[AZT]

Originally Posted by akhil_007

Thank you all for your replies.

My buddy along with me tapped some contacts in Canada to get more info.

Here is the summary
1. If we were to negotiate/interview with other companies, offers are not high enough. Example: 125K would be a max good salary. Getting 190-200k offers are very very unlikely. In some cases, only C-suite positions command that kind of offers(although their bonuses are as high as salary)
2. Yearly hikes are not that great. Its almost always <5%
3. Switching companies would not increase offers by 30% minimum as it happens in India.

1. Unless you have a skill in high demand, companies wont do the whole counter offer dance. Notice period is negligible here so it's easy to poach if they need to.
2. This is partly performance based as well. I can't comment.
3. 30% hikes are possible. You also don't need to disclose your current salary here.

[Imran.Syed]

This is a post and a stern warning about anyone wanting to move to CANADA. RUN AWAY FROM IT!!!

WEATHER is the least painful thing you will have to put up with!

This country is a huge ponzi scheme. Migrants Beware!!


1. This country is build to support two industries only: Real Estate and Big Corporate Business and to some extent, IT Businesses and IT Jobs. This is the most anti-small business country I have experienced in my life, unless you can get the banks to bankroll you in millions. They have excellent natural resources but HATE with a passion extracting them.

2. There is no (upper or lower) middle class here. Absolutely DO NOT come to Canada if you have to rent a house anywhere! And if you want to buy, you MUST bring money from your home-country, that's what everybody does and that props up the ponzi scheme even more. You absolutely will not be able to save enough money for a down-payment in this country ever. Find articles of young Canadians giving up on the idea of owing a home.
AND owning a home is everything here! The rents are so skyhigh that it comes a major expense.

3. The ponzi scheme supports two things and two things only: House prices and pensions. There are no jobs here that will pay you according to what you feel you deserve and can easily get in even India nowadays. And the sh***y income you get will get taxed to oblivion.

4. People having household incomes of 200k+ still have to share houses if they want to save any money.

5. Buying houses have become even more impossible with the interest rate hikes. You will not qualify unless you put a major amount of money down, which is going up too. Even if you get down-payment from India, you will be scraping by after paying the EMIs. Canada only has 5 year mortgage terms unlike USA where i think its either 30 years or no terms at all. People who bought houses in Covid 0% interest environment are so badly screwed right now because soon there interest rate will skyrocket according to policy rate.

6. Infrastructure of this country has absolutely failed! I had to wait 7 hours to get a tetanus shot and I saw people with fractured limbs waiting for even more to get into ER surgery. Schools have failed as well, quality of education and environment of a classroom is in the dump. There is talks now of privatizing healthcare which is a cruel joke because free healthcare is one reason you're taxed so high.

7. Canada is like Russia, exactly like it and it many ways, even worse than Russia. Oligarchies and insane monopoly is embedded in the system now. Airlines, Telecos, Groceries, etc. are controlled and are unreasonably and artificially expensive.. Read about these big business and their insane Canadian profits. This country has multiple mega Bubbles that are still being inflated at the cost of it's population's future. It's WORSE than Russian because Canada is a supposed beacon of Democracy and acceptance. WRONG! The choice between Liberals, Conservatives and NDP is like deciding which limb of body would you like to lose.

8. Real estate is like 30% of the GDP. People buying up houses, selling it amongst themselves for higher and higher prices. Yep, it is a massive Bubble. And it will not be allowed to burst because the voter base is multiple home investors earning insane amounts of rents from all kinds of newcomers/immigrants. I know many Canadian born and/or educated engineers, Doctors, Lawyers and other high-income profession people who quit their jobs and got into selling real estate and at the minimum, did it on the side. Everybody is a real estate agent here LOL!

9. Artificial wage suppression. There is absolutely no labour shortage here. It is a rhetoric that is spun by Greedy big businesses and their scum political connections to suppress wages. Canada will only want to take in more and more immigrants to keep wages as low as possible, forever.

10. Trades is the only remaining way to somewhat assured success here. But getting into trades is not easy and quite restrictive by people who are already in Trades. Basically to protect their ultra high income levels.

This country just wants tax cows to milk them dry to their last drop, without even giving these poor cows any feed (decent housing.) 99% of the people who immigrate here CANNOT wait to leave after that passport, either to USA or back home.

