Oh, Canada.
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After more than 11 years living in Vancouver, B.C. (on and off, with a solid “on” for the last four), I (Scott) finally met the residency requirements to apply for Canadian citizenship.
It felt like a milestone worth marking.
Over time I’ve come to appreciate how Canadians and Americans can differ in ways I didn’t expect. Temperament, politics, and the general habit of paying attention to events outside their own borders all show up in day-to-day conversation. None of this is universal, of course, but the pattern is real enough that I noticed it.
Canada isn’t perfect. I don’t know any country that is, and I’ve been to well over a hundred. Still, British Columbia has a particular charm, and I tend to miss it the moment I step away.
At the time, Citizenship and Immigration Canada estimated 2 to 3 years for processing. (Update: it turned out to be much faster.)
- May 16, 2016: I was accepted for Canadian citizenship.
- June 17, 2016: I attended the citizenship ceremony and became a Canadian citizen.
