If you’re considering moving to another country, chances are Canada is somewhere on your list and for a good reason. Canada is one of the world’s greatest countries to live in according to several recent pieces of research. Apart from being world-famous for things like maple syrup and cold winters, The Great White North is also known for offering a lovely place for anyone to call home and we are going to go over some of the reasons why that is the case. Without further ado, let’s dive right in.
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1. It is easy to become a citizen
What sets apart Canada from the rest of the world, is that they don’t just want seasonal workers or cheap labour force, they genuinely want you to come, stay and become a citizen. Given that the country so humongous, the second largest in the world, Canada has an actual need for extra people. So, how do you get citizenship? It’s easy. You apply for citizenship, and if you spend over 60% of the time during a five year period living there, you get to take a citizenship test. That number was lowered from a previous one in 2017 when the C6 Bill was introduced. To put it simply, it’s three years now, as opposed to four before that. You can apply for citizenship as soon as you turn 18. Another great thing about the test is – you’ll get practice test. Yes, you’ll be able to study for your exam and even if that’s not enough for you, and you happen to fail, you can retake it up to 3 times, so don’t beat yourself up if that happens.
2. You can bring your family on board when you become a citizen
Aside from the usual things where you fall in love, get married and you become eligible for citizenship because your partner is a permanent resident, Canada allows for people who have gained citizenship to bring their family over. There are sponsorship programs set in place for you to ‘sponsor’ your family members, whether they’re your grandparents, parents or children. Same rules apply to them as they were for you after the needed time has passed, they may become citizens and do the same. Keep in mind, in some countries it is impossible to gain citizenship even if you get married, start a family, spend years there and so on – so big props to Canada on this one. It’s all one big happy family, isn’t it?
3. Free public schooling
Whether you’re a resident, citizen, or newcomer, Canada will offer free public education for your children. It doesn’t matter where you live if it’s a rural part of the country or Toronto, every child up to the age of 19 is eligible for free education. It is great for a family that has arrived recently not to worry about school for their children. If, however, your kids small, under the age of 5 to be precise, you can send them to a great child care centre. This will, however, come out of your pocket, but if you visit this site, you’ll be able to find the best care centres that will provide great care for your child and make sure that your money is well spent.
4. Great and affordable universities
Higher education isn’t necessarily cheap and it’s rarely free, but in Canada, it is very close to both of those things. Prices do vary a little bit for a citizen and a foreign student, but not as much as you would expect it to be. Overall prices of tuition are nearly halved in comparison to America and you can get a full scholarship and free university tuition if your grades are adequate. On top of all that, Canada is proud to have five out of top 100 most renowned universities in the world, with the University of Toronto leading the way as the 18th best university in the world. With all that said, it should come as a no surprise that Canada is the world’s most educated country, with over 56% of their adult population having a bachelor degree or higher. Upon completion of the studies at a Canadian university, you may apply for several different programs that will help you acquire permanent residency.
5. Free healthcare
Similar to the NHS, Canada offers free basic healthcare to all its residents and newcomers. It is tax-funded and applies to all essential medical services, such as check-ups and appointments. As far as getting the insurance as an immigrant, it’s really simple, all you need to do is apply, but, since there is a bit of a waiting period, usually around 3 months, it’s best to cover that time with some kind of international healthcare program while you’re waiting for your health insurance card. To be frank, not everything is free, you will need to pay for prescribed medicine at a pharmacy, and dental is not included, but, if you’re employed a company health plan can cover those expenses, so make sure you check up on that.
6. Saying Canada is multi-cultural and welcoming is an understatement
Canada aims to welcome over one million immigrants by the end of the year with more than 70 different available immigration programs. They have been welcoming people from all over the world, for some time now, no matter the ethnicity, gender or age. That has brought the percentage of immigrants in Canada close to 25%, that’s almost a quarter of the entire population. For example, the two of the biggest cities in Canada, Toronto and Vancouver, have more immigrants living there than the actual born Canadians. With a population that versatile and a country so welcoming, it’s hard to feel like a minority here. Canada is a real-life definition of a cosmopolitan paradise.
Now that you’re somewhat familiar with all the goodies that Canada has to offer, has it risen on your list of places you’d like to move to or has it just solidified its number one spot? Either way, hopefully, this article has been helpful and you’ll decide what’s best for you.
