By Archie D'Cruz   »   Is Canada right for you? The question is simple enough. Finding the right answer, however, is anything but. Sure, you're interested in making the move to Canada (you'd hardly be reading this otherwise!), but how do you decide whether it is the right step?

For starters, do not be swayed by existing immigration trends. What is right for one person may be the worst possible decision for another.

It is crucial that you find out as much as you can about the country and city you are moving to and evaluate your own chances of building a successful life and career there. There are several ways you can do it – talk to friends already living in Canada, read books and articles you might find relevant, use the Internet to research aspects of the country that concern you the most.

Why do you want to emigrate?

This is perhaps the most important of all. What is the main reason you would like to move to Canada? Prospects of a better life? Better schooling for the children? Higher salaries? More leisure time? Perhaps even a personal problem you hope to run away from?

Whatever the case, you should look closely to see whether your hopes and dreams can be matched by the ground realities of life in Canada. There is no doubt that Canada enjoys a standard of living that most countries can only dream of. Education standards are excellent and schooling (up to a certain level) is free. Salaries are fairly high, though of course your perspective depends on what you are earning at the moment. Healthcare is subsidised and there are generous unemployment and pension benefits in place.

But life isn't all roses. If you are migrating from the tax-free environment of the Middle East, for example, your first post-tax pay cheque promises an unpleasant shock. Most companies give their employees a two-day weekend, but you might find yourself working hard to create leisure time. (This is especially true for those who buy a home and find their weekends taken up by household chores, mowing the lawn or shovelling snow off the driveway).

This isn’t meant to put a damper on your plans to migrate – merely a bit of advice to be realistic about your goals and put everything in perspective before you make your decision.

How easy is it to get started?

The answer to this question depends on whom you ask. Judging by responses we’ve had from immigrants we spoke to while researching for this site, the first year is almost always the most difficult. Few are so lucky as to immediately land the job of their dreams. Many don’t even get a job in the early months after the move to Canada, and if they do, it is in a field totally different from what they have worked in.

Assuming the worst, you will need to have enough funds to tide you and your family over for at least a few months. Immigration Canada insists on a transfer of at least C$10,000 when you move to the country (plus $2,000 for every dependant). Our advice however is to work out approximately how much you will need to support you and your family for the first six months (and that includes rent/mortgage, initial ‘setting-up-home’ expenses, groceries, travel and other costs), and put that aside as a ‘start-up’ fund. Elsewhere in this book you will find a price guide for major cities, use it to help you determine your living costs.

In most cases, the going gets easier over time. People find better-paying jobs or earn promotions, having overcome the ‘Canadian experience’ hurdle (more of that in another chapter). As you become more comfortable in your new surroundings, your circle of friends will grow, you will develop your own favourite places to shop and find new avenues of entertainment.

Even misfortunes like losing a job will not seem an outright tragedy once you are entitled to benefits such as unemployment insurance.

The trick really is to make sure you have enough funds to tide you over the crucial early months – basically prepare for the worst while hoping for the best.