Do not be deceived from all the fluff about Canada being one of the best country in the world for quality of life.
As matter of fact Canada economically (especially the west coast) is a third world country, there are not opportunities for skilled locals, never mind for recent immigrants.
The "Great True North" is a cheap production site for US companies exactly like Mexico in the south.
The Canadian dream is to move to the US.
If you wanna come here be prepared to low paid jobs (8-10 dollars an hour) no benefits and hire and fire at will policy.
Meritocracy is non existent, they assess your score based on your qualification but once arrived your education background is not recognized,
Canada wants to be a sort of middle ground between Europe (lower salaries but with more job security and social protection and the US (higher wages but more flexibility) in reality they get the worst fo both worlds (low wages and no job security).
I'm sorry but if i have to be worry about my job all the time I prefer the USA where the risk is more rewarded and at least there are more opportunities (more meritocracy, better infrastructures, etc...), infact I moved there and left Canada to the whiners and social bums.
Furthermore, exept for Vancouver (that incidentally is the Canadian city is worst economic shape, a money laundering heaven....do not EVEN THINK to go there...) the climate is unbearable in winter (made some good bucks in Calgary but I could not stand the weather anymore)
Canada is so desperate for attracting people that they recently lowered the score to be admitted in the coutnry (a large majority of recent arrivals, leave after few years).
I saw lots of doctors , biologist, airline pilots and so on driving a cab because their credentials were not recognized....
A big warning for potential immigrants for the European Union the think about moving to Canada..stay where you are, the opportunities there for professionals are so much better...if you can try rather to come to the US....
Do not trust who tell you otherwise, if you do not believe me come in Canada to visit and see it yourself....go for example in Vancouver and visit the most important shopping center at peak time (for example Friday night after 6) and look how many people has actual shopping bags in their hand and the few ones what they have bought.......you will be surprised by the amount of window shopping....
Do not make my same mistake...talk with every recent immigrant in Canada coming from Europe, everyone will confirm this story....
If you really wanan leave, go to Australia...at least the weather is MUCH BETTER and Sydney is an incredible, active and warm city...


Regards


Dominic

I have to admit that the sceneries and the nature in Canada are beautiful...but what good they do if you cannot live decently???
Well I guess that if you stay long enough you will enjoy "totally" all the nature finding yourself being homeless and forced to live in the woods!!!! :-)

The thing with moving to another country is that no one forces you to do it.

I agree with doing a lot of research beforehand and not expecting life to be perfect once you get there. I've lived in London UK where I was born, in Ireland, in the US, currently in Spain and now I'm moving to Canada. Maybe I'm baised as my parents are Canadian but I don't recognise the place you're describing. And I think anyone who goes there expecting anything other than a harsh winter is deluding themselves.

This wouldn't happen in the USA since, like other poor Americans, you can always join the military and serve in Iraq like Jessica Lych.

Also as a poor American you would be like the 40 million who do not have any health care coverage or join the millions of illegals who do the menial jobs for low pay.


Every country has its "Floff".

You are absolutely right (about the fluff)!!!

Infact if I could have a choice, i would go back in Europe in a hurry but unfortunately I have a family now in USA.
My point of view of Canada was from the professional career point of view.
With all the shortcomings, USA offers still much much more but I agree about the lack of public health coverage, too many guns and so on.
To be precise, the universal health care in Canada is a JOKE and many Canadians that can afford it come to the US to get treated because sometimes the long wait in Canada before a specialist can even examine you overcome the life expectancy of the patient.
Furthermore, Canadian doctors competence tend to be very poor (personal experience) because the good ones try every way to go to the USA where they can make much more money.
Finally, there is no other country that is so blatant (like Canada) saying "This is the country with the best quality of life, even UN say so!!!"
They built a country on a premise "we are not American!!" this is in a nutshell what Canada is all about.
Try to have a normal chat with a Canadian and I can guarantee that within the first half hour he will mention 1) we are not like the Americans, 2) the war of 1812, 3) we have health coverage.
But after they drive americans (or imports), they eat americans, they watch American movies and shows, they even talk like Americans......Aussies at least have managed to have their own accent!!! LOL
Political debate is non-existent, the country is basically a one party rule (the liberal party), the senate is appointed!!!!
In a nutshell I would say that Canada is an all-american-like society with a lower standard of living and gorgeaous nature and scenery (the only real great asset of the country).
Their economy is still largely based on natural resources (a losing proposition in the modern economy for reasons that i will not explain in this context) and cheap services and manifacturing site to seve the US market.
Very few value added companies, on top of my mind Nortel (almost defunct), Bombardier, etc..., and some little research shops (like Ballard systems)
By the way on your note about the illegal doing menial low wage job....in Canada the legal people do that....
Regards

Sorry that you have been so traumatised by your stay in Canada.

Just a few comments on points that u raised.

