Most people that are interested in relocating to a new country are curious about the cost of living there. They want to try to picture what kind of life they will be able to have there and more often than not, where you live plays a big role. Canada is huge and diverse. It offers accomodations to fit any lifestyles and desires. The real question is: What will you be able to afford in Canada and how does it compare to where you live right now. The answer to this is not simple, because it varies greatly from province to province and from city to city. My recommendation is to browse for yourself. Hence, I have included a few good resources:

• The Canadian Real Estate Association
• Padmapper
• Kijiji
• Craigslist

Canada's education system is among the best in the world. Universities especially stand out on the international scene. Most rankings place the University of Toronto, McGill University and the University of British Columbia in the top 50 in the world. 

canada is home to world-class institutions that cover all areas of knowledge. With so many great choices, it's important to find the right fit. It can help to work with an expert that is familiar with higher education institutions in Canada and that will be able to help you find the school of your dreams. 

Being an international student in Canada can be an immensely rewarding experience. This post will focus on highlighting differences between Canada and its neighbour to the South.

​Each year the Canadian Bureau of International Education (CBIE) publishes facts and figures that provide insights on international education in Canada (international students coming to Canada to study and Canadian students studying abroad). The Institute of International Education (IIE) does the same in the United States through the "Open Doors Reports". In this post, I will highlight what I believe are the three most important trends in Canada when compared with the world leader in international education: The United States.

Canada has experienced incredible growth in the past decade. More and more students choose to come to Canada to pursue their studies for:

• The quality of the Canadian education system
• Canada’s reputation as a tolerant and non-discriminatory society
• Canada’s reputation as a safe country

On the opposite, the United States has seen a decrease in the number of international students in the last three consecutive years. Students have said that they chose not to come to the United States at all or chose to leave for the following reasons:

• International students thought the social and political climate was a deterrent
• International students did not feel welcome in the country.

The two countries are also targeting different markets. While the United States prioritizes traditional markets (in order) China, India, Vietnam, and South Korea, Canada sees the highest growth in Bangladesh, Iran, Vietnam, and Colombia. Canada also has the benefit of having Francophone and bilingual institutions meaning that there is great potential for growth in countries that may not be interested in other traditional destinations like the United States, the United Kingdom, or Australia. In fact, after India and China, most international students in Canada come from France.

International students that come to Canada tend to have a great experience and close to all international students actually would recommend Canada as a study destination. On the other hand, a recent study with a small sample in the United States found that international students were dissatisfied with most services on their campus. In fact, the last Open Doors report shows that close to one international student out of five (24%) wishes to leave the United States (and that is only as a result of the political climate. There are more that want to leave for other reasons). While the data does not say if they would recommend the United States as a study destination, the fact that close to a quarter wants to leave is extremely compelling and a good indication that they probably would not recommend the United States.

Canada's ambitious goal is to attract A MILLION new residents by 2021. Unlike in the United States, there is no immigration lottery system. Foreign nationals are carefully selected based on their ability to settle and thrive in Canada. That is fundamentally a different approach than in the United States where immigrants tend to struggle a lot more compared to the general population. Because international students in Canada are pursuing local credentials, already have an established support system, and are knowledgeable about Canadian society, they are given priority. A lot of effort is put into converting international students into immigrants. That means that a lot of red tape has been removed, and actually, in some cases, the red carpet is out!

• International students can easily access the labour market during their studies. International students can work off-campus up to 20 hours per week and full-time during scheduled breaks.
• There is no cap or lottery system to decide who can stay when they graduate (a lot less of a gamble)
• Innovative programs like the Atlantic Canada Study and Stay Program are being implemented to offer additional support to international students who are interested in settling in Canada permanently.

When we know that more and more international students are choosing where to study based on future career prospects and immigration opportunities more than academics or the experience they will have, this data really stands out. Canada is the underdog to be watching. While it may only have a fraction of the international students the United States does, it seems to be nearly unstoppable. Keep an eye on these three trends and see how things continue to evolve as the two countries are on very different paths.

Canada is known to be a friendly and safe country, but what are the facts? According to World Population Review, Canada is the 6th safest country on Earth, beating every other G7 country. This is quite an exploit! Our neighbours to the South, the United States actually ranked 128th. 

Not that anyone would be surprised, but a study revealed that what Canadians identified as the highest risk to their safety are winter storms. Not too bad!

When it comes to crime, one needs to be cautious and use common sense, of course. That being said, violent crimes are rare and they are close to non-existent in popular areas for tourists. What this means is that there is little crime and it is usually concentrated in certain sections of bigger cities that people tend to avoid.

If safety is a concern for you, there are plenty of extremely safe communities to consider. This previous link looks at the Crime Sevirity Index of the safest cities in Canada. While Toronto has about 65 crimes per 100,000 people, Chicago just over the Great Lakes (similar size) has over 15 times more. Detroit, who shares a border with Canada has twice as many crimes as Chicago and 30 times more than Toronto. That can be very reassuring when Toronto is often seen as one of the most dangerous places in Canada.

In a nutshell, Canada is a very safe country and it stands out as the safest country in the G7. While it is imperative to be cautious and use common sense, it's good to know that Canada is considerably safter than the United States and most other developed countries.