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AUSTRALIA vs CANADA

74K views 83 replies 36 participants last post by  YashPlanB 
#1 ·
I know this question have been answered many times

But I would like to ask it from the aspects of TAXES and BENEFITS (child care , medical .... etc ) which country is better ?? especially for engineers

If there is any body have compared these values and can share it with us :)
 
#7 ·
Canada, all the way mate !

Just three years to get Citizenship (after which you can work in the US. There on, California (or insert your fav state, just dont say NY! :) ) all the way!)

Trudeau seems to be more of a visionary than the PM(s) in Australia who change at the drop of a hat. When they are busy fighting amongst themselves for the highest seat, who is bothered about running the country.
From what I have heard, Trudeau has recently hauled the benefit system and there are much better benefits for young families.

Recently there was a question in the Australian parliament where the PM refused to answer if there were chances of Medicare being privatised.

Much more adjustment, maturity and experience with immigrants in the society as a whole.
Just the weather can be silly for some part of the year. But that's manageable.
 
#10 ·
Basically the country continues to be run by the public service regardless of who the Prime Minister is at the time. It is not too badly run as we have not had a recession in twenty-five years. It is early days yet for Trudeau.
I can assure you that Medicare will not be privatised. You need to remember that we are a two house democracy which is a fusion of the Westminster system and the American. We are partly having changes of leadership as no one has been able to get many changes through the Senate. That is not going to change any time soon, even if there is a double dissolution.
Canada and Australia are both immigrant countries so both are experienced with immigration. Canada was settled earlier so I guess it is true that they have greater experience. I cannot comment whether Canadians are more tolerant of outsiders. Their culture is very polite so it is possible their thoughts are kept more to themselves.
Australia, by world standards, has a very high rate of intermarriage between different ethnic groups which should indicate a reasonable level of tolerance.
As far as I know here we get longer paid holidays than in Canada, the unemployment rate is slightly lower, we have long service leave unlike almost anywhere else. But we are further from most places, the places with good employment opportunities are very expensive and the traffic is bad in the main cities.
 
#9 ·
I can't compare Australia versus Canada, but I can give my opinion on Australia versus the USA. While most people would probably opt for the USA, being known as the "land of liberties" and thousands of career options, I'd go for Australia. I have a family in the USA and I could easily go for Green Card, but having lived in both countries, I didn't hesitate to embark on a long journey of Australian skilled visa instead.

If Silicon Valley, dollar bills and glamorous firms are all that you have in your head, don't choose Australia. On the other hand, if you wish to enjoy high standard of living, wonderful climate and nature, relatively high level of safety, isolation from world's troubles and appreciate not being the center of the world, choose Australia. Australia is really laid back, even compared to Europe where I am from and especially compared to more hectic and busy parts of the worlds, such as Asia. I currently live in China and while both China and Australia, which is economically closely influenced by the former, are not having the best times, I see Asia-Pacific being the powerhouse of the current century.

Now, if you want to put Canada into all this picture, just imagine a smaller, more peaceful version of the USA, with somewhat less career opportunities. Pay in mind, that for many people climate plays a huge roll in life. Canada and Australia are very different in this regard.
 
#15 · (Edited)
On the other hand, if you wish to enjoy high standard of living, wonderful climate and nature, relatively high level of safety, isolation from world's troubles and appreciate not being the center of the world, choose Australia.
Hi,

While you might be correct in terms of overall standards of living, you can't say the same for these particular things though:

- Quality of housing you would enjoy at the market salary for your occupation (total area, modern equipment, quality of furniture, air-conditioning, etc.)
- Quality of cars (and other vehicles) you can afford with your salary
- Gadgets/ electronics that you can buy with your salary
- Variety and amount of food that you can afford with your salary - you can literally eat outside everyday, every time and still it won't pinch your pocket
- Access to world's best amusement parks/ casinos/ resorts (also: much cheaper hotels) that you can have with your salary
- Night life including full-night supermarkets/grocery stores and much cheaper pubs - that you can enjoy!

There's simply no comparison. The US wins hands down. Doesn't even need any explanation I guess. The biggest reasons why the US has huge advantages in these categories are:

1) Most companies are based there and the country has a huge consumer base, hence economy of scale (e.g. shipping is free with most e-commerce).

