Canada vs Australia
Canada and Australia are the two largest countries currently using a points system to select potential skilled immigrants.
Both countries have an enviable reputation around the world as places whose residents can find a high quality of life and a high standard of living.
Both also withstood the financial turmoil of the last few years better than most other countries. Each has large reserves of minerals and, in Canada's case oil. As worldwide demand for commodities has risen, so have the economic prospects of Australia and Canada.
We put these countries head-to-head, to see how they measure up on a number of measures including wages, house prices, taxes, unemployment, net inward migration rate, and climate.
Why Canada?
For several years now, Canada has been accepting about quarter of a million new Permanent Residents each year.
For people with skills, work experience and a good standard of English or French, qualifying for residence is not a huge barrier.
Once accepted, you can take pleasure from the fact that you will be free to live permanently in a country consistently rated by the UN as the world's best country to live in.
Furthermore, Canada is the world's second biggest country, rich in natural resources including oil reserves second only to Saudi Arabia.
Despite the abundance of natural wealth, real estate in most Canadian locations has in the past been cheap compared with other developed countries - although a combination of a rising currency and rapidly rising real estate prices means this is no longer the case in a number of cities.
If you are bringing children to Canada, it's likely their education will be important to you. The OECD compared the performance of school students in 65 countries in mathematics, reading and science. Canadian students performed better than students from any other English speaking country. "What Students Know and Can Do." (pdf)
Canada's health care is publicly (tax-payer) funded: payment is generally not required for medical treatment, although depending on the province you live in it's probable you'll pay for pharmaceuticals and dental care.
Canada's 34 million residents enjoy virtually unlimited recreational opportunites and you might be forgiven for thinking you have found paradise.
Unfortunately, for many migrants, Canada has been less than paradise. The Canadian government is aware that many migrants have struggled economically in Canada and it is now striving to improve migrant-outcomes.
So, although Canada is a fantastic choice for most people, it's not for everyone.
We do try reflect this fairly by presenting the cons as well as the pros.
Canadian Cities Compared
Here is a succinct, side-by-side review of some of Canada's largest cities.
The metropolitan populations of Canada's ten largest cities not included in the comparison are:
Quebec City, Quebec: 0.7 million
Hamilton, Ontario: 0.7 million
London, Ontario: 0.45 million
Kitchener, Ontario: 0.45 million
St. Catharines-Niagara, Ontario: 0.4 million
Oshawa, Ontario: 0.3 million
Victoria, British Columbia: 0.3 million
Windsor, Ontario: 0.3 million
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: 0.25 million
Regina, Saskatchewan: 0.2 million
Average House Prices In Canada
One of the major attractions of a move to Canada for some is the cost of housing compared with their current location.
This particular attraction has faded somewhat recently because the strength of the Canadian dollar means new arrivals have less purchasing power than they had in previous years. House prices in Canada have continued to rise, while prices in many other countries have either changed little or fallen.
Prices are higher in Canada's big cities than they are in the surrounding towns.
Canada's highest house prices are found on the west coast in Vancouver / British Columbia, where the country's mildest weather is found.
Severe winter weather or remoteness from major markets usually results in low house prices - for example property prices are low in Manitoba and Prince Edward Island.
In 2007 prices in booming Alberta rose above prices in Ontario for the first time and, in the same vein, prices in Calgary rose above those in Toronto. In 2011 the situation has reversed and once again Toronto and Ontario homes cost more than in Calgary and Alberta.
Canadian Cities
Average House Prices
January 2012
City Average House Price 12 Month Change
Vancouver, BC $752,000 - 1.3 %
Toronto, Ont $464,000 + 8.5 %
Calgary, Alb $382,000 - 3.1 %
Ottawa, Ont $350,000 + 6.0 %
Montreal, Que $311,000 + 5.6 %
Regina, Sask $285,000 + 9.5 %
Halifax, NS $259,000 + 2.9 %
Fredericton, NB $159,000 + 10.7 %
Canadian Provinces
Average House Prices
January 2012
Province Average House Price 12 Month Change
British Columbia $532,000 - 3.0 %
Ontario $359,000 + 6.3 %
Alberta $343,000 - 1.7 %
Quebec $259,000 + 2.7 %
Saskatchewan $261,000 + 5.4 %
Newfoundland / Labrador $274,000 + 16.4 %
Manitoba $228,000 + 2.6 %
Nova Scotia $211,000 + 1.7 %
New Brunswick $149,000 - 1.2 %
Prince Edward Island $146,000 - 2.3 %
Canadian Average $348,000 + 1.2 %
Regards,
KING! SOHEL ABBASI
Canada and Australia are the two largest countries currently using a points system to select potential skilled immigrants.