[Annibaddh]

Originally Posted by akhil_007

Could you please throw more light on these aspects?

The average hikes in all western countries are directly associated with inflation. Even 4% is a generous raise. And here’s another example for context:

A friend of mine moved to Frankfurt a couple of years back. All told he is making north of Euro 150K in fixed plus generous stock grants and bonus (+50K). And they’re a double income family. Despite that they had to turn off heat this winter because the heating was throwing their budget.

However - the quality of life has improved significantly. They got a house just outside the city instead of a cluttered Mumbai flat. They hardly drive since public transportation is excellent. They’re quite happy with the schooling and education of their children. And the exposure their children are getting to an entirely different cultural context. Their own time is better spent.

Point is you give up comfort and have to be more physically active in exchange for a European style living. And money is a stretch for the initial years. No way around it.

[Turbohead]

Originally Posted by Imran.Syed

This is a post and a stern warning about anyone wanting to move to CANADA. RUN AWAY FROM IT!!!.

Interesting post but I'm not surprised after researching a lot on Canada. I always thought this was an issue limited to Europeans or citizens of other well developed countries since they're already exposed to a similar lifestyle. But this is the first time I'm hearing it from an Indian - most Indians continue to paint a very bright picture although I've always doubted it. Appreciate and respect your views!

I do have a few questions for you based on my research -
1) Are you speaking about the big cities like Toronto/Vancouver? If yes, the real estate market is ridiculous there. But what about smaller cities? Is it still affordable? Anyone in your circle had good/had experiences?
2) How are the opportunities in smaller towns, especially IT? Any experiences?
3) What about the medical field? Is it still bright as ever? I know a couple into healthcare and they're doing really well.
4) What do you believe is the living cost for a single person/couple/ family of 4 in bigger/small towns?
5) What was your expectation of Canada before you left?
6) Did you expect to save up and come back?
7) Did you try to start a business?

Sorry for so many questions!

[fuzzydealhunter]

Not here to get into an argument if Canada is great or not but few posts back some one is for sure having a bad time here. As someone educated and settled here I am sorry you are having such a bad time. Feel free to DM. Happy to chat and possibly help ease your pain.

I do believe certain aspects are true from the post but quiet a bit is exaggerated. I am sure if it was so horrible you would not stick around here. No one is forcing you to stay here. No one I know earning 200k+ is sharing accommodations unless it is an absolute necessity. You can easily move to smaller cities to get more affordable housing.

The key thing I would say is you have to keep in mind you are moving to another country. If you want to live like a king/queen similar to lavish lifestyle you might have have led in India with a large house, help and all related accruements you have to be willing to spend for it. You have to keep in mind all of what you have enjoyed in India has a lot of that has been built by our parents/grandparents/great grand parents etc. The starting from scratch is the toughest part. For me it has been a rewarding experience but everyones experience cannot be the same.

[nirmaljusdoit]

I shared this with long term friends of mine who have relatives in Canada and another who is living abroad

I partly agree and disagree on the comments made. It all depends on individual perspective.

1) If you migrate to any other country, first of all don’t expect the same lifestyle or standards oneself enjoyed / privileged or entitled to in their home country.

2) Always enter that country with the right mindset, attitude, intentions and legitimate manner.

3) Have the right qualifications which can adapt to any job presented and or available. That includes dignity of labour. As your work experience in your home country may not necessarily have the same value or weightage in that country.

4) Be open to work in multi cultural, multi ethnicity and diverse work force. Also include people with different religions , cultural, language, habits and customs.

5) Yes, you have the best of infrastructure, educational institutions, health care, public transport, public amenities. All these have cost expenditure to the govt. Therefore, you have to pay for them through taxes.

Most of them are free like education till 10th grade is free at pubic school.

Hospitalization is free or highly subsidized. Many people avail it, the wait time for specialist consultation is anything from 30 to 180 days. Can't help as the number of patients is that many and hospitals and medical staff are limited.

6) Most importantly you need to be Atmanirbhar, self confident, self reliant. You need to do all the work by yourself. Yes there is labour available but they come with a cost expenditure to your wallet. If you can't afford it you have to do it yourself. As there is no cheap labour there, as everyone is fighting hard to survive. This is especially true in Western and developed countries.