2) You aren't forced to live in the biggest cities for any professions (read NY, Chicago), so it's literally very much doable to earn $60k, live in a smaller city and still enjoy the highest standards of life including cheap access to sports facilities (even Golf is cheaper), better housing, cheaper food and produce.

Things which are not so good in the US though are: public transportation (except a few cities such as NY), safety (specially in night), lack of liveliness in CBD areas (they call it downtown) due to a higher crime rate, weather (can be very cold in northern states).
 
#17 ·
Yes, Canada and the US are entirely different countries. Canadians get really upset when they are taken for Americans. Just like our Kiwi neighbours when mistaken for Aussies.
Canada has more in common with Australia, in many ways, than the US. We share membership of the Commonwealth, similar political system, a similarly high rate of skilled migration, a small population spread over an enormous area of mostly unusable land, a reliance on resources economically. Very importantly we share the fact that a large portion of the population are non religious and very committed to a secular society.
As far as the original question goes, in my opinion the main decision would be based around the preferred weather and the time and cost involved in traveling to wherever may be required. factors such as child benefits and retirement schemes change all the time. Neither Canada nor Australia are socialist countries and both have values revolving around the value of work.
 
#21 ·
No, no. I have invested way too much time for my citizenship here. An adopted citizenship was my main criteria for moving away from home land. Canada may happen after I get my citizenship, inshallah. Then again, I think two adopted citizenships wouldn't be too bad either. Let's see how goes it.
 
#23 ·
But I would like to ask it from the aspects of TAXES and BENEFITS (child care , medical .... etc ) which country is better ?? especially for engineers
Neither country offers child care for engineers (unless the engineer is indeed a child.):p

Jokes aside, taxes should be easy enough to compare if you just do a lookup online. (I'm really surprised to see taxes as a criterion for choosing a country; I'd think quality of life would not depend so much on taxes and that a few percentage points are likely to sway a decision. That's just me though.) The same can be said about medical systems - there is plenty of info online; they are likely comparable in terms of quality and availability of care.

Benefits are hard to compare, but you can probably start with things that are important to you and then look up how these countries fare.

How do you compare two different school systems? How do you measure which one is better? There are plenty of other things that affect the quality of life )including climate, proximity to vacation destinations, culture, atmosphere) that you are interested in and so on. All of these are subjective of course - what is important to you may not be as important to me.

Do let us know what you decide and why.
 
#24 ·
australia scores big when it come to climate. nothing can beat a warm sunny day!
 
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#26 ·
btw default, goods in usa are cheaper as compared to goods sold at where I come from. everything here is 3-4 times more even though good service tax is 7%.

Australia has higher tax than Singapore, but generally it is less crowded, thus less stress and overwhelming feeling.
 
#27 ·
Long service leave provisions in Australia - wins it for me ;)
 
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#28 ·
Does Canada offer any advantage being in proximity of USA. Are there more jobs compared to AUS. Besides weather, are there any disadvantage to Canada v/s AUS.

I am in dilemma and pursuing both PR. Not able to decide which would be better - My main drivers are:

1. Stable well paying jobs for both me and spouse (need atleast job for one of us badly)
2. Good healthcare and education without a big drain on my personal finance
3. High class lifestyle with open culture and largely free from major man made (terrorism) or Natural (hurricanes, volcano and earthquakes)
4. Quality university education at par with world standards.
 
#33 ·
I think it would be a great idea if we build a simple Points based calculator to figure out top destinations for your immigration.
I guess most of the people can agree on a max of 10 parameters and for each country you may allocate 1-10 points for each parameter and see which country scores highest from their own points allocation

Additionally, people can see how masses in general are allocating points to each country and can see the general mood of the crowd.

I think this would be great addition to immitracker site
 
#35 ·
This is an interesting topic.. Many have asked me why didnt I apply for Canada (the usual quote was "You can enter US".. But I somehow always felt OZ is good.. not because I studied there.. But moving to Canada failed to evoke excitement in me.. nevertheless it bothered me why people were asking me about Canada.. While Canada may have its positives, I feel that OZ is better than Canada in some aspects.. after going through this thread I am happy about my choice.. Keep the viewpoints coming in.. thanks for starting this thread..
 
#36 ·
Quality of life depends on the city as well e.g. living in Sydney is too expensive
 
#38 ·
The city does play a factor. Sydney is more expensive, more traffic & more pollution..