Both countries have an enviable reputation around the world as places whose residents can find a high quality of life and a high standard of living.
Both also withstood the financial turmoil of the last few years better than most other countries. Each has large reserves of minerals and, in Canada's case oil. As worldwide demand for commodities has risen, so have the economic prospects of Australia and Canada.
We put these countries head-to-head, to see how they measure up on a number of measures including wages, house prices, taxes, unemployment, net inward migration rate, and climate.
Why Canada?
For several years now, Canada has been accepting about quarter of a million new Permanent Residents each year.
For people with skills, work experience and a good standard of English or French, qualifying for residence is not a huge barrier.
Once accepted, you can take pleasure from the fact that you will be free to live permanently in a country consistently rated by the UN as the world's best country to live in.
Furthermore, Canada is the world's second biggest country, rich in natural resources including oil reserves second only to Saudi Arabia.
Despite the abundance of natural wealth, real estate in most Canadian locations has in the past been cheap compared with other developed countries - although a combination of a rising currency and rapidly rising real estate prices means this is no longer the case in a number of cities.
If you are bringing children to Canada, it's likely their education will be important to you. The OECD compared the performance of school students in 65 countries in mathematics, reading and science. Canadian students performed better than students from any other English speaking country. "What Students Know and Can Do." (pdf)
Canada's health care is publicly (tax-payer) funded: payment is generally not required for medical treatment, although depending on the province you live in it's probable you'll pay for pharmaceuticals and dental care.
Canada's 34 million residents enjoy virtually unlimited recreational opportunites and you might be forgiven for thinking you have found paradise.
Unfortunately, for many migrants, Canada has been less than paradise. The Canadian government is aware that many migrants have struggled economically in Canada and it is now striving to improve migrant-outcomes.
So, although Canada is a fantastic choice for most people, it's not for everyone.
We do try reflect this fairly by presenting the cons as well as the pros.
Canadian Cities Compared
Here is a succinct, side-by-side review of some of Canada's largest cities.
The metropolitan populations of Canada's ten largest cities not included in the comparison are:
Quebec City, Quebec: 0.7 million
Hamilton, Ontario: 0.7 million
London, Ontario: 0.45 million
Kitchener, Ontario: 0.45 million
St. Catharines-Niagara, Ontario: 0.4 million
Oshawa, Ontario: 0.3 million
Victoria, British Columbia: 0.3 million
Windsor, Ontario: 0.3 million
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: 0.25 million
Regina, Saskatchewan: 0.2 million
Average House Prices In Canada
One of the major attractions of a move to Canada for some is the cost of housing compared with their current location.
This particular attraction has faded somewhat recently because the strength of the Canadian dollar means new arrivals have less purchasing power than they had in previous years. House prices in Canada have continued to rise, while prices in many other countries have either changed little or fallen.
Prices are higher in Canada's big cities than they are in the surrounding towns.
Canada's highest house prices are found on the west coast in Vancouver / British Columbia, where the country's mildest weather is found.
Severe winter weather or remoteness from major markets usually results in low house prices - for example property prices are low in Manitoba and Prince Edward Island.
In 2007 prices in booming Alberta rose above prices in Ontario for the first time and, in the same vein, prices in Calgary rose above those in Toronto. In 2011 the situation has reversed and once again Toronto and Ontario homes cost more than in Calgary and Alberta.
Canadian Cities
Average House Prices
January 2012
City Average House Price 12 Month Change
Vancouver, BC $752,000 - 1.3 %
Toronto, Ont $464,000 + 8.5 %
Calgary, Alb $382,000 - 3.1 %
Ottawa, Ont $350,000 + 6.0 %
Montreal, Que $311,000 + 5.6 %
Regina, Sask $285,000 + 9.5 %
Halifax, NS $259,000 + 2.9 %
Fredericton, NB $159,000 + 10.7 %
Canadian Provinces
Average House Prices
January 2012
Province Average House Price 12 Month Change
British Columbia $532,000 - 3.0 %
Ontario $359,000 + 6.3 %
Alberta $343,000 - 1.7 %
Quebec $259,000 + 2.7 %
Saskatchewan $261,000 + 5.4 %
Newfoundland / Labrador $274,000 + 16.4 %
Manitoba $228,000 + 2.6 %
Nova Scotia $211,000 + 1.7 %
New Brunswick $149,000 - 1.2 %
Prince Edward Island $146,000 - 2.3 %
Canadian Average $348,000 + 1.2 %
Regards,
KING! SOHEL ABBASI