I absolutely love this. This is marketing at its best:
I have no idea whether Michelle Blackwell supports Donald Trump or not. That’s not the point. What is intriguing is that Ms. Blackwell is using Trumps popularity (or lack of same) as a marketing tactic.
Ever since candidates have jockeyed for position for a run in the White House there have been US citizens (famous or not) who swear they will move to (fill in the blank) if so-and-so gets elected. Before you pack your bags let’s take a closer look at the reality of the situation.
My bags are packed!
According to a report by Statistics Canada, roughly 33,000 Canadians move to the US each year. By comparison about 9,000 Americans move to Canada annually. Many of these relocations are geared toward employment opportunities, not politics.
But let’s say politics is your motivator. AL points out that moving from the United States to Canada (or any other country) is more involved than just packing up your belongings and finding a new home. Certainly, you can go anywhere you want as a tourist and stay anywhere from 30-90 days. But before you can move to say, Canada, you must apply for permanent Canadian residency with the office of Citizenship and Immigration and pay a fee. Applicants must fill out employment categories. (And if you demonstrate that you want to start a business or that you have a trade they really need, you go to the head of the line).
Get in line and wait
Then you’d have to wait for the Citizenship and Immigration Office (or the Embassy or the Consulate) office to process your application. For example, the wait time for a resident to apply for Canadian citizenship is getting longer. Under the new rules, a resident will need to have lived there least four of six years, including at least half a year physically in the country for four of those six years.
Likewise, Politifact explains that it’s hard to up and move to another country, Canada or otherwise.
Like the United States, other countries limit the number and types of immigrants they will accept each year, and it’s a time-consuming process. A hopeful émigré has to have a reason to leave besides not liking the new American president.
Canada is the easiest example due to its proximity. To immigrate to Canada, a reason could be having close family living there or a Canadian spouse willing to sponsor an immigration visa. The Canadian government also evaluates the potential economic contribution of permanent resident applicants, like whether there is a job opportunity awaiting them in Canada. The government also considers education level and language skills.
Realistically speaking, Big Don could wrap up his first term as President and you might still be waiting to get processed before you can join all the other expatriates for coffee.
All this takes nothing away from an otherwise awesome bit of PR that I hope works for Michelle Blackwell in her effort to sell your home. Heck, I’m not even from Texas and I might give her a call.
#MarketingSkills