But there are more job opportunities & there is so much to do all the time....

Some would never consider living here & some would never consider anywhere else.

And of course there are many other wonderful places to live in Australia & worldwide.

So it's's really a personal choice.
 
#40 ·
Adding my opinion to this discussion, when I booked my IELTS Exam, I was in a dilemma between Canada & Australia, and so my Agent had advised me to take IELTS (not PTE).

Having lived in USA and traveled through Australia, I observed quite clearly that Australia won hands down over USA but I did not know anything about Canada. For a week, I studied the climate of Canada when I found that it was much colder for most part of the year than New Jersey where I had lived in USA and the entire country was colder than New Jersey. So I decided I did not want to keep telling my kids to stay at home due to weather. I wanted to encourage them to play in the park and swim at the public pool every-day and that too all through the year.

Also, I watched the stark difference in their refugee policies when Australia advertised their No-Way-Boat-People policy and Canada advertised their Red-Carpet-for-Syrians policy. After observing the harmful effects of opening the doors (without conditions) for Syrians and other Middle-East war refugees in countries like Germany, Spain, Hungary, Poland, etc; I decided I wanted to live in a country which was difficult for un-invited refugees to get into - i.e. Australia.

From then on, it was just a matter of "The mind sees what it wants to see".

I had this strange thought at the back of my mind that "if, for any reason, I am unable to be as successful as I am in India - my main confidantes will be my wife and my children. There will be much lower probability of my family or friends or relatives visiting me because its quite far and expensive. The number of relatives-friends already living in Australia are also far less than in US & Canada."

After all, the primary purpose of my migration is 1) To provide a better quality-of-life along with unpolluted air-water-food-milk-park-etc to my children and 2) To get away from the extremely competitive North-Indian culture and environment and just try to lead the life at my own pace with my kids.
 
#41 ·
Probably a relevant thread for me start posting with, though with a very basic question everyone goes through anyway when they start on immigration journey.

I am planning to decide between Canada and Australia and usually get perplexed and reach to the famous square-one spot all over. So I am here to seek some guidance on which way to move forward and start following number of other threads for the downstream activities (ielts/pte, acs, eca, eta, eoi etc).

Here is some info on my profile:
Myself: 32 Years (turning 33 in Jan 2018), B.Tech (Electrical and Electronics Engineering, 2008 Pass out, with some computer subjects like - Computer Fundamentals, Computer Programming Lab, Computer Architecture & Org, Digital Electronics, Microprocessor lab? & Computer communication & networks), Work experience of approx 9 years in a MNC both in India and UK in area of Software Testing (various roles, Test Analyst, Sr. Test Analyst, Test Manager, Programme Test Manager, Project Manager)

Spouse:
31 Years (turning 32 in Mar 2018), BE (Electronics & Communications Engineering, 2008 Pass out, with some computer subjects like - Computer Fundamentals, Computer Programming Labs, Data Structure Algorithms, Digital Electronics, Object Oriented Programming, Advanced Programming Lab, DE Lab, Computer Architecture, Software Engineering, Computer Networks, Operating System, Computer Networking Prog Lab), Work experience of approx 6 years in various MNC in India, USA and UK mainly in area of Software Development and to some extent in Software Testing (various roles, System Engineer, Software Engineer, & Test Analyst)

IELTS / PTE - Yet to attempt - will go for PTE if decided Australia over canada.
ECA - done for Canada
ACS - Planning (as we are still wondering whether Aus or Canada?)

Canada - Canada weather :( which will not be good for my wife at least as she has some health issues.

Aus - Job opportunities? my skills (Software Tester, ICT System Tester) no longer appear to be on 189 ANZSCO list, so should I make my wife a primary applicant as she can probably go for 189 with "Software Engineer" +ve with ACE? Or do I stand a chance for any State Nomination on my skill?

Please enlighten us :)
 
#42 ·
You should prefer Australia because it has more options as compared to Canada. The only positive of Canada is its proximity to USA.

But if you would consider the quality of life for your wife and your children, Australia is a give-away choice either with Canada or with USA. And Australia gives you New Zealand free (although if you move to NZ, it becomes difficult to get citizenship from either Aus or NZ).

