Thinking of moving to Canada? These 63 jobs make it easier for Americans

Americans who oppose or fear a second term of Donald Trump in power are coming to terms with the surprising turnout for him in this year’s election. Unlike in 2016, Trump’s Republican Party looks set to rule the Senate starting next year, and the House is still up for grabs. If Republicans win both houses, it will give Trump the power to make sweeping changes to US laws.

For left-leaning voters, Canada – with its universal health care and generally high quality of life – seems tempting by comparison. Certain rights are protected, including rights for LGBTQ+ people and access to reproductive health care. But those who haven’t followed Canadian politics might want to check in on its political scene, where the leader of the Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre, appears primed to take over from the Liberals’ Justin Trudeau in an election next fall. To be sure, Poilievre isn’t exactly a Canadian version of Trump, especially when it comes to social policy. And under political pressure, the Trudeau government recently reduced the number of immigrants it would accept.

Moving to Canada is not easy either. The country has been criticized for favoring wealthier immigrants by creating pathways to citizenship through investment and accepting international students with the means to attend Canadian universities. Marrying a Canadian is a path to citizenship, and it’s worth noting that the legality of same-sex unions has been settled since 2005.

But for certain professionals, there is another route north, thanks to the Canada-US-Mexico agreement (formerly NAFTA). Under the covenant, professionals in more than 60 job types can move between the US, Canada and Mexico, meaning these jobs allow Americans and Mexicans to live and work in Canada if they first find work in the country. Canadian companies hiring foreigners for these roles do not have to first prove that they were trying to hire a Canadian citizen.

The list, seen below, includes teachers, pharmacists, social workers, graphic designers and hotel managers. People in these professions who are offered a job with a Canadian company can simply apply for a work permit when they enter the country. They must show a signed contract with a Canadian company or organization, other proof that they have an offer of employment from a Canadian employer, or proof that their US or Mexican employer is sending them to the Canadian branch of the company. See more details hereunder section 3.3.

You can check if you have the required degree or credentials for each profession here. Please note that those who freelance or are sole owners of a company cannot use this route, although company owners may qualify as investors.

Aspiring Canadians who don’t see their jobs listed can still research Canada’s other federal programs for skilled workers, which have more complicated eligibility rules but apply to a much wider list of occupations.

The ethics of moving to Canada for those dissatisfied with the incoming American political leadership is, of course, debatable. There is no cheat sheet to find out.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that the free trade agreement formerly known as NAFTA is now called CUSMA.