4 ms·

Not even close. You can live in Vancouver and fully enjoy the city without ever having to speak a word of English. The signage and announcements at YVR are in

by 99_00 9y ago

Not even close. You can live in Vancouver and fully enjoy the city without ever having to speak a word of English. The signage and announcements at YVR are in Chinese. https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3304/4556712750_a4470bfb56_z.jpg https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3304/4556712750_a4470bfb56_z.j... Chinese grocery stores are common in the city and many suburbs. You can easily find mandarin speakers at most banks. Chinese signage and mandarin staff are common in malls, especially luxury goods. And if you get permanent residence healthcare is free. Just don't declare your foreign income. Everyone's doing it. http://vancouversun.com/life/richmond-3-why-does-upscale-neighbourhood-appear-poor-to-tax-officials http://vancouversun.com/life/richmond-3-why-does-upscale-nei...

krrrh 9y ago
You don't even need permanent residence to get free healthcare. Just legal residence for 3 months does the trick.
- chenster 9y ago
  Can you back this up with your source?
  - krrrh 9y ago
    My language could have been more clear. They state at the top of the page that you have to be "admitted for permanent residence" if you are not a citizen. However other visa situations also qualify [1]: > Certain other individuals, such as some holders of study and/or work permits, or working permits on working holiday programs — which are issued under the federal Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and are valid for a period of six or more months — may be deemed residents. Tourists or visitors to B.C. do not qualify. I was thinking especially of the university students I know who got MSP cards after being in BC for a few months on student visas--they are actually required to enrol [2]. Incidentally, there was a thing in the media about the number of owners of multi-million dollar homes in Vancouver who listed their profession as "student" [3]. Working holiday visas are typically only for 1 year, and they also qualify. You might think that a lot of young people who need elective surgery would take advantage of the working holiday visa programs, but the waiting times for most specialties would make it a gamble to get anything done in the 9 months they'd have coverage (I'm not entirely joking). If you're curious what happens while waiting to become eligible, private insurance companies offer a standard insurance package called "Visitors to Canada" insurance ($200-$500 CAD for 3 months depending on deductible and whether you need coverage for a "stable" pre-existing condition). Visitor to Canada insurance is also what you need to buy if you're a Canadian who has lived abroad and need to cover the gap before you can re-enroll, though it is not a mandate, and technically under the Canada Health Act they can't refuse to treat you if you are a citizen. I have heard that a citizen or lawful resident can refuse to pay a bill even if you are not enrolled and nothing will happen, but that may also be an urban legend. One other point of clarification, since it confuses people to no end. Each province administers its own program. Three provinces (of ten) collect health care "premiums" on those who have income levels to support it: BC, Alberta, and Ontario. The premiums are not paying the cost of health insurance by any stretch, they are a poorly designed and administered poll tax that shares a name with the health care programs. This bothers me constantly when Americans who have moved to BC harp on about how "health insurance" only costs $75 a month in Canada, because the vast majority of the costs are paid through other revenues. Eliminating premiums is an issue in tomorrow's BC election. [1] http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/health-drug-coverage/msp/bc-residents/eligibility-and-enrolment/are-you-eligible http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/health-drug-coverag... [2] https://students.ubc.ca/health-wellness/health-insurance/health-insurance-details-international/medical-services-plan-msp-international https://students.ubc.ca/health-wellness/health-insurance/hea... [3] http://globalnews.ca/news/2968607/new-numbers-show-multi-million-dollar-homes-in-vancouver-bought-by-low-income-buyers/ http://globalnews.ca/news/2968607/new-numbers-show-multi-mil... EDIT: Added some more information about how health care premiums work for the sake of posterity.
eps 9y ago
This a separate issue. It's not what the article is about.
handedness 9y ago
Capital flight has nothing to do with language, signage, announcements, grocery stores, or mall clerks.
- cylinder 9y ago
  Sure it does. They follow their friends and families and generally stick to friendly enclaves. Why do you think they buy homes in Vancouver and not Yellowknife?
  - handedness 9y ago
    Getting the money into a destination country is only the first part of capital flight, the other half is making reasonably good and relatively liquid investments with it. Therefore, housing in Yellowknife is probably out. Generally speaking, the goods in which one invests in as capital flight tend to be either a good investment (big city real estate), or easily concealed and transported (jewelry, precious metals). And if the English-speaking westernized kids and grandkids can get things like tuition and medical care out of it, that's certainly a nice bonus. I lived for many years in a city that saw a truly massive influx of investments driven almost entirely by capital flight, predominantly from Iran and China, and those buyers were all too happy to buy a house, never move into it, eventually send their kids over for an education, bring the kids back home, sell the housing in US Dollars and keep those funds there. (Or, rent it out and deposit the funds into a US account.) It's also worth noting that seasoning requirements for funds contributed to a mortgage don't apply when the purchase happens in cash. The people who play at the level required to make capital flight worthwhile aren't near the center of the bell curve. Immigration ≠ capital flight.

