Move to Canada
from the UK

Canada is home to over 500,000 British-born residents, and nearly half of all Canadians claim British Isles ancestry.

It's the third-most-popular destination for British emigrants - behind Australia and the US - and for good reason, too.

English-speaking, stable, safe, with a functioning welfare state, serious career opportunities in tech, finance, healthcare, and energy, and some of the most spectacular nature on earth. What’s not to love?!

The IEC Working Holiday visa gives under-35s a golden ticket to try it out, and at seven hours from London it's dramatically closer than Australia's 22-hour flight Down Under.

Where Brits Cluster

Extending from the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast, to the Pacific Ocean on the west coast, Canada borders America to the south and the Arctic Ocean to the North.

Covering an area of over 9.9 million square kilometres, Canada is the largest country in the Western Hemisphere and second only to Russia as the largest country in the world. It is also a prime spot for expats.

• Toronto - the largest British community, biggest job market, arguably the most familiar urban feel
• Vancouver - attracts the outdoorsy crowd with Canada's mildest climate and mountain access
• Whistler - roughly 9% British population, a stunning ski-town bubble beloved by gap-year Brits
• Calgary - energy sector jobs, no provincial sales tax, lower cost of living than Toronto or Vancouver
• Nova Scotia - literally "New Scotland," maritime charm, affordable property, growing remote-worker community

Around 80% of the population live along the southern border of the country in urban settlements including Vancouver on the west coast, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City on the east coast.

Who Thrives

• Adaptable outdoor types who enjoy winter activities - Canada has one of the most unique landscapes in the world
• Families with young children - you’ve got excellent public schools, safe communities, subsidised childcare
• Tech and healthcare professionals - strong demand and clear immigration pathways for many careers
• Winter embracers who see minus 20°C as “character building”, not a dealbreaker!

Who Struggles

• Committed city types who refuse to drive - outside Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal, a car is damn near essential
• Pub culture devotees - there is no real equivalent of the British local
• People who arrive without a job lined up - the job market has tightened significantly since 2023
• Retirees - frozen UK pension and high healthcare gaps make Canada very expensive for pensioners
• Chronic complainers about cold - do we need to stress this point?! Canadian winters are not for the faint of heart.

Pros

• Space - this is a truly vast country, with affordable land outside the big cities, no feeling of being packed in
• Healthcare won't bankrupt you - provincial Medicare covers GP visits, hospital stays, emergencies, and diagnostics at no direct cost
• World-class nature - Rocky Mountains, Great Lakes, Pacific coast, Arctic tundra, all accessible and stunningly beautiful
• Lower utilities - roughly half UK costs, saving around £125 per month
• Functioning immigration system - points-based, transparent, and respected globally
• Cheaper international schools - roughly half UK private school fees
• Slightly cheaper transport
• A multicultural haven - Toronto has 200+ ethnic groups; diversity is structural and part of what makes Canada great
• Spectacular summers - long daylight hours, lake culture, outdoor festivals, 25-30°C for three months (not long, but lovely while it lasts)

Cons

• Winter lasts 5-6 months with genuine cold - minus 20°C for weeks at a time in most of the country. Bracing.
• Tipping culture - 15-20% is expected on virtually everything, from restaurants to haircuts to taxis
• Some of the most expensive mobile phone plans in the developed world - £35-50 per month for a basic plan, roughly triple the UK
• Groceries lean 10-20% more expensive than the UK - meat, dairy, and alcohol are the worst offenders
• No proper pubs in the British sense - bars exist, but the British pub as a social institution does not translate very well
• Prescription costs - no flat-rate dispensing; you pay the actual cost of medication plus a dispensing fee
• Making real friends takes time - Canadians are friendly but not always friend-making; social circles can feel impenetrable
• Everything is far away - a three-hour drive is considered "not that far" by Canadian standards
• Frozen UK state pension - locked at the rate when you first claim, never increases with inflation, affects roughly 128,000 British pensioners in Canada
• Tax higher than the UK at most income levels - combined federal and provincial rates exceed UK equivalents

Canada's healthcare system is publicly funded through provincial Medicare programs.