Best advice is anyone migrating to such countries is become a chameleon, adjust and adapt yourself to the surroundings and conducive environment as applicable. Else if you are a proud peacock you will only land up cribbing and complaining.

One more opinion

- I visited 3 times and have family living there for approximately 30 years, Many immigrants have issues because they are not able to adapt, If an opportunity presented itself, I would move to Canada lock, stock and barrel immediately.

Cheers !

[Imran.Syed]

Originally Posted by Turbohead

Interesting post but I'm not surprised after researching a lot on Canada. I always thought this was an issue limited to Europeans or citizens of other well developed countries since they're already exposed to a similar lifestyle. But this is the first time I'm hearing it from an Indian - most Indians continue to paint a very bright picture although I've always doubted it. Appreciate and respect your views!

I do have a few questions for you based on my research -
1) Are you speaking about the big cities like Toronto/Vancouver? If yes, the real estate market is ridiculous there. But what about smaller cities? Is it still affordable? Anyone in your circle had good/had experiences?
2) How are the opportunities in smaller towns, especially IT? Any experiences?
3) What about the medical field? Is it still bright as ever? I know a couple into healthcare and they're doing really well.
4) What do you believe is the living cost for a single person/couple/ family of 4 in bigger/small towns?
5) What was your expectation of Canada before you left?
6) Did you expect to save up and come back?
7) Did you try to start a business?

Sorry for so many questions!

1. It's a similar story in small cities too. My friend who was paying 700cad in late 2020 per month in a small town (London, Ontario) is now paying 1500 a month for the same place. Please check out asking rents on rental.ca/kijiji/marketplace. Also many people will tell you to just move to small cities to save on costs. Its a double edged sword, you will be paying less but your lifestyle, community, jobs (not everyone has the privilege to do WFH) will take a massive hit. I like sleepy old towns, but I have seen people moving from and back to the big cities after spending one winter. Canada is not affordable anywhere, period. Montreal is the last remaining affordable big city in Canada, and that's because they kept the newcomers out by scaring them with French.

2. Small towns have limited opportunities. If they had jobs, you'd have seen mass emigration out of the big cities already. The reason everyone lives in Toronto/Vanc is because the jobs are there. Anybody who says otherwise is fooling themselves.

3. Ahh, the medical field, if you get in, I believe you are made. IF you get in. Check out how restrictive it is to become a Doctor in Canada. White Canadians I know have fled to Australia or down-south to become Doctors. Its a well known phenomenon, but if you somehow break into it in Canada, its very rewarding. Again, not everybody has the resources, time or the capability to do so.

4. Living costs for individual: Shared apartment with shared bathroom with 3-5 other people, no car, about 1500 cad a month. Studio costs about 2k a month in the big cities, food approx 800cad a month, insurance for newcomers about 300cad a month. Add 1000 for every added individual to family. Look at the calculations that the person here who got 120k cad offer to move to canada and rejected did. family of four, saving about 700cad a month. People love quoting Alberta's lower costs. Well, not anymore. Rents are skyrocketing there too, but still can be 30-50% cheaper than Ontario.

5. My expectations: all of the above, just at a lesser magnitude. I am from a decently well-to-do family, the only reason I wanted to come to Canada was for the passport. I knew I'd be struggling in the initial years but people I know who have been here 4-5 years in various jobs and businesses are still struggling. Its MUCH MUCH worse for people who are immigrating after 2021 because high inflation, high interest rates, high COL everywhere and 2019 salaries, especially for newcomers.

And I was massively lied to, too. Nobody in my circle gave me the full truth. Maybe because everybody I know who came here were not so well off back home, so for them, working full-time + odd jobs and living with 9 people in a 2bhk in a basement and saving on rent meant being able to afford things in India that they wouldnt be able to on a salary in India.
The people who are in high paying jobs in IT, the fancy MBAs, all live in shared accommodations and get burnt by taxes but are much better off. They stay because reasons.
But believe me, nobody wants to stay in Canada a minute longer than they have to. Can you imagine spending you every waking minute cannot waiting to run away?

