I am married to a Canadian. We seriously considered moving up there (which is easy when your married to a Canadian citizen) when we retired last year. One of the big draws was the cheap medical. However, we decided against it, at least for now because:
Taxes are very high compared to the U.S. and not just on income, but on gas, liquor, and tobacco. Because my retirement comes from the U.S. I would not only be paying Federal Taxes here but also the difference I would owe in Canadian taxes. My wife's Canadian income is taxed in Canada, but because taxes are so much cheaper here we owe nothing down here. A 12 pack of Kokanee costs around $11.00 down here, in Canada, try $28. Everything is about 1/3rd more up there, to include groceries.
Housing is much more expensive up there. We could not sell our old house and buy up there without taking on a much larger mortgage then we wanted in retirement.
Now, consider which Province you want to live in. The most desirable in my opinion is B.C., but, the medical costs more, is not as good as some of the other Provinces, and try a 13% sales tax on everything. Gas, booze, etc., is also more costly then some of the other Provinces.
We have family in Alberta as well as S.E. B.C. in the Rockies. Alberta is cheaper when compared to B.C. and does not have that 13% sales tax. The Medical is also much better then B.C., and would have cost us about $225 for the both of us, including vision and dental. But, still a lot more expensive than living down here. Not to mention, you would have to like living on the praire with all of the wind, unless you had really big bucks and could buy in the Rockey Mountain region like in Canmore.
Immigrating up there on your own would be easier than immigrating from up there down here. I think you would just have to demonstrate that you can get a job and have enough cash to take care of yourself.
I love Canada, but right now the Canadian dollar is pretty much on par with the U.S. dollar and has been for quite sometime. Which is another reason we decided against moving up there. So, its a much better deal to be moving Canadian money down here.
With all of that said, we could change up in a few years, especially if medical just becomes impossible to pay down here.
So you think it is F'up down here? Well, I would suggest you move up to Canada, you have 6 or 7 months before you have to leave, and see what you think. Canada has a very large social safety net, but because costs are rising so much with medical, I am not so sure that same system will be around in the next five years. My wife's grandama is gradually being cut off from her assistance. One should always remember that the grass is not always greener on the other side. There are pluses and minuses to both countries.
If you take your 6 or 7 months, maybe you will meet a Canadian girl and get married, that way if you decide to stay up there, you are sure to get in.
Good luck.
Edited by Mike@North Bend (04/22/11 06:44 PM)
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"90% of Life is just showing up and doing the work". Tred Barta Sr.
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