Every province and territory runs its own plan, but the basics are fairly consistent across the board: GP visits, hospital stays, emergency treatment, and diagnostic imaging are covered at no direct cost once you have a provincial health card.

It won't bankrupt you the way the dreadedAmerican system might - but it covers meaningfully less than the NHS.

What's Covered

• GP visits and specialist referrals
• Hospital stays and surgery
• Emergency department treatment
• Diagnostic imaging (X-rays, MRIs, CT scans)
• Maternity care

What's NOT Covered

• Dental care - not covered at all for adults under provincial Medicare (some uninsured residents may qualify for the Canadian Dental Care Plan)
• Vision care - eye exams and glasses/contacts out of pocket
• Prescription medication - you pay the actual drug cost plus a dispensing fee, not the flat £9.90 NHS rate
• Physiotherapy and most allied health
• Most mental health services - psychology not covered (£80-135 per session), psychiatry waits of 6+ months
• Ambulance transport - £24-209 depending on province

The Three-Month Gap

Most provinces impose a 3-month waiting period before your health card activates after you establish residency.

Health-card waiting periods are province-specific. Ontario and Alberta generally do not impose a 3‑month wait for eligible newcomers, while British Columbia and Quebec usually do. Check the provincial plan before you arrive and carry private cover for any gap period.

Where affected, during this period, you have no public coverage whatsoever.

That means that it is really important to buy private travel/health insurance before you arrive - we would say this is non-negotiable. A broken arm without insurance could cost £5,000-15,000.

Finding a GP

This is the single biggest practical frustration for newcomers.

Canada has a severe family doctor shortage - roughly 6.5 million Canadians don't have one.

Finding a GP accepting new patients can take months or, in some regions, years. Walk-in clinics serve as the patchwork interim solution, and they work reasonably well for acute issues… but you do lose the continuity of care.

Compared to the NHS

• Walk-in clinic access: better than the NHS - shorter waits, more locations, extended hours
• Specialist wait times: worse - median ~21 weeks from GP referral to specialist treatment
• Mental health: poor - 6-month waits for psychiatry, psychology not covered under Medicare
• Emergency care: comparable - Canadian ERs are well-equipped but wait times rival NHS A&E
• Prescription costs: significantly worse here - no flat-rate system, costs vary wildly by medication

Private Insurance

Most Canadian employers offer group health benefits that cover dental, vision, prescriptions, and paramedical services (physio, massage, psychology).

If your employer doesn't, or you're self-employed, individual plans cost:

• Single: £33-81 per month
• Couple: £60-135 per month
• Family: £90-445 per month

Budget £50-200 per month for private health insurance to cover the gaps Medicare doesn't. Buy temporary coverage for your first 3 months before your health card activates. Do not arrive in Canada without insurance - it's the single most common and most expensive mistake British newcomers make.

Canadian public schools are excellent and renowned worldwide - in fact, Canada ranks 8th globally in OECD education assessments, class sizes average 20-25 students, and the vast majority of Canadian families (including wealthy ones) use the state system.

For most British families, paying for private school in Canada would be spending money unnecessarily.

If you are used to paying private school fees in the UK, this can significantly alter the overall cost of living in Canada.

Public Schools

The quality and consistency of Canadian public education is one of the country's underrated strengths.

Curriculum is set provincially, schools are well-resourced, teachers are well-paid and respected, and there is none of the class-based stigma around state schools that persists in certain parts of England.

There are 379 IB (International Baccalaureate) schools in Canada, many of them public and free. In other words: plenty of choice for your kids.

