# Moving to Canada with PR, few queries in comparison to Australia



## Silvi6 (Dec 22, 2014)

Hi Guys,

I got the Canada PR and now planning to move to Canada in a couple of months. I also have a PR of Australia and currently working in Melbourne as a developer in IT.

Before I make a move, certain questions popped up to my mind as I was comparing the 2 countries. I am not comparing the weather.

Most probably I will be going to Toronto as my current employer is transferring me there.

Below questions are in perspective to Canada.

Bringing Parents - What VISA for them to turn them to PR- Cost and time involved? In Australia, its rediculous, 50K per person. (Dollar value of Australia and Canada is almost same.)

If a child is born to PR holder, Will he/she automatically becomes Canadian Citizen? 
(In Australia, yes, the kid will become citizen.)

Kids Education for PR holder? (Its quite cheap in Australia(150$/Month).)

Is it difficult to extend your PR after you have stayed for 2 years out of 5 as a PR ?

How much time does it need on PR to file for the Citizendship? 

How much time does it take to become a citizen after filing for citizenship?

How is the healthcare in Canada? In Australia it's good.

What are the benefits in terms of working in US for a Canadian Citizen vs Australian Citizen? (Australian citizen can get E3 work visa easily if they get the Job in US.)

What will be the cost of Living(Rent) in Toronto area for a couple? I don't have any kid as of now. Also, I am ready to share a house with someone already residing there. 

Few things I noticed:-
Owning a car in Canada is alot more expensive than in Australia because of Insurance.
Not sure about Canada Real Estate prices in terms of buying a house, but in Australia(Melbourne), you get a house in 3,50,000$ in Suburbs which 
take around 1.5-2 hrs of travel(public transport) to come to the city for work. Any comments on this ?

Public transport is quite good in Australia(150$/month - Melbourne), not sure about Toronto. Can any one throw any light on this?

All the things/processes in Australia are very clear and streamlined. Mostly are computerised. Even for PR VISA you don't need any Stamp on Pp. I feel the things/Processes in Canada are quite messed up.

Any help in above queries will be highly appreciated and will help me to move.

Thanks
Silvi


----------



## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

Since your employer is transferring you, do you even have a choice?


----------



## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

Silvi6 said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> I got the Canada PR and now planning to move to Canada in a couple of months. I also have a PR of Australia and currently working in Melbourne as a developer in IT
> Before I make a move, certain questions popped up to my mind as I was comparing the 2 countries. I am not comparing the weather.
> ...


Much Good Luck.


----------



## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

Silvi6 said:


> Bringing Parents - What VISA for them to turn them to PR- Cost and time involved? In Australia, its rediculous, 50K per person. (Dollar value of Australia and Canada is almost same.)



No idea and it will depend on what you parents are doing here. If they are going to work the visa might well be different than if they aren't. If they aren't I believe you need to support them financially so that they do not become a drain on our system. They will already be a drain on the system because they will be using services they have never paid into but I believe the government seeks to offset that by having you support them.




> If a child is born to PR holder, Will he/she automatically becomes Canadian Citizen?
> (In Australia, yes, the kid will become citizen.)


Yes.




> Kids Education for PR holder? (Its quite cheap in Australia(150$/Month).)


Public education is paid for through your taxes.





> How is the healthcare in Canada?



Excellent.





> What are the benefits in terms of working in US for a Canadian Citizen vs Australian Citizen? (Australian citizen can get E3 work visa easily if they get the Job in US.)



I thought you wanted to come to Canada, not the US?





> What will be the cost of Living(Rent) in Toronto area for a couple?


Impossible to answer. Toronto covers a very large area and housing costs vary by location.





> Not sure about Canada Real Estate prices in terms of buying a house, but in Australia(Melbourne), you get a house in 3,50,000$ in Suburbs which
> take around 1.5-2 hrs of travel(public transport) to come to the city for work. Any comments on this ?


Cost of housing and distance traveled to work will vary by location.




> I feel the things/Processes in Canada are quite messed up.


Not sure why we should care about that.

Millions of other people have managed to navigate the system quite successfully.


----------



## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

Healthcare is good, but you have to be patient if you need surgery... Things where we had to wait for 2 or 3 weeks in my country of origin (hip or knee replacement, bypass, etc) here can take months to even more than a year. :-(

Things in Canada seem to be messed up? Well, what I think is messed up, is that the government allows people to stay Permanent Residents while they spend less than half of their time in the country. That is messed up. Either you are a PERMANENT resident, or you are just a visitor with very limited rights and certainly not a work permit or the possibility to bring in elderly people that use all facilities paid for by tax payers without ever contributing to it.


----------



## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

Canada is a lot colder than Austrailia. lol

Health care is great but sometimes a waiting list will apply.

As a Canadian IT person you could get a NAFTA ( North American Free Trade) visa to work in the USA.

There are grandparent visa available to allow grandparents to spend time with their grandchildren so if you wanted to reunite the family it is a possability. Don't think that they get Canadian health care with this, you would have to check that out.

Housing costs vary greatly, check out some real estate broker web sites for an idea of costs in various location.

Automotiove insurance varies greatly dependiomng on province. In Ontario it is most expensive of any province, next door in Manitoba it is about 25% of the Ontario costs, even more for younger drivers, less that 25. ( When my son went to university in Ontario regestering his car there in his name would have been 8 to 10 times as much as keeping hin Manitoba insurance.)

For public transportation costs in Toronto check out the GTTA web site ( Greater Toronto Transportation Authority). There are also tax breaks for public transportation.

You may also want to check out the CRA ( Canadian Revenue Agency aka the tax department) to see how much tax, federal and provincial, you would have to pay to know your take home pay.

Did I mention it's cold here?


----------



## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

NAFTA will only get you a temporary work permit, not a green card. Job done, or retirement = leave the US immediately. 
Grandparent visa = temporary stay.


----------



## Silvi6 (Dec 22, 2014)

EVHB said:


> Since your employer is transferring you, do you even have a choice?


Yes, Because I requested it. Getting transferred overseas is like more privileged. I can say no.

Thanks
Silvi


----------



## Silvi6 (Dec 22, 2014)

Auld Yin said:


> Much Good Luck.


Thanks


----------



## Silvi6 (Dec 22, 2014)

colchar said:


> No idea and it will depend on what you parents are doing here. If they are going to work the visa might well be different than if they aren't. If they aren't I believe you need to support them financially so that they do not become a drain on our system. They will already be a drain on the system because they will be using services they have never paid into but I believe the government seeks to offset that by having you support them.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks Colchar.
My office would be in Scarborough. So I will search for accommodation in Scarborough or somewhere near to it. From where I can reach to office in 30-50 mins by public transport.
Any idea about Scarborough?


----------



## Silvi6 (Dec 22, 2014)

Manitoba said:


> Canada is a lot colder than Austrailia. lol
> 
> Health care is great but sometimes a waiting list will apply.
> 
> ...


Thanks Manitoba.
Yeah I know its very cold there.


----------



## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

Surely your employer's HR department (in the Toronto office) should be able to help to answer some of your questions, especially if your employer does international relo? 

You wouldn't be the first to be moved to Canada and certainly not the last either, so any well equipped HR office manager would have information ready and available to give to new arrivals from overseas?


----------



## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

Silvi6 said:


> Any idea about Scarborough?



Nope, I avoid Scarborough like the plague.


----------



## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

Public transportation is also something that I like to avoid. Can be pretty bad. Certainly if you have to switch from one transit to another (Mississauga to Oakville). Even within your city/town, they make a 20 minute car drive into a 1,5 hour ordeal.


----------

