I Am Finally A Canadian!

Yes, after eighteen years of living in Canada with a permanent resident status, I finally have the full rights of any Canadian.  Many have asked why it took this long for me to get my citizenship. Some have found my choice to prolong this status as insane. But, like I always say to them, it’s my personal choice.

Being a Permanent Resident of Canada wasn’t that bad. I was able to live my life like any other Canadian. I have the right to receive an education, get a driver’s license, take advantage of the health benefits; get a job and my favorite right as a PR pay my taxes. The only difference was that I could not vote and I could not freely leave or enter the country as pleased – This became a hassle, when it required me to travel frequently with my job.  In order to overcome this challenge, I had to apply for a Nations Visa, which was a pain because a Philippine passport could not get you very far, so I had to apply for a U.S.A Visa, U.K. Visa, Ireland Visa and virtually every other country other than the Philippines.

Although, the process to get a Nations Visa was time consuming and sometimes a financial burden, I really liked how I am reminded of where I come from and where I’ve been, whenever I would like at my Philippine passport. This is one of the reasons why I chose to not become a Canadian for a long time. I kept telling myself, that even with my success in life, I never ever want to forget where I come from. 

However, I knew that it was only a matter of time before I proceeded in getting my citizenship. It was the logical thing to do. Besides, I wanted to make sure that I get to see my CPP (Canadian Pension Plan) contributions from all these years.

But to be honest, being a Canadian does come with its own rights and responsibility, and although I know that I will never ever forget where I come from, I also know that my success could not have been accomplished, without the opportunity that Canada has presented to me. So with that, I thank Canada and proud to be a Canadian.