After spending 10 years of his life working in the United States--where he couldn't marry his partner--Austin Kiyomiya had enough and packed his bags for Coquitlam, B.C. "Canada welcomed me and my partner with open arms," said Kiyomiya. Today, Kiyomiya is an immigration consultant helping scores of gays and lesbians flee America and an uncompromising George W. Bush.

By Austin Kiyomiya

"The day of the U.S. presidential election, I received a distressed call here in Canada. My partner and I want to get out of here.When that conversation ended, my phone rang again. I cannot stand living in a country where Bush and the Republicans will make our lives miserable for the next four years, the next caller said.

Austin Kiyomiya

You may be wondering why I received these calls. I don't possess the power to install John Kerry into office. I don't do recounts in Ohio. I'm not a psychic who can predict when same-sex marriage will become legal across the United States.

I'm a Canadian immigration consultant. My personal immigration story began in San Francisco when my same-sex partner asked me at dinner, Don't you automatically get a green card You've been living in the U.S. for more than 10 years, and you speak English, have an MBA degree, and work in high tech.

I'll check with human resources tomorrow, I replied. I'll check with the guy who's in charge of the immigration stuff.

The next morning, I walked into HR and asked, Does the immigration department automatically send me a green card since I've been living in the country for more than 10 years

"I wanted to slap his face. I thought, I have a partner and we love each other. I cannot simply return to my native Japan with my partner. He doesn't even eat sushi."

Mr. HR looked somewhat entertained and replied with a smile, We need to sponsor you a green card. It takes about four to six years to complete the process.

What I almost screamed.

I was in shock. I could not believe that it would take four to six more years to obtain a green card. What if I leave the company or get laid off during the process I asked.

You cannot leave the company until the process ends. If you get laid off, your green card application will be canceled and you will need to leave the country, he replied.

I wanted to slap his face. I thought, I have a partner and we love each other. I cannot simply return to my native Japan with my partner. He doesn't even eat sushi.

After leaving his office feeling depressed and angry, I walked into my coworker's cubicle to bitch about the U.S. immigration system. She was a foreign worker in the same situation. The difference was that she was straight. I told her, I would have to kiss my boss's ass for the next four to six years to keep my job during the green card process.

She laughed and replied, I decided to get married to my boyfriend and we're going to apply for my green card.

I felt happy for her that she was getting married and applying for a green card. At the same time, I felt sorry for myself since I was legally barred from getting married to my same-sex partner. I was unable to apply for a green card on the basis of my partnership unless I married a woman. There wasn't much chance of that happening.

I went back to my cubicle and sat there thinking about what to do next. Instead of storming to the local immigration office, I questioned myself. How badly do I want to stay in America when the country does not recognize my relationship and treats gays as second-class citizens I knew the answer deep in my heart.

A few days later, a friend of mine from college told me that Canada recognized same-sex relationships for immigration. I decided to do more research, and my partner and I eventually applied to immigrate to Canada. Our application was approved in one year. I drove from San Francisco to Vancouver, arriving at the border in 20 hours in June 2002.

I was very nervous when I drove up to the Canadian border. An immigration officer verified my information and asked me if I had any dependents. I told her quietly, Well, my same-sex partner and I applied together and he's arriving in a month. I didn't really know how they would react to my situation.

The officer looked calm and told me, No problem. Welcome to Canada! The difference between dealing with Canadian and U.S. immigration was like night and day. The officer made me feel that I was welcome in Canada.

After immigrating to Canada, I became a Canadian immigration consultant in order to help people in similar situationsâ?"or anyone interested in immigrating to Canada. If you are in a binational relationship or are a true-blue Democrat who cannot stand another four years of Bush, immigrating to Canada is an option."

Austin Kiyomiya is a member of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants and the founder of BorderConnections.com. Since George Bush got reelected to a second term, Kiyomiya has received hundreds of emails and phone calls from American gays and lesbians inquiring about Canadian residency.