I’m looking over my options in fleeing for safety as things get worse down here. I am considering joining friends in Oregon but that might not safe enough. I’m gay, atheist, have a college degree (not in anything useful, however), and am everything the nazi’s down here hate.
I need to get out.
I know you guys are justifiably pissed at us Americans right now, but if I were to try and move to Canada (and I have no idea how I could possibly do such a thing in time) would I be welcomed there? Would I be safe? Or would I be seen as an aggressor or threat of some sort?
I need to get out of here but if it means going somewhere everyone will hate me I might not be any better off.
Washington and Oregon (in cities) will protect you as much as possible in the states. I believe they are the last bastions of hope in the states. We need people to stay and fight, but rest is important too, and they’re trying to make that impossible for people not in safe spaces right now so they give up hope and leave. Please stay and fight with us if you have it in you.
I don’t think Canadians are generally hostile to Americans unless they prove themselves to be asshole Americans. Lots of Canadians have American friends and would regularly travel over the border until a couple of months ago. And I think most Canadians can see what’s going on in the USA and understand that some people may need to flee.
However, immigration to Canada isn’t automatically allowed so it’s worth doing a bit of research and planning. Here are some government web pages that may help:
https://ircc.canada.ca/explore-programs/index.asp
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada.html
I think I might fall into the refugee category. I feel ridiculous saying that as there are others who are far worse off than I am though.
Americans are not going to be able to claim refugee status in Canada, at least not until things get a lot worse there. And, if it does happen, it’s not going to be people who can “pass” as a non-threatened group.
That’s the problem. We can all see whats coming, but it’s happening so fast that it will be too late. If I put in for asylum, I’ll be dead in the oven before anyone can even process the paperwork. If I just cross the border and try to wait things out there, I’ll have no way to feed or house myself, I’ll have no access to medications. And if things go really bad and this spreads to canada, they may just send be back to the US and I’ll end up in an oven anyway.
I have a little bit of good news for you, and lots of bad. The good news is that as soon as someone becomes an asylum or refugee claimant in Canada, they can become eligible for IFHP which covers prescription drugs, see https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/refugees/help-within-canada/health-care/interim-federal-health-program/coverage-summary.html
(See also a recent example of an American citizen who got IFHP after applying for aslyum at the Candian-US border, https://www.tiktok.com/@katie/_katie2113/photo/7478861387322625322 )
And now the bad:
If the refugee claim fails, it’s very tough to get into Canada afterwards. See https://vancouverimmigrationblog.com/is-it-possible-to-go-from-a-failed-refugee-claimant-to-an-economic-immigrant/ and https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/trv-for-previously-refused-refugee-claimant.123089/#post-2004890
If you did get approved for asylum or as a refugee, then you need to be careful never to return to the US or use or renew your US passport (or similar like passport card I guess), at least not until you’ve taken the oath and become a Canadian citizen.
If you do either, you risk losing it all and getting deported back to the US: https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/refugee-status-cessation-and-prs-applying-for-citizenship.333455/
Finally, I’ve been assuming that you’re a US citizen. If you are not - most folks who make a refugee or asylum claim at the US-Canada border are denied because of the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) between Canada and the US, and so will usually be summarily returned to the US. (Somehow US citizens don’t fall under this agreement.) So don’t try this if you’re not a US citizen, unless you’re able to consult with a lawyer first.
So if you have any other way to get to Canada (you qualify for PR / Express Entry directly somehow and have enough points to get in - possibly because you are fluent in both French & English and have a masters; or you know someone who can get you a job offer that qualifies for a work permit under NAFTA; or you have enough funds to apply as an international student; or you are under 35 years and can qualify for a working holiday visa) - try that first. The consequences of failure there are less severe.
I’m almost 40, only speak English, only have my bachelors. :(
Move to the bluest city & state you can get a job in. Then hunker down and either save hard or start studying something that will allow you to emigrate (medical&IT security are always on the list), or something that can be done fully remotely. You’re a lot safer from a camp in a place where there are 100s of thousands of minorities. Not safe forever but it buys you time.
If you can get a job that can be done remotely you can get out to asia or south america asap.
I’d recommend Seattle, but the police here are problematic.
Seems like the NAFTA option is still open to you if you’re a US citizen, or maybe you can get your masters in Canada if you can scrounge up the funds?
It’s not ridiculous.
Yes, you will be welcomed by the people. Being welcomed by the job market is a whole another story, though one that you being American isn’t really getting in your way.
I’m in Oregon. Applying and being accepted to be Canadian will take a long time, my friend. You are welcome in Oregon in the meantime. We are a bastion at the moment but just like the rest of the decent states, we are going to have our rights eroded by the dick-tator and muskrat.
Now if only Canada would offer to take the PNW off the orange cancer’s hands. Pretend like your doing him a favor lol
Canada will be mainly looking for skilled workers in the coming years. Being trained in healthcare or trades or engineering might give you a leg up, but it can’t be guaranteed
But overall Canada is reducing our overall immigration levels due to our previous government allowing many more immigrants than homes to house them.
Construction - building homes - may be something needed in Canada over the next few years if someone isn’t a doctor or nurse.
I mean, I’d give you a hug, take you to my local pub which just so happens to be queer owned and does fundraising for amazing causes and introduce you to my friends and community. Hell, I have a spare bedroom if you want a place to crash while you get set up.
You aren’t your government any more than the turds running my province (Alberta) are me. You’ll most likely be met with sympathy for the challenges you face in making such a big move and admiration for having the conviction and courage to do so.
Like any country, there’ll be jerks, but as a rule of thumb, we’re pretty friendly.
