Monday, October 29, 2007

I have begun to wonder if I should be paying some attention to the Canadian market. Must one live in Canada to write there?

You have to be at least a permanent resident -- have the equivalent of a Green Card, be accepted as a potential immigrant -- or Canadian producers can't benefit from the various federal support programs when they produce your stuff. Practically that means you can't work in Canada.

However, it is much easier to immigrate to Canada than to get a Green Card in the States. Canadian immigration policy is based on the attitude that there's a lot of room here, and importing bright, successful, educated people is a good thing. And we lack the paranoia about furriners that currently infects the Department of Fatherland Security. Any talented, professional-minded TV or film person ought to be able to find or create work for themselves in Toronto, Vancouver, or Montreal. You'll still have to break in, but it is a more nurturing environment; and you can still spend half the year in LA.

But the immigration application takes a year or two to process. And you'd need to spend some time making contacts up here. So don't try it unless you're willing to go for it.

Labels: breaking in, Canada

12:17 PM

2 Comments:

Thanks - very helpful, as usual.

By  glassblowerscat, at 6:05 PM  

shhhhh... don't give away all the secrets!

And don't forget to warn them about *which* 6 months they'll want to be spending in LA.

- Another expat

By  Polly, at 11:04 PM  

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