To start the process, you should both take PTE-A and then proceed to make your wife as the primary applicant because she'll get full 30 points for age till March 2019. If she gets 8 each in PTE-A, then she already has 50 points. Skills Assessment will easily give her 10-15 points (I do not know anything about ACS).

Then you have 5 points from State and/or 5 points from your skills assessment and PTE score as well.

However, keep in mind, and be prepared wherever you go - Canada or Australia - you have to be prepared to do odd jobs there (which I feel you will not be ashamed of because of the positive and egalitarian environment there).

And then on a permanent basis also, you might have to change your profession from testing, etc to something else.

I would advise you to engage a Registered MARA Agent. you can search for one using this link: https://www.mara.gov.au/search-the-register-of-migration-agents/
 
#48 ·
Most don't ask or are concerned with the following question as well, someone please give us your actual life experiences on the below between OZs and Kanucks.

Q. Where does it feel like it is a police state? (meaning too many rules and regulations in everyday life e.g. speed and red light cameras, how strict are the cops with speed limits, security guards everywhere including grocery stores, etc.)
 
#50 ·
I find Australia is more strict in traffic rules and regulations - for e.g, in NSW 3 demerit points & huge fines (around $ 400 ) for red light camera tickets. But in Canada, i didnt find it this strict. in USA, once i got a red light camera ticket, and i just paid $ 50 fine ( 5 years back), but no demerit points on my license. I dont know if this is changed now or not.
 
#66 ·
It's all about perception but personally I feel that Australia is much more safer than USA/Europe today.
And yes, I love it here in Australia! It's a beautiful country with gorgeous beaches which you can actually enjoy all year round (Queensland).

I really feel bad for people who are stuck in black hole of USA migration system where people wait for 10-20 years just to get green cards. Their kids have to get student visas when they no longer can be clubbed (reaching 18 years?) with their parents' H1B visas. All this while the lives of those living on temporary visas (h1b) for decades is full of stress as they do not afford to lose jobs and hence they give up on career growth and lose so much money to keep their legal status intact.

Canada is a beautiful country but personally I will visit only during summer months as it is heaven during those 2-3 months. Australia - yes it becomes hot for a while (1-2 months) but I will take that!
 
#67 ·
Australia Vs Canada

Starting a new thread for same old question "Australia Vs Canada". I an new to this forum and new to the world of immigration as well. Currently stuck at very first step to decide where to migrate?
Australia or Canada ?

Here is some info on my profile:
Myself: 31 Years (turning 32 in Aug 2018), B.Tech ( Computer Science - 2008 Pass out) and MBA (Technology - 2015 Pass out)
Work Experience of 7 years in Software Development and Project Management (post MBA)

Spouse: 26 Years (turning 27 in Feb 2018), B Com (2011 Pass out) and MBA ( Finance 2013 Pass out)
Work Experience of 4 years as Sr. Process Associate

IELTS / PTE - Yet to attempt

Looking for following answers
1. Which country would have better Job opportunities for our profile?
2. Does visa processing for Aus/Canada require us to show any huge savings at any stage?
3. How long does it take to get canadian citizenship after moving there on PR?
4. Should I weigh canadian citizenship (entry to US) more than all the benefits Australia has over canada?
5. Would visa processing would be problem for us in any of these countries?

Please enlighten us
 
#68 ·
Starting a new thread for same old question "Australia Vs Canada". I an new to this forum and new to the world of immigration as well. Currently stuck at very first step to decide where to migrate?
Australia or Canada ?

Here is some info on my profile:
Myself: 31 Years (turning 32 in Aug 2018), B.Tech ( Computer Science - 2008 Pass out) and MBA (Technology - 2015 Pass out)
Work Experience of 7 years in Software Development and Project Management (post MBA)

Spouse: 26 Years (turning 27 in Feb 2018), B Com (2011 Pass out) and MBA ( Finance 2013 Pass out)
Work Experience of 4 years as Sr. Process Associate

IELTS / PTE - Yet to attempt

Looking for following answers
1. Which country would have better Job opportunities for our profile?
2. Does visa processing for Aus/Canada require us to show any huge savings at any stage?
3. How long does it take to get canadian citizenship after moving there on PR?
4. Should I weigh canadian citizenship (entry to US) more than all the benefits Australia has over canada?
5. Would visa processing would be problem for us in any of these countries?