6. Nope. I knew I would not be saving up. But my calculations were from 2021 and I landed in 2023. I did not expect to have a full time job above median salary and still not be affordable to rent a place of my own. I came here to enjoy the clean air, the clean water, the lack of corruption in day-to-day dealing with Government agencies and most importantly to not feel like a temporary-forever resident (H1B/UAE work visa like situation.) The clean air/clean water got old fast because not much difference where I came from, the govt. corruption isnt there but incompetency is greater than India, the red tape MUCH higher than in India or anywhere else I have been, and technology wise, oh man, India feels fifty years ahead and the Middle east, 20.

7. Yes, small business startup I planned to do. Like I said, this a very anti-SME country. You will see ads of Govt. supporting SMEs because they are the supposed beating heart of Canada. I believed this and it turned out to be a BIG LIE. High interest rates screws small businesses much harder compared to big businesses, and there is no meaningful support to them.
Also from what I have observed, when people are scraping by, small businesses dont have the ability to thrive. Canada already loses out on economies of scale, so the only small business success stories I have seen here are owning/operating Gas Stations + convenience stores, mobile/electronic repair stores/kiosks and/or restaurants.
I work in a role where I get to directly deal with many technical small businesses, and a quarter of them shut down recently. These were mostly 20-40 year multi- generational family run businesses. Disclaimer: Talking about Non-IT businesses.

Originally Posted by fuzzydealhunter

Not here to get into an argument if Canada is great or not but few posts back some one is for sure having a bad time here. As someone educated and settled here I am sorry you are having such a bad time. Feel free to DM. Happy to chat and possibly help ease your pain.

I do believe certain aspects are true from the post but quiet a bit is exaggerated. I am sure if it was so horrible you would not stick around here. No one is forcing you to stay here. No one I know earning 200k+ is sharing accommodations unless it is an absolute necessity. You can easily move to smaller cities to get more affordable housing.

The key thing I would say is you have to keep in mind you are moving to another country. If you want to live like a king/queen similar to lavish lifestyle you might have have led in India with a large house, help and all related accruements you have to be willing to spend for it. You have to keep in mind all of what you have enjoyed in India has a lot of that has been built by our parents/grandparents/great grand parents etc. The starting from scratch is the toughest part. For me it has been a rewarding experience but everyones experience cannot be the same.

I am not sticking around, I am going back in 2-4 months. I have family here who have commitments till the end of year and I will be taking them back, too. (They want to go back, too.)
200k+ people having to share accommodations if necessary should tell you how bad it is. The median wage in Canada is like 50k, and most regular folks max out at 120-150k, which after tax is not that great. And it also depends on their housing situation, the rent they are paying and if they are able to afford the house they are paying rent for.
If they are doing exceptionally well, well then, they are an exception and good for them.

I come from a decently well-to-do family but looking at my/my family's lifestyle, you wouldn't think so. Example: we are a family of 6 and our only car is a late model year Maruti A-star, which we got second hand in 2019. We live in a okayish apartment in an okayish part of the city. Absolutely nothing fancy.
I did not come with any expectations to Canada except being able to earn enough to just sustain myself here. I have a full time job in non-IT field and I am not able to do so, and wont be able to do so even if my salary jumps 30% miraculously over night. I could not have planned for this.

But I am an optimistic person, so I will be DM'ing you to understand what it is that I can be doing better to improve my situation. Thank you for the offer.

Originally Posted by nirmaljusdoit

I shared this with long term friends of mine who have relatives in Canada and another who is living abroad

I partly agree and disagree on the comments made. It all depends on individual perspective.

1) If you migrate to any other country, first of all don’t expect the same lifestyle or standards oneself enjoyed / privileged or entitled to in their home country.

2) Always enter that country with the right mindset, attitude, intentions and legitimate manner.

3) Have the right qualifications which can adapt to any job presented and or available. That includes dignity of labour. As your work experience in your home country may not necessarily have the same value or weightage in that country.

4) Be open to work in multi cultural, multi ethnicity and diverse work force. Also include people with different religions , cultural, language, habits and customs.

5) Yes, you have the best of infrastructure, educational institutions, health care, public transport, public amenities. All these have cost expenditure to the govt. Therefore, you have to pay for them through taxes.

Most of them are free like education till 10th grade is free at pubic school.

Hospitalization is free or highly subsidized. Many people avail it, the wait time for specialist consultation is anything from 30 to 180 days. Can't help as the number of patients is that many and hospitals and medical staff are limited.