Many migrants, including myself are not making the trip to further their careers or make more money.

Secondly, I have spent many weeks in Canada doing research before my move and have had many conversations with Canadians. The 3 issues you mentioned did not come up once!

Thanks for offering 'the other view' but I'm gonna stick with my visa application.

PS If u get your wish to move to the utopian society we so take for granted in the UK let me know and u can rent my house.

I think you'll find that there is no generic American accent and that Canadians very much have their own way of talking.

You have all my support for your move....I remember when I moved there and someone warned me about what I experienced...I could not believe it so I guess you have to try for yourself....

Pertaining to the Canadian way of talking.....there is one big difference HEY??!!!!

I don't know where you live in Canada or how long you have spent here, but as someone that has been here 40+ years ( in Ottawa ) I see a different Canada.

My Canada is not perfect but was a vast improvement on the England I left in 1963. ( I spent my first 33 years there).

As far as the Health Care is concerned. I personally know of no one that has had to go the the US for treatment. I have however spoken to Americans that have come north for Prescription Drugs.

Nowhere is perfect but most of those that came to Ottawa in the early 60's and worked for Computing Devices are still here and have made it their ONLY home.

I have little attachment to England, but I'm sure that most of the people that I left behind are quite happy with their life. I'm glad I came to Canada and consider myself 99% Canadian.

My experience is similar. I have been in Canada for 30+ years and travelled around both Canada and the USA plus a couple of trips back to England. The USA is a country of extremes. There are areas of extreme wealth which is superior to Canada and there are also areas of extreme poverty which are comparable to third world countries. While there's wealth and poverty in Canada too it's not nearly as extreme. Some parts of England only seems to have a similar standard of living to Canada in the past 10 years. Before that it was definately inferior and in some areas, such as the North, it is still inferior. However, add the crowding etc. and to me it's a claustrophobic environment.

I can never understand why some people leave a country and then hang around in the forum to warn others away - if the life is so perfect in the US why even bother hanging around the Canadian section of this forum? You should be out there enjoying your new found paradise. I fully agree that people need to be made aware that it's not ALWAYS a fantastic experience in Canada but what you are insinuating is that it is NEVER a good experience and that I can't comprehend. Stop being so full of yourself and your past misery and allow others to make their own futures.

a huge generalisation. Some parts of the north are doing just fine thank you and some are relatively poor. There are parts of the north I wouldn't fancy living in, and some I would love to...same as the lower mainland/vancouver/canada. Its rather like me saying that because the downtown east-side in vancouver has some of the worst stats for drug use/crime/Aids infection/drug over doses in north america that vancouver is a poor place.

I think you should read again my first posts.
I never said that US is a paradise.....we have lots of problem here too....
My point was focused on professional advancement and make a good living, in this regard Canada doesn't have much to offer, there is the vast majority of recent (10 years or less) arrivals that can confirm that.
Thanks God, my personal experience wasn't so bad and I got out of the country in time to do not make it worse.
Again, if you like the nature and the environment (and you can bear the terrible winter except for Vancouver) you will do just fine in Canada, but be ready to low wage, no meritocracy and no job security that's all I have to say.
I was very disturbed of how Canadian Authorities overseas depict a very rosy picture for potential immigrant, a polyanna style society where people and opportunities waiting for you in open arms......first and foremost dishonest behaviour is assessing your immigration points for your qualifications that once arrived in Canada are not recognized.
Maybe you can open a business with some degree of success in the most populated area like Ontario and Quebec, other than that forget about it just because there is no enough population to sustain a healthy business unless you are an huge corporation.


To BCBOY......Vancouver is a poor place, except for few old money folks and some immigrants from Asia and other places that brought THEIR OWN money to Vancouver (and often launder their money in vancouver with real estate investment that didn't have any business sense in a 1.8 million people city), they didn't made it there.
The ordinary folk is working poor, one of my friend has a food business in one of the most central food court and he tells me that every day LOTS of peopel ask for a discount even for food!!! for a slice of pizza for God's sake!!! and we are not talking about homeless people, just ordinary folks, just white canadians...
The few people with decent jobs, mainly government related, are getting dumped in droves and replaced by outsource service companies with rock bottom salaries......add to this the cost of living in Van that is higher than many other places in Canada (because of the mild weather that attract lots of retired people)
As i said in one of my previous post, take a walk during peak shopping time in one of the most important and central shopping center and look how many people has actual shopping bags and their hands and what they bought, drive 150 miles south in a similar place in Seattle and make the comparison wiht yoru own eyes...amd Washington state is the 3rd worst US state economy wise right now....
But I heard that many people in BC are dealing wiht their pennyless situations growing pots in basements.....seem that the consumption of electricity is unusually high for a city of the size of Van.......
You do the math my friend.......

I'm guessing English isn't your first language. Maybe that's why you didn't do too well over there.

Good call Sibsie