It was announced this week that Canada comes out on top in terms of the best places to live in the world – as rated by the British expatriates who have already made this vast North American nation home, and according to a survey by NatWest International. To be ranked so highly by so many non-domiciled citizens is exceptionally strong proof that Canada is clearly getting it right on many fundamental levels.
It’s no surprise therefore that Canada is consistently a top 5 choice in terms of the most popular countries with would-be expats from the UK who are looking around and considering their emigration options. What’s more, Canadian cities regularly grace the top 10 places in global ‘best places to live’ indices – so could Canada be the right choice for you too?
Today we’re going to highlight the main pros and cons of emigrating to and living in Canada, so that you can decide whether the nation ticks all your relocation list boxes. For extensive coverage of living in Canada and expatriate related information about the nation – view our Canadian article index.
The Pros of Living in Canada
For Britons, one of the biggest advantages of living in Canada is the lack of a language barrier across the vast majority of the nation – give or take the odd French-speaking province of course! This means that integration can be much easier to achieve because there is a lack of a communication obstacle. This advantage should not be underestimated – and certainly won’t be by anyone who has relocated abroad to a nation where they have struggled to learn the local language.
Canada is progressive in terms of its environmental policies, it is considered to be a peaceful, peace–keeping, relatively neutral nation too. I.e., it doesn’t face the same level of external or even home-grown terrorist threat as nations such as the US and the UK which are seen as having aggressively entered other countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya for example.
Canadians are generally genuinely courteous, polite and accepting – which means that foreign residents are less likely to face immigrant related prejudice for example. Politically Canada is relatively central – which adds to the sense of balance.
The healthcare and education systems in place nationally are generally of a very high standard, with many Britons commenting that the state of medical services and facilities is better than in the UK at the current time. Another very strong pro when it comes to immigration is the fact that Canadian authorities promote the benefits of entire family relocation with their visa policies. It’s a fact that the expats who integrate most successfully anywhere in the world are those who move abroad and settle with as much of their extended family within reach as possible.
The Canadian economy has not been as impacted by the global economic fallout as economies in Europe, the UK and America for example – what’s more, the Canadian dollar remains strong, the jobs market remains relatively buoyant and there is still a feeling of optimism in Canada, unlike in the UK at the moment.
Public facilities – from libraries to parks to recreational amenities – are in abundance, generally well-maintained and are very welcome resources for all citizens of Canada. Britons may take some of the facilities for granted as they also enjoy them in the UK…but many other nations are not blessed with such an array of free or subsidised attractions and amenities.
There are four very distinct seasons in Canada, and there are outdoor activities and sporting events designed to make the most of each season. This means that you can always enjoy life in Canada no matter what the weather – in theory anyway! We would be lying if we said the winters were anything but long and harsh in some provinces though…which brings us neatly on to the cons and disadvantages of relocating to North America.
The Cons of Living in Canada
The weather has to be the number one downside of Canadian life – the long, exceptionally harsh winters endured across most Canadian provinces are something to be dreaded by many expats. However, you can find a more temperate place to live if you head south and west – with Vancouver’s climate rated among the best in the nation for example.
A downside of a more temperate climate however, are mosquitoes! These are another aspect of Canadian life to be dreaded!
In terms of migrating to Canada the visa process is a very weighty one, with all expats restricted by red tape from just moving to live, work or retire in Canada. As anyone who has been through the process knows, it can be stressful, it is time consuming, it does require patience – but when it’s all done and dusted there is a real feeling of achievement, and most successful applicants do go on to emigrate to Canada – i.e., as long and as hard as it is, the visa process does not put off applicants from wanting to live in Canada.
Taxation in Canada can be high – however, there are many aspects of one’s working life that can be offset against income tax for example. Expats who are new to understanding the Canadian tax system are highly recommended to employ an accountant, and to carefully research everything that can be offset against their tax bill.
Inflation in Canada has recently skyrocketed and shocked analysts. Worry also surrounds the nation’s dependence on its petroleum based economy and the long-term viability of this model. Jobs, exports and overall tax revenues are all heavily reliant upon this single sector…
Canada is not cheap, it has a strong dollar, high inflation, its real estate economy remains strong which equates to high housing costs in some of the most popular areas…and therefore anyone moving to Canada needs to be aware that they will face similar living costs to the UK. A good, well-paying job is therefore important!
For Britons the physical geographical distance between Canada and the UK can mean that they find it harder to keep in touch with and regularly catch up with friends and family ‘back home’ too – and this is something that really needs to be considered carefully before deciding whether emigration to Canada is really right for you and your family.
In Conclusion
Canada is rated very highly by those expatriates who already live there – and according to NatWest Bank International’s survey 92% of British expats praised their working environment as “very good” or “excellent” in Canada – and 90% rated their financial security as meeting the same criteria. As stated, Canada always ranks highly as a desirable place to emigrate to with would-be expatriate Britons, and the likes of Mercer’s Quality of Living Index always has Canadian cities dominating its top 10 best places in the world to live.
All of these facts stack up very heavily in Canada’s favour as a great place to potentially call home – however, because there are downsides such as tax, cost of living, inflation and weather woes, anyone would be well advised to spend time getting to know the nation up close and personal, before applying for a visa to live permanently in Canada.
anne Brook Says:
Sun, February 12, 2012 at 05:13 AM
My husband and I along with our 24yr son decided to emigrate because we were sick of living pay cheque to pay cheque in England and paying our taxes for freeloading immigrants and layabouts. My husband served his 22yrs in the Royal Navy, I am a Psychiatric nurse. We have never looked back and the only regret is leaving 3 daughters and 5 granddaughters. My husband works off shore in the oil industry so didn’t have to look for a job, I got a job easy after taking the equivalent exam here in BC which I soon realized how lucky when I found out that ALL jobs have to go on seniority and its all closed shop governed by strong unions. You cannot get a job unless you are in a particular union for that particular job. I would say to anyone do NOT come here unless you have a trade or are going to open your own business.Bosses can lay you off at any time if you are not in a union job, alot of jobs here are seasonal. Also you have to earn sick time in my job so when I got sick and had to take a lot of time off I ran out off sick pay. I had paid in to ‘Employment insurance’ so got 14 weeks of 25% pay, now I have to wait another few weeks to get ‘Long term disability’ through my job which will be about 3/4 pay. For single mums with a mortgage this is a total nightmare. Still we have no regrets, we only have to look at the views wherever we go, it still takes our breath away even after 6yrs.