Private Schools

If you really do insist on private education - perhaps for a specific curriculum, boarding, or continuity with a UK school - fees are typically 40-50% less than equivalent UK institutions:

Popular choices include:

• Upper Canada College, Toronto
• TFS (Toronto French School)
• St George's School, Vancouver

The $10-a-Day Childcare Programme

Canada is in the middle of implementing a national $10-a-day childcare programme.

Eight provinces and territories are already at $10/day or less on average. Ontario capped eligible fees at $22/day from 1 January 2025, with an average around $19/day, and the broader target is $10/day on average by 31 March 2026.

The savings are quite substantial here - £3,500-9,000 per child per year compared to unsubsidised rates - but waitlists are significant, particularly in Toronto and Vancouver.

We suggest you get on lists before you arrive if possible.

How Children Adapt

Children under 10 typically adapt within one school term.

They make friends quickly, pick up Canadian slang, and generally thrive.

As seen elsewhere, it’s teenagers that have the hardest time - established friendship groups are difficult to penetrate, and the cultural differences (no pub culture for older teens, different sports, different slang) can feel isolating for the first 6-12 months.

The consistent feedback we’ve seen from British parents: Canadian children are "remarkably kind and inclusive," and your child will have a Canadian accent within six months regardless of your feelings about it!

Getting Around

The public transport system in Canada consists of trains, ferries, buses and three rapid transport systems in the major cities; the Toronto Subway, Montreal Metro and Vancouver SkyTrain.

The rail network is underutilised with most usage across the extensive network being put to commercial usage rather than intercity passenger travel. Trains do run between cities but are slower and as expensive as using buses or cars.

Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal have decent public transit systems - you can live without a car in the urban core.

Everywhere else, a car is essential. Canada is vast, distances are enormous, and suburban sprawl is the default development pattern.

Your UK driving licence exchanges directly for a Canadian one in most provinces with no additional testing required.

In Quebec, winter tires are mandatory for vehicles registered in the province from 1 December to 15 March. In British Columbia, winter tires or chains are required on many designated routes during the winter season.

And even where not mandatory, they are certainly recommended!

Phones

Canadian mobile phone prices are a real sore spot.

The Rogers/Bell/Telus oligopoly keeps prices roughly triple the UK level. This means a 30-60GB 5G plan costs £35-50 per month through flanker brands (Fido, Koodo, Virgin Plus) - which are the same networks, just rebranded.

Home internet is usually around £33-65 per month depending on speed and provider. Shop the flanker brands and watch for Black Friday deals - it's the one time prices approach sanity.

Banking

All five major Canadian banks (RBC, TD, Scotiabank, BMO, CIBC) offer newcomer banking packages with fee-free accounts for the first 12 months and sometimes a welcome credit card.

Several allow pre-arrival account opening online. Use Wise (formerly TransferWise) for GBP-CAD transfers - the exchange rate markup is a fraction of what banks charge.

Be aware that your UK credit history does not transfer to Canada - you start from zero.

Language

English works in 9 out of 10 provinces.

Quebec is the notable exception: French is the legally mandated language of business, signage, and government services under Bill 101. New Brunswick is officially bilingual.

Ottawa, straddling the Ontario-Quebec border, functions comfortably in both languages. Outside Quebec, you will never need French… but in Montreal, it makes life meaningfully richer and job prospects meaningfully better.

Property

Canada's foreign buyer ban remains in effect until January 2027 - non-residents and non-Canadians cannot purchase residential property.

Permanent residents can buy immediately. We suggest renting first regardless: you will likely need time to understand neighbourhoods, commute patterns, and the winter experience before committing.

Pets

The UK is classified as a rabies-free country by Canada, which simplifies things enormously… there is no quarantine requirement.

Your pet needs a valid rabies vaccination, a microchip, and a veterinary health certificate issued within 10 days of travel. Budget £270-815 total including airline pet fees, vet certificates, and a travel crate.

Note that pit bulls and related breeds are banned in Ontario under breed-specific legislation.