6) Most importantly you need to be Atmanirbhar, self confident, self reliant. You need to do all the work by yourself. Yes there is labour available but they come with a cost expenditure to your wallet. If you can't afford it you have to do it yourself. As there is no cheap labour there, as everyone is fighting hard to survive. This is especially true in Western and developed countries.

Best advice is anyone migrating to such countries is become a chameleon, adjust and adapt yourself to the surroundings and conducive environment as applicable. Else if you are a proud peacock you will only land up cribbing and complaining.

One more opinion

- I visited 3 times and have family living there for approximately 30 years, Many immigrants have issues because they are not able to adapt, If an opportunity presented itself, I would move to Canada lock, stock and barrel immediately.

Cheers !

My work experience outside Canada was acknowledged here. I got an above median pay job within the first month of landing here. For a complete newcomer, I have fared much better than most folks I know who had to do survival jobs for six months to an year of moving here, and I am still in the same boat.

I am an Indian but I did not immigrate from India. I come from a multi-everything workplace. My current workplace is actually a very good one, but there is a huge gap of peace and happiness between people who own a house and people who rent.

Healthcare and infrastructure and paying tax for it: Respectfully, have you visited an ER anywhere in Canada? I have first hand experience of the horrors I saw but cannot get into here due to the nature of the forum. Telecom infra- look at the phone plans. Roads are good though, but nothing to write home about.
Wait times for specialist consultants can be fixed, except foreign trained doctors are driving Ubers here because they cant get a license to practice.
Funny how the same degree that helps them to get points in the Express Entry system, does not let them practice their profession in Canada. Same goes for Engineers, Architectures, etc. Having controls is fine, I understand the foreign education is not enough to practice according to Canadian standards, but most countries have training and examinations to help them quickly overcome the gap. Not Canada, sir.


You visited three times and visited a family who lived their for 30+ years. THIS WILL MASSIVELY SKEW their view of Canada.
I think this is where the problem is. Canada has changed so much over just the past three years alone that it is impossible to understand it used to be a better place. Please also get the experience of a family who has been here for 3-5 years. 2020 and the drop in interest rates was the last good time to be immigrating to Canada.
People I know who immigrated after that period, god bless them, not a single one of them was prepared for what they got themselves into.

I know people who moved just 10 years ago and they swear to never leave this country! They got multiple properties and they live off rents from int'l students and newcomers. They have good jobs because of seniority, which they earned facing a far less cost of living that you as a newcomer will ever do.

I believe you misunderstood labor shortage for tradespeople shortage. I meant skilled labour shortage, businesses crying that they cant find employees to fill minimum wage jobs that are unrealistic in the current cost of living environment.

EDIT: Just thought of a joke I would like to share:

Me to people who have been here 4-5 years: So why did you come to Canada?
People: To move to the US. (or UAE.)

[dailydriver]

Very interesting discussion on Canada as an emigration destination.

The issues of self identity, community belongingness and immigrant isolation have plagued many of my near and dear ones too. Most have eventually found comfort in their new environs while a few have returned disappointed; the refrain of the latter being that if they have to live at standards similar to or lesser than in India then they would prefer to stay put in their own motherland.

Avid readers of this thread may please read a short story by Rohinton Mistry named Squatter and find parallels with the foregoing posts.

[vb-saan]

Rise in cost of living is a global phenomenon I guess – whether it is Canada, Singapore, or Europe. For example, here in Singapore house rents have gone up between 50-100% over the past one year. A 3-bedroom apartment that used to go for SGD 3500 is now going for SGD 5000-6000.

I guess experiences of moving to a different country varies from person to person. One of my dear friend and her family moved to Vancouver (from Singapore) in September last year, and she (and the family) is absolutely happy with the move. They made a gamble of moving from well-settled jobs in Singapore, but now she and her husband found jobs that are aligned to their trade and experience. And probably because they made the move from expensive Singapore, they find the rents quite ok.

[Imran.Syed]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

Avid readers of this thread may please read a short story by Rohinton Mistry named Squatter and find parallels with the foregoing posts.

Just read this, and yes many a parallels could be drawn. Will be reading more of Mistry's work, was a very interesting read.

