Is moving here still worth it? Filipinos living in Canada weigh in

It’s one of the most popular countries among international immigrants, but lately, people have been wondering: is moving to Canada worth it?

According to a 2022 report by the UN’s International Organization for Migration, Canada ranked eighth among the most popular destinations for migration in 2020. And as of 2021, 757,410 people from the Philippines call Canada home, according to Statistics Canada.

So when one Reddit user from the Philippines asked, “Is it hard to migrate/live in Canada now,” Filipinos didn’t hesitate to share the realities of life in Canada.

The Reddit user explained that they’ll be moving with their spouse, who plans to enter Canada as an international student. The couple wants to move to Ontario but the cost of living is making them reconsider.

“Recently, there were reels on Facebook that showed that people are having a hard time buying food because they have to pay for their housing, which is apparently really expensive,” they stated. “I want to live in Canada, and I’m willing to work hard to live there. But now it seems that life is even harder.”

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Making ends meet

One user stated that life in the early 2000s was affordable even at minimum wage, but not so much now as salaries remain stagnant and housing costs “skyrocket.”

“Like any place, if you are not a high-income earner, you’ll have a much harder time,” they commented. “Most Filipinos get stuck in low-paying jobs compared to those in STEM/trade jobs.”

Another Redditor said that she arrived in Ontario as a permanent resident in 2012 at the age of 19 and got a nursing degree. Even though she’s making around $120,000 a year, she and her husband still can’t afford to buy a house. She also warned that a lot of programs advertised to international students are “worthless.”

“Also, take note that programs open to international students are ‘worthless’ diplomas. So you’re going to pay expensive tuition, but you’ll end up with the same pay in the end,” she said.

Despite the high cost of living, one user said that the quality of life in Canada is “fine.”

“We get to enjoy going outside, we can pay our bills, and save, but the thing is, you need to be financially literate,” he said. “Debt accumulation here is easy because everyone uses credit cards, and if you don’t manage it correctly, you’ll be buried in debt.”

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Another Redditor pointed out that finding a job is hard.

“You can’t be choosy,” they wrote. “There are lots of fast food/blue collar jobs, but you need to find them, or you need to have a referral.”

Making it in Canada

Other commenters suggest that the couple consider other provinces besides Ontario.

“I’m in Vancouver, BC; I don’t know how similar our situation is to Ontario, but rent, bills, groceries, everything is getting expensive,” they stated. “A $100 bill will not last a day anymore… I think if you really want to push to go [to Canada], a lot of people are saying that going to Saskatchewan or Alberta is better than here or Ontario.”

On the other hand, one realtor who lives in BC said that they’re doing fine and even have two income properties. Their advice: “Hopefully, newcomers will aim to upgrade their skills so you’ll earn good money in the near future. And, of course, better money management.”

One Redditor said that as a dual-income couple with no kids, they were able to afford a condo in Vancouver for “a dizzying” $1.2 million after taxes.

“Sometimes, I think [that would be equivalent to] a mansion in the Philippines,” they wrote. But in the end, for them, the trade-off is worth it.

“But if I were to go back to the traffic and inconveniences of daily life in Manila? No thanks,” they stated.