Please enlighten us

I think you are overqualified for either of these two countries, also the employers in neither of these two countries will fully accept your work experience mostly because from their perspective you come from a "developing" country where you are still considered a "learner" as opposed to their countries where they are also learning but at an "advanced" level.

Keep in mind, these are countries with small economy and slightly less diverse industry (I think Australia more so than Canada) compared to larger economies like USA, China, Germany, France, UK, and even India, etc. If career is your goal then you are better off targeting any of those than Australia or Canada, and I understand why many people go for either of these two countries - primarily their immigration systems are open and easier to work with as opposed to the others. But don't let that drive your life and career, and be the deciding factor.

Well, if career is not the main goal then the above matters less and YOU decide what you really want.
 
#74 ·
I know it has been asked several times in the past, also in the beginning of this thread, but when I searched the entire forum, I could not find up-to-date comparison data between CA and AU. There are several topics and threads but some of them are outdated, and some of them are focused on specific issues apart from the big picture.

I am a Materials Engineer from Turkey Istanbul.
We (wife and 3 years old daughter) have granted our PR visas both from AU and CA few months ago. We have visited both countries to complete our soft landings and to explore them in order to decide where to move.
I have been working in project management & procurement fields in several multinational projects, but I am about to lose my job here, and that would be perfect timing for me to look for new opportunities in a new country.

Actually, it is not an easy decision since we liked both AU and CA in different ways. As far as we understood and learned from several sources like internet forums and some friends, both countries have pros and cons as below.

AU (Brisbane, Sydney)
++We have a few good friends in AU.
++The climate is moch more better .
++Minimum wages and average wages are higher.
++You may have reasonable life standards by working in survival/casual jobs till finding a professional one with a better salary.
--Engineering & engineering-related job ads are relatively far less than CA.
--Economy is not good. Not much manufacturing, but mining, IT and service industry based.
--It is way too far to Istanbul, also remote from the rest of the world
--It is seem to be becoming politically harsh to the immigrants, laws and regulations are being considered to harden
--The citizenship procedure takes minimum 4 years. Government is also trying to make it harder.

CA (Toronto)
++It is much more easy (half price, half time) to travel from Istanbul. Not remote from the world.
++it is also close to USA for business opportunuties or touristic visits, etc.
++More engineering & engineering-related job ads are being published than AU
++Economy seems stronger, more diverse compared to AU.
++Politically more open & welcoming to immigrants.
++Citizenship can be obtained in 3 years. Just reduced from 4 years.
--Climate is far worse than AU. Very harsh winters for us considering ourselves as Aegean.
--We do not have any close friends there.
--Minimum wages are lower than AU.
--Casual & survival jobs may not be enough to survive for a family with kid.
--Finding a professional job may be very difficult (heard that it can take 1 to 2 years!).

As a result, we were considering to move to AU, firstly for economical and secondly for climatic factors. Meanwhile, some of (new) friends in Canada is also confusing us by expressing that how happy they are in CA.

What do you think?
Do you agree or disagree to our choice?
Do you have any advice for us?
Would you add anything or do you have any objection to the pros and cons list?

Taking this kind of decision for the future of our family is really very tough and becoming stressfull for us. Therefore, we would like to crosscheck our decision in different ways as much as possible.
We would really apreciate if you kindly share your comments.
Thank you!
 
#75 · (Edited)
I will talk about your consideration for economical factor. Finding a job for an immigrant is incredibly hard in AU. Just read this forum for all the struggles. If minimum wage is high in Australia, minimum expenses are also very high. Both countries are resource rich. But Canadian citizenship offers easier access to the US job market too.

Climate - I really never understood why people keep harping on this. Wear good thermal clothes and you will be fine. There are episodes of very bad weather in Australia too.

I chose Australia only for one thing, because it was closer to India (than US or CA) and I have family in India that I want to visit every year. If I could do it all over again, I would rather choose Canada. Much more racially tolerant. Many more s/w engineering opportunities and the possibility of being able to work in America in the future. A few of my friends live on the Canadian side of the US Canadian border and drive to work in the US everyday. Best of both worlds.

End of it all, just make a choice. Because the decision making will paralyse your mind - it did mine. If it turns out to be a mistake - then its just that. Neither country is bad. Their ranking in my mind is very close. One country is slightly better than the other in some aspects. And IMO you will be comfortable in either country.
 
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