I’ve been in Canada since July on a Working Holiday Visa.

In our media, Canada is always portrayed as a dream country. Yes of course, it’s beautiful here (Rockies, nature) but it also has a lot of downsides.

The quality of food is incomparable to my home country and the food prices are even higher here.

I thought rent prices back home were high, but here (except for small towns on the prairie), you have to share an apartment with 3 people and still pay the same amount as getting a 2-bedroom apartment alone back home.

Then 5 weeks of paid vacation + 11 paid holidays (weekends are generally free, there is no business open at Sundays), when you’re sick, you’re sick, but you still get paid.

Canadians are polite that is true, but what I’ve noticed is that people often make false promises just to be nice.

Making friends here as a foreigner is challenging and perhaps I’m homesick being on the other side of the world.

I’m considering abandoning everything and flying back home. While at first it was really nice here (especially the traveling in the summer), the drawbacks are becoming apparent.

Additionally, my education isn’t recognized here and honestly I don’t want to work at Tim Hortons or Walmart just to „survive“ and with much lower QOL than in Europe.

But on the other hand, I’m afraid of missing out if I fly back home now.

Idk what i should do :(

Any suggestions?

  • Afterlite@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    OP I am very much in a similar stance as you!

    I am a European that moved over in 2020, I primarily was seeking the opportunity to move to a country to be closer to the snow and my options were here or your homeland! I decided to try CA first as I’ve never lived in NA and it’ll be easier to move to Austria when I’m a bit older.

    In my time here, I have had opportunities to snowboard a lot, hike and camp over the summer. Despite this, I still feel like Canada is severely weighing me down and holding me back in life. The 2-3 weeks vacation doesn’t give much opportunity to travel with the long distance flights or long drives here and huge taxes on both domestic/international travel don’t help. For me to travel to central America, it is cheaper and quicker to fly from Ireland than Vancouver where I have to fly to NA or Toronto and connect.

    I have been incredibly fortunate to earn a six figure salary here but as my few friends aren’t in the same boat, they cannot afford to do the travels or desired activities with me.

    I have found people to be quite reserved here, and happily live a quiet life, immigrants keep to their own nationalities and their is heightened by friend groups moving over together and not looking to expand their circles.

    I was due to move last June but I secured my dream role in a company I’ve wanted to work in since I was a kid, this is the best/worst thing for me as everyday outside of work feels like a slug now. I am going to ask in the new year about finishing my contract in EU.

    The cost of living for the lower quality, no real vacation time, no employee/consumer protection and lack of social scene are driving me back to EU. I even am in the middle of my PR application (applied Dec '2, 600 points and no movement!), at this rate it’ll probably come through by the time I’ve left the country for good.

    I am grateful for the opportunities and memories in Canada but I feel like if I were to stay for a fifth year, I’ll be very behind in my life goals.