Heck, if you want a vacation, shoot me a message and come visit and use that spare room I mentioned. Do you hike or bike? I’m in Calgary which is super close to epic mountain fun and incredible scenery. We’ve also got three cats who demand attention, and a guide-dog in training who is a goofy/genius puppy, so there’s lots of pet-therapy available too.
Oh god I miss pet therapy. My cat died last year. A snuggly little manx named Ada Lovelace. I still miss her terribly. I dont have any downtime or spare money right now and I don’t see that changing. A lot needs to go well in my life for me to be able to pull off this self-rescue, and I’m still in the planning stages but I appreciate the offer.
Completely understand and hugs. Pets’ lives are too short.
I suggest going to Southeast Asia instead. tickets are a couple hundred, everybody is really cool about genders and pretty much everything else there, everything is cheap, you can live indefinitely on tourist visas and if you need money you can always teach English.
This is not entirely true. Malaysia and other countries have very conservative laws and social policies. Also, the English teaching industry is not what it was in the early 2000s. Most countries now have enough of their own English speaking population, and the.standards for foreign teachers have increased as a result. Even Vietnam requires a TESL diploma, which requires a degree to take. Any school that would employ someone illegally is not an employer to seek out as they (unsurprisingly) do illegal things in their workplace. Risk of deportation, the school being shut down, not getting paid, etc, is very high. Do not work illegally in another country.
“This is not entirely true.”
I’ll check.
“Malaysia…English teaching industry…Most countries…standards…VIetnam requires…employ illegally…risk…very high”
yea, solid disclaimer, most of that looks less than entirely true. Honestly, a lot of that is barely half true.
real quick: ESL is still booming in April 2025 with thousands of currently available ESL positions, pay rates are higher than ever, outpacing inflation significantly, the requirements are about the same as they were 15 years ago; native english fluency, college degree or TEFL certificate sometimes required based on the position and location for 25 hours of teaching a week, not including the breaktimes each class.
Most countries certainly do not have enough of an english speaking population to have affected the ESL market, hence the thousands of currently available ESL postings and dozens of platforms for teaching online.
Vietnam does not require “TESL diplomas” to teach English.
I dont have any qualifications to teach.
aside from being a native English speaker, you don’t need any.
The school will provide the curriculum, training, you’ll get to shadow a teacher for a few days and you’ll have an assistant in class to wrangle the students, so all you have to do is speak English in a native accent for 20 minutes at a time.
you can also watch any number of YouTube videos to learn what teaching English is like, or you can choose from hundreds of other remote jobs If you don’t want to teach.
as long as you make a few hundred a month, you can survive comfortably in Southeast Asia.
hostels are $100 a month, 200 a month for food is enough.
If you’re making 500 usd a month, you can get a private place for $250 or $300, and keep the same food budget.
Try and apply as a refugee.
you can’t apply unless you have undeniable proof of having been attacked by the state. it’s not as easy as the media says
My fear is that will take more time than I have.
Run away from your problems and dont bother try anything to fix it, the problems won’t surely follow you anywhere.
Please go away.
Plenty of Jews and minorities fled nazi germany, and as a result have families alive today.
Fair point. I will slink away back to my sewage pit, apologies.
There isn’t a non-violent solution to fascism. I am one unarmed man in Ohio. I can’t do anything about the nazis. I voted against them. I’ve signed petitions. I’ve done all the things a functioning society has available but they don’t work when your opponent isn’t playing the same game by the same rules. Unless these guys start dropping like flies things wont change. This thing has its own momentum now. I don’t have the ability to change that.
Canada’s far right party simply needs to convince the equivalent of a couple small towns in quantity of votes to get into power, FYI. That’s how close they are to gaining momentum from their current level of national support.
Ohio either is or has recently been a swing state. The rise of fascism is terrifying but people in Ohio should have plenty of options for improving the situation and fighting back. And in even the most conservative red states, many of cities are blue. Your best bet may be to move to a city in Ohio. If that’s too expensive, then I have some bad news for you about Oregon (and probably much of Canada). Rural Oregon can be pretty conservative and racist AF. Cool cities in Oregon aren’t cheap relative to Ohio suburbs and exurbs. Living in a fun neighborhood in Cleveland or Columbus, joining some Democratic or Leftist political organizations and taking more direct action with like minded people may help with the feelings of hopelessness and may actually have a positive impact.
But free advice from a random on the internet is worth what you pay for it 🤷. It’s easy for me to make suggestions from my left leaning coastal city. Ultimately you have to decide how to best protect yourself mentally and physically.
Ohio had nazis parading around in Columbus before the election. Literal, swastica flag waving, nazis.
Dayton survives almost solely due WPAFB and military contractors as far as i can tell, and with that comes a heavy republican presence and nationalism from retirees (and their family) who never left the area after getting out.
Much of the rest of ohio is either agriculture, shipping/transportation, or former industry that hasnt quite fully died yet.
It hasn’t been a true swing state in quite some time. And a place to live hasn’t been cheap either (unless you like roaches or mold)
The costs are higher but so is the average pay so it’s bad but not as bad as it seems. As for Ohio, this state is heavily gerrymandered and has been for years. The republicans regularly ignore the courts and their constituents. There is no accountability here.
I voted against them. I’ve signed petitions. I’ve done all the things a functioning society has available
Wow, you did both things?!
The USA is going down a route similar to Germany in the 1930s. Would it be appropriate to preach what you just said to Jews and LGBTQ+ people trying to leave Nazi Germany?
No you are correct, vulnerable people need to flee to allow violent people to handle their business.
My great-great grandparents fled Europe during WW1 when they were teens.
Did they run away too?
I’m very happy they fled and stayed alive to help create you, because you’re an amazing person, but I’m sorry the word “fled” literally means to run away. So yes, they did.
