Are you a Canadian who is coming up on retirement and would like to retire somewhere warm? Many Canadians ask us if it is possible to just retire in the United States – however, it’s not that easy.
While you may know people who spend their winters in the United States, that is because you are able to spend six months per year in the United States as a Canadian citizen – but Canada and the United States won’t let you stay longer. So while it is possible to retire and spend just your winters in the United States, you will have to remain in Canada for at least part of the year or you risk severing your ties to Canada. Unfortunately, at the moment no USA Retirement visa exists.
How to Retire in the United States permanently
If you want to retire in the United States permanently, you must become a permanent resident of the United States or obtain a green card. This can be done a number of different ways, but it is not an easy process.
For example, you could have a spouse or family member you sponsor you to come to the United States as a permanent resident, or you could have a job in the United States while working on a work visa, eventually having your employer sponsor you. But this can’t work for everyone, because not everyone is in that type of family or work situation.
However, a Canadian citizen of retirement age may have enough savings and net worth built up to make an investment in the United States, which can allow them to obtain investor visas. These investor visas include the E2 investor visa and the E-B5 investor visas, which will provide the Canadian citizen with an avenue of remaining in the United States for longer. One of these visas is good for about five years, however it can be renewed before those five years are up. The other visa can result in permanent residency in the United States.
Permanent residency in the United States is a very big deal, and it is not an easy process. Applicants must go through a lengthy and complex process in order to obtain a permanent resident visa. If you want to become a permanent resident of the United States, please contact our immigration law firm for assistance. Take our free assessment and someone will be in touch within 24 hours!
President & CEO
Michael Niren
Mr. Niren is CEO of VisaPlace LLC and the President and Managing Partner of VisaPlace Legal Canada, an immigration law firm based in Toronto, and VisaPlace Legal US a law firm registered in The District of Columbia, USA. Mr. Niren is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association’s Citizenship and Immigration Section, American Lawyers Association, and an Associate Member of the American Bar Association.
