Canada is one of the most developed and most immigrant-friendly countries in the world. With thousands of immigrants moving here every year, it’s understandable that you might also be considering it. But you need more information to make the right decision. So, what’re the pros and cons of migrating to Canada?
There are advantages to moving to Canada. These include the quality of life, multicultural environment, better healthcare, safe environment, and child-friendliness. But there are issues such as weather conditions, limited immigrants’ rights, complex immigration process, and high cost of living.
Regardless of its pros and cons, there are several factors you’d still need to consider before deciding whether to move or not. All the same, knowing the pros and cons helps make your decision easier. This article discusses these extensively.
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Pros of migrating to Canada
Canada has some great qualities that you’ll enjoy when you move there. They include:
1. Multicultural environment
After years of concerted immigration efforts, Canada has become one of the most diverse countries you can visit. Roughly 21.5% of the country’s population will be immigrants with permanent residents in 2020. Beyond that, thousands of people with temporary work permits and thousands more come to study in the country. All these make the country very diverse.
The 2016 census, the most recent in the country, shows that 21.9% are immigrants while 17.7% are second-generation Canadians, i.e., those with at least one immigrant parent. Diversity and multiculturalism are most evident in major cities. Multiculturalism means that you’ll find people from your homeland in Canada no matter where you’re moving from. If you’re in big cities, you’ll even find cultural and ethnic associations.
2. Quality of Life
When most people migrate, they usually want a better life. If that’s your reason for moving to Canada, you’re in luck. Canada is one of the best countries to live in as it offers residents a top-notch standard of living. In addition, the country was rated first in the 2021 Best Countries Report because of its good job markets, respect for human and property rights, and low corruption. Therefore, immigrants will likely enjoy a significant change in the quality of life when they move to Canada, especially those migrating from developing countries.
3. Improved Access to Better Healthcare
Healthcare is essential for good living standards, which is one of the things that make Canada a lovely place to live. However, residents pay less for quality healthcare due to the decentralized and highly subsidized healthcare system. Canada Medicare is publicly funded and administered by each province and territory. This is a sort of health insurance on a nationwide scale. While each province and territory administers it as it deems fit and benefits vary, it generally covers about 70% of the healthcare costs of an average person. This reduces how much citizens have to pay for private health insurance. Even though the universal healthcare system had criticisms, most Canadians can easily access healthcare.
4. Safe Locations and Beautiful Environment
Canada is also a safe country with a low crime rate and a friendly population. The country ranks 12 out of 161 countries on the Global peace index, and police in Canada are quick to respond and easy to get in touch. So, residents don’t usually have much to worry about. However, this doesn’t mean it’s also rosy. Like every country, Canada has its share of unsafe neighbourhoods and areas. But the overall crime rate is still low.
What further makes this place amazing is the natural environment. Canada has several pristine national parks and holds the highest number of lakes globally. No matter where you choose to live in the country, you’ll discover immense beauty everywhere you turn. Even major cities still contain natural sceneries. For example, people call Toronto “a city within a park) due to the tons of parks within the metropolitan area.
5. Child Friendly
Another advantage of immigrating here is that you get to raise your family in a conducive environment. Beyond the neighbourhoods and amenities, the country also has several favourable policies for those with children. For example, maternity leave for the mother and parental leave for both parents are favourable policies for families. Beyond that, the cost of raising a child is low here due to the high standards of public educational institutions. Whether secondary schools or universities, Canada has one of the best educational systems globally, and residents pay less than other students to attend these schools.
Cons Of Migrating to Canada
Here are the cons of migrating to Canada:
1. Extreme Weather Conditions
Canada is one of the coldest countries in the world, which means those who’re not used to cold environments might have a problem settling here. The average temperature in the winter is usually negative, even in the warmest parts of the country. So, you’ll need special clothing to stay warm. In addition, for those with health conditions that worsen in the cold, immigrating to Canada might affect them more severely.
2. High Cost of Living
Good things don’t come cheap, at least not in Canada. The cost of living in Canada is high, especially accommodation. It might take a while for new immigrants to adjust to this, and if you don’t have a job waiting for you already, it might even be more challenging.
3. Limited Rights as an Immigrants
While the country is immigrant-friendly, it has some policies that aren’t Favourable to immigrants. For example, only citizens can vote even though permanent residents pay taxes. Another one is that permanent residents have to wait for a certain period before accessing the Canada Medicare system.
4. Complex Immigration Process
Although Canada accepts thousands of people annually, the system is very complicated and might cost you time and money before you can get in. Beyond the fact that you need to have a certain amount of money before getting started, other conditions and requirements can make everything frustrating in many cases. But if you can get past the immigration process, it’s all worth it in the end.
In Conclusion
Canada is a lovely country to live in but immigrating there is an entirely different story. There are many challenges for newcomers in the country, and there are also advantages. However, given the complex and usually long process of immigrating to Canada, no one decides to migrate without considering the pros and cons.