Here’s a story of a particularly close friend. Stefan is Canadian born, and holds both a Canadian and Polish passport. Anna is Polish born, and only has a Polish passport. I may have changed their names for this email.
A few years ago, when Stefan’s father grew ill while living in Canada, Stefan and Anna decided to uproot their lives in Poland and move their 4 children to Canada.
This was somewhat odd, as Stefan has two other brothers. One of which lives directly across the street from their father. The other is middle-aged, recently divorced, and lives like a 21 year old again. Either brother would have had an easier time helping their father, but neither of them are responsible enough. So Stefan stepped up to the challenge.
Since Anna doesn’t have a Canadian passport, she stays in Canada under a tourist visa. This visa allows her to stay for 3 months, although that can be extended a few times. Every once in a while, she needs to return to Poland for a few weeks, to reset her visa status. This is quite frustrating, as they plan to stay in Canada for several years.
In a recent discussion with Anna about digital nomad visas, I realized I never checked to see if Canada offers one. Sure enough, they do. The visa has no salary threshold, and allows foreigners to stay up to 6 months. Anna is in the process of applying for this visa now.
The takeaway
Being a digital nomad isn’t always about living a dream life. Sometimes it can be a means of taking care of your family.