Originally Posted by vb-san

Rise in cost of living is a global phenomenon I guess – whether it is Canada, Singapore, or Europe. For example, here in Singapore house rents have gone up between 50-100% over the past one year. A 3-bedroom apartment that used to go for SGD 3500 is now going for SGD 5000-6000.

It is a worldwide phenomenon, India and GCC too have soaring COL. But the way it is managed in Canada is criminal and extremely greedy, selfish and shortsighted. Plus Canada does a lot of marketing as being an immigrant friendly, inclusive and accepting country. I think these guys invented virtue signalling.
EU nations have the excuse Russian war. Canada does not. Most businesses here are reporting record profits, and that is telling.

We all have anecdotes about individuals who made the move and are happy in Canada. However, a vast majority of the immigrants come from much lower means. Unusual/exceptional cases like immigrating from Singapore are just that, but there will still be financial drawbacks.
The couple who moved were lucky to have gotten the opportunity you have described. Most have to work their selves around whatever jobs they can find, at least initially. But I agree with you, it is an individual experience rather than a general thing.

The other point is that the median wage in Canada is not 100 or 200k. Its 55k. We talk about these exceptional cases who make these high incomes right of the bat as if it is the norm. It is not! That is what YouTubers and the Sharma ji's son mentality has done to us. We look at the high achievers and think we can do it too and forget to focus on the on the regular people with regular levels of income.

It is taught to us that rent should be 30% of your take home salary. Well, to afford that percentage in Ontario, you'd have to be making at least 100k+
Not everybody in the society can, will or should be paid wages that high.

P.s. you know things are bad when even YouTubers who used to market the crap out of Canada up until a few months ago are putting up content gently advising people not to come or delay their landing.

I rest my case. Maybe things will improve here, but till they do, there are far better options out there.

[fuzzydealhunter]

All of these are justified points but show me one other country that you can immigrate to that does not have its own problems. Every country has problems, look at just the high levels of taxation in India with no justifiable return in terms of infrastructure or facilities for us the citizens. The first 3-5 years in a new country are always a struggle. You have to set up everything from scratch, from the banking to your DL. Its important to have a support network created to boost you up when you feel down. It it does happen because this is a drawn out process and you will have faliurs.

Here in Toronto one of the best services I have taken a liking to is the public library system. Again something funded by our taxes but not something everyone takes advantage of. The ER services or specialist taking time to schedule is a know phenomenon, if your friends and family did not appraise you of this I am sorry but, nothing stops you from doing your research. I had to wait 2 weeks to get scheduled for a thread mill stress test. I was not in a rush so it was fine, and I walked out with a smile on my face as there was no bill in sight.

Now again I say if you are having an awful time nothing stops you from going back if you have a better life in India. I do know friends of mine who did return to look after their family businesses. End of the day mental peace and satisfaction is the most important. I cant imagine living everyday hating where I live.

[Imran.Syed]

Originally Posted by fuzzydealhunter

Now again I say if you are having an awful time nothing stops you from going back if you have a better life in India. I do know friends of mine who did return to look after their family businesses. End of the day mental peace and satisfaction is the most important. I cant imagine living everyday hating where I live.

I am in general agreement with your perspective. I am very glad and privileged to have the option of falling/going back to something.
I also went through the previous pages of this thread and turns out, there are/were people on both sides of the aisle even before this cost of living crisis.
I agree also that in the end it was my lack of more in-depth research that landed me here. But quality research is difficult to come by so I make sure I tell people the ugly truth whenever possible.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by Imran.Syed

I am in general agreement with your perspective. I am very glad and privileged to have the option of falling/going back to something. I agree also that in the end it was my lack of more in-depth research that landed me here. But quality research is difficult to come by so I make sure I tell people the ugly truth whenever possible.

I rest my case. Maybe things will improve here, but till they do, there are far better options out there.

Dear Imran Syed, better to make mistakes and have the good sense and humility to learn from them course correct and move ahead instead of getting into a rut to prove that the immigration move was a great one. Some of my batch mates did well with immigration to USA and Canada. Some did not. Amongst those who did not more than a handful regret not having cut their losses and moved back 20 years back when they could. Now their hand is stuck inside the jar. And they see how well a large proportion of their batch mates have acquitted themselves who stayed on in India and the yawning difference between India of 1980s whose shores they left and the India of today.

