Move to Canda is a common post-election threat
Researching residency requirements for other countries and threatening to move to Canada when the presidential election doesn't go your way is becoming a quadrennial tradition.
Right now, simply visiting Canada is difficult. The pandemic has resulted in a nearly eight-month closure of the U.S.-Canada land border, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that won't change until America gets its COVID-19 infection rate under control.
According to IRCC, the some of the only people currently allowed to travel to Canada are:
Permanent residents coming for 15 days or more
Airline crews
Immediate family members of Canadian citizens who have permission from IRCC and are coming for reasons other than leisure travel
International students
Temporary workers
Those that do get permission must provide contact information via the ArriveCAN app or a printed form, undergo a health screening at their airport if flying and provide the agency with their plans for Canada's mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Foreigners coming for compassionate reasons, such as caring for a sick loved one or attending a funeral, must have special permission from the Public Health Agency of Canada exempting them from border restrictions and quarantine.
Unsurprisingly, COVID-19 also impacted the way IRCC handles prospective immigrants. The agency says it is unable to process immigration applications on a normal timetable or provide estimates on how long yours might take.
Currently, the agency says it's prioritizing certain groups, including citizens and permanent residents returning to the country, people coming to provide essential services and vulnerable people.
But there's also some good news: the IRCC says pandemic has actually depressed the number of new immigration applications, meaning your odds might improve if you check the right boxes, such as French-language proficiency.
Front-line medical workers who make asylum claims are also being given special consideration.