excluded due to my health problems?

I will hopefully (fingers crossed) have a good degree soon and I have plenty of work and other experience, so I think I have a lot going for me generally ... just will the illness get in the way ???

Hal.

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 6:46 pm
by gary in bc
I believe you would have more chance in Canada. Canada has a national health program, albeit, not always the best, but if you were to consider the larger metro areas, (Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, etc) they have very extensive renal centres. There is good medical coverage in Canada for anyone on dialysis. The problem you may face is through immigration. I believe there is a criteria, although I don't believe health issues are given are the main focal point.
gary in bc

emmigration to US

Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2005 5:28 am
by amanda in CA
Hi, Hal. I don't really know the answer to your question I'm afraid. I'm here in the States on an H4 visa which is issued to me as the spouse of my husband, Steve. I'm not too sure how a potential employer would view someone with renal failure on dialysis or even for that matter for someone with a transplant. We have not had any problems with health insurance, as it is provided as part of the work package, and here in California, (not sure about other states) health insurance companies providing health coverage to a company (rules vary depending on the company size) have to cover all employees and any dependents covered by the plan, irrespective of their medical condition. In some cases, though there is a 6 month waiting period for that cover to start and Medicare isn't an option unless you have made a large enough contribution to the Social Security system.

Paying for dialysis even for 6 months would be exorbitantly expensive. Mine costs thousands each month!

As far as the visa application process its self goes, this is what I know. Steve's visa is dependent on him being employed by his current employer since that is who sponsored him for the visa. Currently he can't change employers unless a prospective employer is willing to take on the sponsorship (I imagine that involves money) or he, and therefore, we get a green card.

We moved over here four years ago before the tech industry took a nosedive and even then, Steve had to demonstrate that he had special skills when compared to prospective American applicants in order to get his H1 visa. Unfortunately, when the employment rate climbed, the number of H1 visas issued/year was drastically reduced. Furthermore, with a larger pool of appropriately qualified individuals seeking work, it has also become much more difficult for a prospective employer to demostrate their need to employ someone from outside of the US and thus to get H1 visa approval. I must admit that I don't know about the situation with other types of visa although I understand that it can be a very long process to get a 'standard' work visa.

Getting a green card is not the same as taking citizenship. A green card allows you to work in the US for an indefinate period (unlike a visa which has to be renewed). It also allows for a person to move jobs. Your status is that of a 'resident alien'. However, I believe that you have to have been working/living in the US before you are able to apply for a Green Card. If you take citizenship then you have to renounce your citizenship to Britain. I am not even sure even if something such as renal failure would be an automatic bar to taking US citizenship, since I haven't looked into it.

If you are interested in working in the US, probably the best thing to do is to apply for a job and see how you you get on. If you have the right qualifications, then you never know. Steve's employer knew about my medical problems before he was offered the job (and I definately think that it would be something that you would need to come clean about before taking up a post in the US) and it did not present a problem to his employment.

Hope that my ramblings have helped you somewhat. best of wishes, and luck, Amanda

Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2005 9:47 am
by les
hi hal,
big step mate, good luck, i work for the council here in manchester, and looked for a new job a couple of years ago, with the same empolyer, but never got them, i offen wonderd if it was because of time of on the sick?
and long trem health issues? once again hal GOOD LUCK

Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2005 3:28 pm
by Anne in Va
Hi Hal,

I cannot add much to what others have told you. My husband is American so after our marriage in Scotland, I came as the wife of an American citizen. Quite a different situation from yours!

I did want to clarify one thing regarding citizenship. When I was debating citizenship, we learned from a friend in the State Dept that you do not have to renounce British citizenship. The situation is this. One cannot have dual citizenship BUT one can be a citizen of both countries although neither county recognises the other. As far as the U.K. is concerned, I was born in the U.K. therefore I am a British citizen. So unless I was to FORMALLY renounce citizenship I am still considered British. As far as the U.S. is concerned, I am a U.S. citizen. At the close of the U.S. citizenship ceremony, the official urged us to return our passports to our native countries and tell them we are now U.S. citizens but also added that they could not force us to do so. One time we were coming through immigration at Heathrow in the "foreign" line with a U.S. passport, the immigration official chastized me and said I should have been in the British Citizen line. Unless rules have changed, with 9-11 etc, this is one of the best kept secrets.

Best Wishes,

Anne

Emigration to USA and Canada

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2005 2:09 pm
by Dwight Barnaby
Canada has an excellent healthcare system which provides for all the medical needs of permanent residents and citizens. However, Canada also has a requirement that all potential permanent residents do not have a health condition which would impose serious demands on the free national healthcare system. This excludes everyone with a serious illness, such as renal failure. The only people exempted from this requirement are immediate family members of Canadian citizens.

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2005 6:40 pm
by Hal
Thanks Dwight, I read something to that affect after I posted this. However, it didn't explicitly mention renal failure.

A nurse has also told me of someone with multiple health issues who is moving to Canada, so I haven't completely given up on the idea .... but it doesn't look promising.

Hal.

Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2005 10:34 am
by Rik
Never mind renal failure mate ...
surely the BIG question is whether they let Scallys in or not!!!!!!!!!

Re: Emigration to USA and Canada

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2016 6:24 pm
by ramneekh
Dwight Barnaby wrote:Canada has an excellent healthcare system which provides for all the medical needs of permanent residents and citizens. However, Canada also has a requirement that all potential permanent residents do not have a health condition which would impose serious demands on the free national healthcare system. This excludes everyone with a serious illness, such as renal failure. The only people exempted from this requirement are immediate family members of Canadian citizens.
Hello Dwight, where did you see that Renal failure patients are excluded from medical requirement? My mother is on dialysis and I want to bring her over to Canada.