In your active adult life of say 50 or 55 years if you have invested 5 years in your Canada detour so be it. Great experience gained in so many respects as well as, most vitally, learning what works for you and what does not. So best of luck for the return back to motherland. As I shamelessly never fail to remind my immigrant batch mates - we, i.e. me and those on this forum - are the WASPs of this nation, the twice born, the privileged - we enjoy what in USA is termed white privilege. Not getting into right or wrong - those are the facts. It is a massive intangible asset we overlook. Those who lack it never forget.

Originally Posted by Imran.Syed

The other point is that the median wage in Canada is not 100 or 200k. Its 55k.

Are the numbers being used on this Canada discussion USD or CAD. If CAD these are not rich numbers.

The purchasing power parity factor between the INR and CAD is 3.48 vs 1.14 or 3.03. To support immigration option let's call this 2.00 given that most of us are already in the Indian upper middle class here on Team BHP. So CAD 150k is in PPP terms like CAD 75k really which translates to Rs 45 lakhs before tax. For most salaried Indians in the upper middle class the effective tax rate is ~20%. In Canada income tax rates {Federal + State} together range in the 40s percentage effectively for a person earning CAD 150k. So after the arithmetic post-tax post-PPP income may not look so attractive at CAD 150k. Of course, each person's needs, aspirations and limitations are unique.

You are still very young. Going by your introduction you have 40+ years of adventure ahead of you. Course correct and roll on.

[rajeshekm]

Friends - Looking for some guidance on whether a stint in the US makes sense for me at this point.

I'm working in an Indian MNC as senior manager - age close to 45, 20+ yrs experience, salary pretty bad (<30 LPA). My wife is not working; and I have a home loan which has to go on for 10 more years and this takes up more than 50% of my monthly take home income. We have a 6 yr old son who is mildly autistic. He goes to regular school, but requires 4 intervention sessions a week (special eduucation sessions - speech therapy, remedial sessions, sessions related to education support) at a nearby center. In general he requires a lot of attention, which is why my wife quit her IT job and stays at home now.

Now, the situation is that I have a chance to work in the US for at least a couple of years on an H1 (which might extend). US salary is not bad (~140 KUSD in NJ area). Even with the living expenses, I belive I should be able to save a decent amount to at least close out the home loan early and even maybe have some decent savings. With my current Indian salary, living expenses and home loan, it's just about break even at the end of month with zero savings.

What I'm worried about is how we will manage with my son's schooling and special education sessions in the US. I dont know how much these will cost in the US and whether these will be covered under insurance (probably not). If the sessions are going to be prohibitively expenses, it will probably wipe out all my savings.

I would really appreciate any inputs related to schooling and special education support for mildly autistic children in the US. I have no idea on this in terms of expense and effectiveness.

[akhil_007]

Thank you @V.Narayan for that PPP comparison. Really put things in perspective.

Looks like Canada Emigration went into a deep discussion mode, which would be very helpful to fence sitters.

As I have been talking to lot of people in Canada/US, summarizing few more aspects

1. Work colleague emigrated just before Covid in Feb 2020. Struggled to find job for 3 months. After that, its been very good. He bought a house last year on a 30 year loan(I think Imran.Syed got this loan term wrong). As their's is a double income no kids household, they are able to save some money. He tells me it was the best decision he made though there are lot of challenges (weather, labour and need to DIY everything)

2. Friend's brother emigrated back in 2010. Was in low paying job initially. Later on, moved up in career. Has managed to buy 3 houses(1 from movie actor Akshay Kumar ). Is well settled now with wife and 2 kids. Has no intention of returning to India ever.

3. Friend who is a Punjabi landed in Canada and searched for a job. Even after 6 months, he could not find one. Sold some land back home and bought 2 houses. Lives in one and rents one. Few months after that, he found a job. Married with kids now. Not coming back


To add to the discussion about Singapore, it is a fantastic city to be an immigrant (based on personal experience/lots of friends). VERY VERY SAFE. Clean hygienic food/water everywhere. Transportation is amazing. Social life is amazing. You can switch across culture just by travelling to different areas. Good Money if you're in IT/Banking. Only drawback is we cannot afford to enjoy Bikes/Cars ownership is heavily regulated and expensive.