Brandon Miller - Second Passport - a podcast by Anthony Trucks

In today’s episode, our guest is Brandon Miller, a certified Immigration Consultant with ICCRC and is the founder of Maple Immigration Services. Brandon is passionate about everything immigration and enjoys helping people come to Canada and seeing that they get integrated into the country. He has worked as a settlement counselor, a volunteer to the regulatory body, and a teacher at a local college where he enjoys teaching and mentoring new immigration students. He is the author of the Second Passport, which outlines this system and introduces the idea and benefits of a Second Passport in Canada.

[5:00]Why should we listen to you?

I’ve been helping people come to Canada for about ten years. But outside of that, I’ve gone through the system myself. I’m a seventh-generation Canadian, and a lot of people think like, “Oh, what does he know about immigrating to Canada?” I went through the process myself because I sponsored my wife. I understand the stress and frustration from that perspective.

[7:03]What was the itch to teach?

When I got into my early 30s, I found out that I didn’t like what I was doing. I was making pretty good money, and I had a pretty good life, but I didn’t like what I was doing. I enjoyed law, and I came across immigration by mistake. It was a nice mix because it combined legal training, international experience, and different things.

[8:06] One of the things that I wanted to do with Second Passport is that I wanted to open this up to people and take away the financial constraints. I’ve had this idea of giving people the option to the service, do it themselves, do it with some help, or have me do it for them. I’m pretty much ahead of the curve in my industry to do that here because nobody else is offering that option.

[9:06] What’s one thing people don’t even consider when immigrating to Canada?

What people are looking at, they don’t understand how easy it is, especially now we have monumental and generational quotas that we’ve opened up here for people to come to Canada. But from an American perspective, there are many benefits in terms of health care which is the number one thing that I hear and the retirement childcare benefits. I’ve heard things from some people to like the environmental argument.

[10:42] What many people are doing is planning in terms of health care. That’s the number one thing that I hear, and I really want to stay away from all the election stuff, but you’ll see it in the news all the time.

[12:27]What’s the heart behind why you want to help people have access to Canada?

First of all, the government, Canada’s running a Ponzi scheme. The reason is that we need younger people to be able to support the benefits that we have, like health care, the retirement benefits, and all of that stuff.

[13:06] The government wants people here because of the sustainability to continue with the system, which is having younger people that are working, the tax base, etc. What many people don’t understand is that immigrant bases and people shifting to different countries are shrinking. We’ll start to see this in about 2065. Canada is sitting quite well in terms of being able to attract talent and whatnot.

[14:19] Personally, I see myself as a nation builder where I’m bringing in people who will form the next generation. I could go on for hours of the incredible people that I’ve brought to this country. There are many people that want to change and move and come to different places around the world. Canada is one of those top destinations. It’s a very culturally diverse place, and we have the same freedom that we have in the western world anywhere else, and there are also significant benefits.

[16:19]Why do you think Canadians are nicer people?

I think it’s a mentality. Canada didn’t entirely separate from the British monarchy until 1982. We had about 100 year period where we’re like, “Oh, maybe we can do this, or do that. It’s chill in that respect. One of the things that I find when I’m speaking to American people coming here is that it’s not culturally hard to come in and adapt to Canada, as opposed to the States. It’s pretty much the same.

[17:49] Culturally, Canada and the US are pretty along the same line. It’s a comfortable place, it’s close to home, it’s an excellent option, but again, if people are younger, they can come they can get their second passport, and then they can leave and come back in 30 or 40 years and have access to the health care have access to the retirement communities that people have.

[18:51] You have to spend your time in the US. If you’re not going to make an entry at least every six months, that can put your green card in jeopardy. In Canada, you have to be physically present there for two out of five years. You can literally land, get your PR and then go away for three years and come back and do your two years, and then go away for another three years, or you can stay, be physically present in Canada for three years, and get your citizenship. Once you get your second passport, you’re gone. You can come back in 30 or 40 years. They don’t take the passport away, which is also an excellent option.

[19:52]How easy is it to apply?

Like anything in life, you have to have a plan. What I do is I do an immigration blueprint where people can go in, and they can figure out where they sit.

[20:38] People have to figure out which one’s the easiest, most cost-effective, and all that. I do that in the immigration blueprint. The implementation is applying. Then in the settlement, this is where a lot of people make their mistake because prior to me doing immigration, one of the things that I was doing as I was helping newcomers settle into Canada, a lot of people weren’t doing what they need to do to be able to be successful here.

[21:33] What I’ve done is I’ve taken all my internal processes from my immigration practice and distilled it down into an easy, manageable system that people can do themselves because I find there are different types of clients. Some people need me to do their file for them, and then some people need it laid out for them, and they need to know where the traps are. They can do it themselves. They need a little push here and there, to make sure that they don’t get into trouble.

[22:22] It’s so easy to actually come here if you actually implement it. This is not something I created. This is just the secret to life. Just understand what your plan is, get your goal, and make it happen.

[20:03] What promise did God make to the world when He created you?

I want to actually look at myself at my funeral, and I would like to have a room of people who I’ve actually changed their lives, and I’ve impacted them and given them a positive future. My way of doing that is by giving them a safe and secure home here in Canada.

[24:21] If you’re good things in the world, you have to increase your impact to do that. You have to find out how you can get this out to more people. That’s what Second Passport is for me. I’m looking at my funeral as a scorecard, and I hope that I can continue to change people’s lives. Give them a really good opportunity here not only for themselves but for their kids. That’s what I’m about, and that’s what Second Passport is about.

Key Quotes

[11:59-12:08] ‘If you’re younger, you have a bit of education, you speak English, it’s pretty easy to get in here. And that’s what a lot of people don’t understand.”

[15:27-15:37] “It’s a compelling thing when you get to change somebody’s life and know not only am I changing their life, but I’m changing their kids and their grandkids and everybody. It’s fantastic.”

 

Learn more about Brandon Miller on:

Email: Brandon@mysecondpassport.ca

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-miller-rcic-61996332/

Learn more about Second Passport on: https://www.mysecondpassport.ca/

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