by 99_00 9y ago

krrrh 9y ago

You don't even need permanent residence to get free healthcare. Just legal residence for 3 months does the trick.

chenster 9y ago
Can you back this up with your source?
- krrrh 9y ago
  My language could have been more clear. They state at the top of the page that you have to be "admitted for permanent residence" if you are not a citizen. However other visa situations also qualify [1]: > Certain other individuals, such as some holders of study and/or work permits, or working permits on working holiday programs — which are issued under the federal Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and are valid for a period of six or more months — may be deemed residents. Tourists or visitors to B.C. do not qualify. I was thinking especially of the university students I know who got MSP cards after being in BC for a few months on student visas--they are actually required to enrol [2]. Incidentally, there was a thing in the media about the number of owners of multi-million dollar homes in Vancouver who listed their profession as "student" [3]. Working holiday visas are typically only for 1 year, and they also qualify. You might think that a lot of young people who need elective surgery would take advantage of the working holiday visa programs, but the waiting times for most specialties would make it a gamble to get anything done in the 9 months they'd have coverage (I'm not entirely joking). If you're curious what happens while waiting to become eligible, private insurance companies offer a standard insurance package called "Visitors to Canada" insurance ($200-$500 CAD for 3 months depending on deductible and whether you need coverage for a "stable" pre-existing condition). Visitor to Canada insurance is also what you need to buy if you're a Canadian who has lived abroad and need to cover the gap before you can re-enroll, though it is not a mandate, and technically under the Canada Health Act they can't refuse to treat you if you are a citizen. I have heard that a citizen or lawful resident can refuse to pay a bill even if you are not enrolled and nothing will happen, but that may also be an urban legend. One other point of clarification, since it confuses people to no end. Each province administers its own program. Three provinces (of ten) collect health care "premiums" on those who have income levels to support it: BC, Alberta, and Ontario. The premiums are not paying the cost of health insurance by any stretch, they are a poorly designed and administered poll tax that shares a name with the health care programs. This bothers me constantly when Americans who have moved to BC harp on about how "health insurance" only costs $75 a month in Canada, because the vast majority of the costs are paid through other revenues. Eliminating premiums is an issue in tomorrow's BC election. [1] http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/health-drug-coverage/msp/bc-residents/eligibility-and-enrolment/are-you-eligible http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/health-drug-coverag... [2] https://students.ubc.ca/health-wellness/health-insurance/health-insurance-details-international/medical-services-plan-msp-international https://students.ubc.ca/health-wellness/health-insurance/hea... [3] http://globalnews.ca/news/2968607/new-numbers-show-multi-million-dollar-homes-in-vancouver-bought-by-low-income-buyers/ http://globalnews.ca/news/2968607/new-numbers-show-multi-mil... EDIT: Added some more information about how health care premiums work for the sake of posterity.

eps 9y ago

This a separate issue. It's not what the article is about.

handedness 9y ago

Capital flight has nothing to do with language, signage, announcements, grocery stores, or mall clerks.

cylinder 9y ago
Sure it does. They follow their friends and families and generally stick to friendly enclaves. Why do you think they buy homes in Vancouver and not Yellowknife?
- handedness 9y ago
  Getting the money into a destination country is only the first part of capital flight, the other half is making reasonably good and relatively liquid investments with it. Therefore, housing in Yellowknife is probably out. Generally speaking, the goods in which one invests in as capital flight tend to be either a good investment (big city real estate), or easily concealed and transported (jewelry, precious metals). And if the English-speaking westernized kids and grandkids can get things like tuition and medical care out of it, that's certainly a nice bonus. I lived for many years in a city that saw a truly massive influx of investments driven almost entirely by capital flight, predominantly from Iran and China, and those buyers were all too happy to buy a house, never move into it, eventually send their kids over for an education, bring the kids back home, sell the housing in US Dollars and keep those funds there. (Or, rent it out and deposit the funds into a US account.) It's also worth noting that seasoning requirements for funds contributed to a mortgage don't apply when the purchase happens in cash. The people who play at the level required to make capital flight worthwhile aren't near the center of the bell curve. Immigration ≠ capital flight.