Do Not Immigrate to Canada: The Challenges and Realities of Life in Canada
The country is not what it used to be
It has been over two years since I moved back to Canada. Since resettling, I've noticed some changes and other things that have largely stayed the same. Anyone moving back after living or working overseas will likely experience reverse culture shock. However, it's a completely different experience for someone immigrating to Canada based on popular misconceptions or outdated information.
Misconceptions About Life in Canada
Despite press releases and news items praising Canada for being progressive and having a great quality of life, the facts tell a different story. While the foreign media often praises Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for being progressive, gentle, and compassionate, the reality is that he is merely a performative politician. Nearly all of his public declarations or responses are designed to maximize support from his base and project a particular image of him and the country. After the media stops paying attention and the cameras stop rolling, the government has done little to deliver on its promises to foreign nations or local Canadians. Years of poorly implemented promises and complacency have contributed to a growing right-wing backlash that threatens to undo whatever Justin Trudeau or his government started when they were first elected.
Canada's Infrastructure and Rapid Population Growth
Due to years of complacency and poorly implemented policies, Canada currently lacks adequate infrastructure and services to keep up with rapid population growth. Despite warnings from the civil service about the impact of rapidly increasing immigration targets on existing housing, services, and infrastructure, the Canadian government still approved increased targets. This resulted in roughly a million immigrants (international students, temporary foreign workers, skilled migrants) coming to Canada each year. The short-term impact has been a rapid rise in housing and rental costs, inadequate healthcare for growing communities, congested public transit, greater unemployment, and a strain on nonprofits such as food banks and other charities. The long-term impact is a growth in anti-immigrant sentiment, casual xenophobia, and employers actively screening out more resumes/CVs with ethnic names or that appear “foreign.” These issues may seem abstract, but here are some ways they will affect newcomers in their daily lives in Canada.
Challenges of Finding Work in Canada
As a newcomer, one of the biggest challenges is finding relevant work. Unfortunately, unless you work in a highly desired and specialized field or have unique skills, much of your work experience will be dismissed by Canadian employers due to a lack of “local Canadian experience” or, worse, seen as “nebulous.” If you find work with an employer open to foreign work experience, there is a strong chance you will be expected to accept a lower salary and a basic benefits package than what you are used to back home. Keep in mind that Canada has a high payroll tax, and the offer only shows the annual salary before taxes and deductions. This means you will take home even less money after taxes and other expenses. This is assuming you can secure the job after rounds of interviews, given that online job boards average at least a thousand applicants for each opening or have long lines of candidates at job fairs or stores, as shown in various viral social media content.
Housing and Rental Market Challenges in Canada
In addition to the challenging job market, housing or rental is another issue. As a newcomer, you cannot purchase a home until you are a Permanent Resident (PR) or married to a local Canadian citizen. This leaves renting or living with Canadian relatives as your only housing options. If you find living arrangements with trusted Canadian relatives, you are in a good place, as they can guide you on the local scene and help ease the adjustment process. However, most newcomers must deal with landlords and unfamiliar housing regulations alone. As a pro tip, newcomers should not be expected to accept irregular living arrangements or provide questionable compensation for a place to stay. If such arrangements are illegal or wrong in your home country, they are even more illegal and wrong in Canada.
The High Cost of Living in Canada
Another growing problem in Canada is the high cost of living. Combined with relatively low salaries, high rents, and high taxes, the rising cost of living is a real issue. Immigration consultants may downplay the cost of living by pointing out that suburbs outside major Canadian cities have relatively affordable rental prices, but the cost of living can reduce your ability to save, especially if your job or lifestyle involves commuting to a nearby city for work. The government has done little to alleviate concerns about the cost of living, and local corporations, such as Loblaws, continue to exploit the situation by maintaining COVID-era pricing to maximize their profits due to a lack of local competition and government support.
Understanding Canada's Healthcare System
Foreigners often praise Canada for its universal healthcare, assuming it is similar to the healthcare in much of Europe. However, this is a misconception, as Canadian healthcare is more of an odd hybrid of European and American-style systems. Unlike in many European countries, government healthcare is managed differently at the provincial level, meaning healthcare policies in Quebec will differ from those in Ontario. Additionally, Canadian “universal healthcare” does not cover vision, dental, and some specialist care. For covered specialist care, there is often a long waitlist that can range from one month to several years. This growing waitlist is due to budget cuts in some provincial governments pushing for private healthcare similar to the USA and a growing shortage of medical professionals such as doctors, specialists, and nurses. This shortage also affects the availability of family doctors (general practitioners), forcing patients to seek help in crowded walk-in clinics or outpatient care centers.
Crime and Safety in Canada
In the past, Canada was considered a great place due to its relatively low crime rates compared to the United States. However, as the quality of life declines, so does the relative sense of safety, with increases in crime, especially vehicle thefts and violent crime, as well as crimes related to mental health and drug abuse. This rise in crime and social issues is due to a mix of reduced social services to prevent such issues, relaxed criminal justice laws that provide leniency to repeat violent offenders, and previous initiatives to defund the police.
Finding Success in Canada
While these are major issues in Canada, some immigrants have found success here. One group of newcomers consists of expats or wealthy immigrants who secured opportunities in Canada through internal transfers with their employer, along with generous employee benefits such as a salary adjusted based on the cost of living and housing or rental subsidies. These individuals often advocate for more immigration and do not take social issues seriously, as they are not directly affected by them. The other group of newcomers who found success are those who secured well-paying jobs due to their desired skills and background. For many newcomers, however, life in Canada is challenging for the reasons mentioned above.
Conclusion: Is Immigrating to Canada the Right Choice?
Given all these ongoing issues in Canada, it is strongly advised not to consider Canada as an immigration option. Look into other countries such as the United States or Singapore, or simply continue living and working in your current location if your quality of life is not under threat.