Canadian Immigration: 18 months later. Was it worth it?

It’s been 18 months since we moved to Canada and during this time we have had a bunch of experiences, both high and low. We went through the standard newcomer grind, dealt with the struggles, celebrated the best moments (looking at you Raptors), and documented all the good stuff for newcomers to leverage. But the big question is did we think if all of it was worth it? Leaving behind friends, family, and home. Read on for the low down, and some tips thrown in!

Quality of Life

YES! Definitely better than the one I had back home. For so many reasons:

• I have the flexibility of working from home (without guilt) now
• Love the outdoors life with access to some great parks nearby, hiking trails, biking trails, winter sports etc. There is always some leisure and sports activity for everyone, and all age groups.
• Love the weather for 10 months of the year. Learning to fall in love with deep winter too. Love the weather overall (even the frostbite times – but that’s just me). Making serious efforts this year to pick up snowboarding 😛
• Transit is well sorted out, and despite some niggles, it’s far far better than the one I was used to. Don’t really need a car in the city.
• Utilities are consistent, reliable and available all the time. (shout-out to folks from load-shedding/power cut places)
• There is always something happening in your neighborhood or city for you to participate in. We have participated in a few and loved it.
• Healthcare is great, accessible and world class. The focus is on outcomes AND experience, that makes a huge difference.
• Getting used to driving initially can be hard, especially if you are used to intuition driving in non-regulated traffic conditions back home. But once you get the hang of it, it can be so easy and frustration free.
• Canada’s natural beauty is truly the greatest in the world. From the rockies in Alberta, lakes in BC, coasts of atlantic Canada, wilderness up north, there is stunning variation of nature experiences for you to soak up. Canadians take great pride in maintaining it.

Career

Mixed feelings on this one. Depends on your capability and luck. Some jump into their roles seamlessly, others have to slog around a bit and grow from role to role. But once you settle down (in 6-12 months), you’ll eventually get a clear picture of where you want to go and how to get there. Better work culture, work ethic, team relationships, than back home. But everything remains within the four walls of the office. Folks seldom socialize outside of office. Overall, I still see this as a slight positive. Who wants to bring work home anyway? That’s work-life balance.

People

To be truly able to comment on this, you must socialize within your neighborhood. Join a group, knitting club, children’s play group, etc. and meet other Canadians. They are polite, generous, courteous and fun loving. In my experience, so far it’s been good and I am hoping it gets better. Also, you will always find people from your own community to socialize with. Either way, you won’t be left out, unless you try.

Protip: For the introverts, join the facebook group for your neighbourhood and simply follow along. You’ll notice what people care about, how they share information amongst each other, how they organize events, and how they ask for help. It’s educative and gives you an opportunity to socialize.

Expenses

This is a bit of downer, especially, when you compare with US where salaries are higher, housing and cost of goods is cheaper. It can be bothersome initially, but eventually you’ll have to bite the bullet and accept it as a fact of life. Hopefully, Canadian companies revise their salaries keeping in mind inflation and rising cost of living.

Once you settle down, you’ll have to game every promo and deal to ensure you save those few dollars. Many newcomers extensively price match, follow grocery deals and shop accordingly. Use the right credit card loyalty system for your needs and get the maximum bang for your buck. But remember that this behavior can sometimes also lead to overspending or overconsumption. Watch out!

ProTip: I recommend setting up a robust savings system early on. This will prevent you from bankruptcy anxieties and help you hit long term goals such as housing, vehicle, children’s education, etc. Learn everything you have to about RRSP, RESP, TFSA, etc. as soon as possible.

Housing

Not yet bought a house, but about to start actively looking. Housing in Toronto, Vancouver areas is soul crushingly expensive for new immigrants who migrate with meager savings. When you first arrive, you’ll most likely find a great basement, and as you get a job and move out to an apartment you’ll begin to realize how much rental expense could instead go in financing your house. This why most immigrants try to buy a house as soon as possible.

But it can take a while before you can afford the down payment for your first house. For the cost of a townhouse in these areas, you can get a fully detached individual family home in the US for 25% less. Sad, no? The worst part is that many analysts continue to think that this is a housing bubble that can burst any time. But with continuous immigration, this is unlikely to happen. Folks who migrated in 2016 have probably saved up just enough to buy a house now, and there are still more immigration friendly years to come.

Education

No experience with this whatsoever, but from what I hear public education is great here. In fact, Canada was named the 3rd best country for education in a study earlier this year. More than 60% Canadians end up going to college/university, and the Govt. helps you get there by matching your parents’ contributions in RESPs for a specified amount, thereby encouraging parents to save up for their kids.

Also, the academia scene in Canada has sort of exploded in the recent years. Quoting The Verge, The 2018 Turing Award, known as the “Nobel Prize of computing,” has been given to a trio of researchers who laid the foundations for the current boom in artificial intelligence – Yoshua Bengio, Geoffrey Hinton, and Yann LeCun – two of whom are based out of Canada. AI alone is fast becoming an academic/industry/Govt. interest subject, enough to gain dedicated institutions in Montreal and Toronto. This is BIG.

Benefits System

In your initial days as a newcomer you are likely to have a lower income as you prepare for growth. During this time, the Govt. will support you with subsidies and benefit programs owing to your low income. The benefits are transparent and credited directly to your account. This extra boost is critical in helping newcomers stabilize in their initial years as they move to higher income groups. Other benefits such as maternity leave (1.5 years), unemployment insurance, child care benefit are all world class. It’s something Canadians are very proud of. In your first year of landing, based on how much income you have, you can expect HST/GST tax credits, utility cash back, child care benefit, continuing education benefits, and a plethora of Govt. services to help you find a job, free of charge.

Note: These services are only meant for those who really need it. Please discourage abuse of the system as millions of Canadian taxpayer money goes into this.

Compliant, Organized Society

One of the things I love about Canada is that people are generally more compliant with the law. They stick to the letter, and are generally extremely organized. This is fantastic. It means that your day to day life is more reliable, hassle free, and you always know what to expect. Rules are followed, resources are documented and presented to you in the most efficient way possible. Govt. services are streamlined, intuitive and easy.

Getting a birth certificate or a passport for your child is so easy – apply online, in some cases submit your docs and wait for your mail. All instructions are available online, and there is always a contact center to help you navigate if you get stuck. Depending on how institutionalized you are in non-compliant ways, this can get annoying. For example, someone who considers themselves as expert drivers in their home country but fail their drive test more than three times here in Canada. There is no way to bend the rules, or make exceptions. You simply have to fall in line. Yay! or Nay!

Crime

This is becoming a downer in the big cities. Petty and violent crimes are on the rise. Possibly due to increasing inequality, access to firearms, and increasing population. I don’t have a benchmark to compare at the moment, nor have I been personally affected so far. But it’s disturbing to see crimes reported close to home. Hopefully, the authorities are working on bringing things to normalcy.

Canada is otherwise a very safe place to be. You can venture out anytime, anywhere, with anyone. Oh btw, loitering in neighborhoods can bring the cops down on you if you appear suspicious. And bet your bums that there is always a vigilant resident on the windows looking out for their kids.

Culture

Food, entertainment, sports are a big part of local culture here. And they are all fascinating in their own way. It’s a motley collection of cultures from all over the world amalgamating in its own way and localizing to Canadian preferences. Without boasting a deep history like Europe, Canada still presents a very fierce, deep attachment to its local culture, which I am sure you will love.

My Favorite – Dogs, Dogs Everywhere

We are a huge dog loving family with two of our own (one surviving). LOVE the fact that you can do so many things with your dog. Take them shopping, hiking, to a dog park, pet store, bank, etc. Everyone loves dogs here, and are relatively very knowledgeable too. They know how to interact with dogs, when to give service dogs their space, and how not to annoy them. This is such an endearing quality. I am pretty sure this applies to most countries in the west, but bringing it up in case you are moving with your pet.

Note: Living with dogs in winter is a whole different ball game. You’ll have to invest in shoes and jackets to protect them from the cold; avoid the salt and black ice on the roads, all the while managing to relieve them in below 20 degree conditions. Can be done!

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And that’s it folks. Overall, it’s been a great experience. Got more than what I expected. I am sure you will too, if and when you make your way to the Great White North. 🙂