Immigration to Canada Through Family Sponsorship
Image by United Way of the Lower Mainland via Flickr By Katherine at Legal Language Posted 01/19/2011
In Immigration
Canadian citizens as well as permanent residents are eligible to sponsor most family members who wish to start the immigration process to Canada.
While the regulations governing family immigration to Canada are more lenient than the regulations surrounding family-based green cards in the United States, there are still plenty of rules to keep in mind before you start filling out legal forms.
Who Is Eligible for Family-Based Immigration to Canada?
Family members who are eligible to be sponsored include:- Spouses
- Common-law or same-sex partners 16 years of age or older
- Parents
- Grandparents
- Dependent children under the age of 22, including children to be adopted, if they are not married or in a common-law relationship
- Children over the age of 22 if they are full-time students at accredited institutions of higher learning or if they are mentally or physically challenged
- Orphaned relatives, including brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces
Who Is Eligible to Become a Sponsor?
Family members who wish to be immigration sponsors must reside in Canada and have valid legal status as a citizen or permanent resident. Canadian permanent residents who are eligible to become immigration sponsors typically include students and workers.Sponsors typically reside in Canada, while the family member being sponsored for the immigration process lives in his or her home country. Only spouses or common-law partners of Canadian citizens or permanent residents can apply from within Canada.
If you are living in Canada with your spouse or partner and wish to begin the family immigration process, your partner faces some stricter rules governing whether or not he or she can be a sponsor. He or she must:
- Have valid legal status in Canada as a visitor, student or temporary worker
- Have lived with you for at least one year
- Be living with you in Canada
- Have a valid passport or travel document
- Be 16 years of age or older
- Be your bona fide spouse or common law partner for genuine reasons (not just for the purpose of receiving permanent residence in Canada)
Additional Family Sponsorship Requirements
Sponsors must make a pledge to the Canadian government that they will support their family members for at least three years so that they can establish themselves in Canada. Dependent children must be supported for 10 years or until they turn 25. This is similar to the United States’ I-864 Affidavit of Support that is required for family green card cases.To be a sponsor, you must meet an income requirement. Like the US, the Canadian government does not want to be responsible for public charges — people who require government assistance. Medical documents must be obtained and included in the application, especially where adopted children are concerned.
If in the past you have sponsored a family member, and that relative is currently receiving money or other assistance from the government of Canada, you may not be eligible to sponsor another person.
What Is the Family Immigration Process?
One of the first things to do is download and read a guide to assist you in applying. Legal Language has the following three guides available:- Guide to Sponsorship of a Spouse, Common-Law Partner, Conjugal Partner or Dependent Child Living Outside Canada
- Sponsorship of Parents, Grandparents, Adopted Children and Other Relatives – The Immigrant’s Guide
- Guide to Applying for Permanent Residence from Within Canada – Spouse or Common-Law Partner Class
Canada increases new visa allocation
Image via WikipediaThursday January 20 2011
IRISH emigrants just can't get enough of Canada. And it seems the feeling is mutual.
Under new rules, Canada has increased its working holiday visa allocation to Ireland by 1,000 and will now also allow Irish people to apply for a second visa.
The unexpected changes will benefit those applying for the one-year visa programme for 18-35 year olds.
Last year, when the Irish quota of 4,000 was filled, Ireland was allocated extra visas that were not taken up by other countries.
This year, there will be 5,000 visas on offer, but it's arguably the opportunity to apply for a second one-year visa that will have the biggest impact.
Eligible
It is anticipated that thousands of Irish people who are already in Canada on a one-year holiday visa are expected to apply to stay for a second year.
"I'm here for the foreseeable future," Seamus Blake (25), one of those in line to benefit, told the Irish Independent from Toronto last night.
"My family is at home but there is no work to go back to. Once I've been here for two years and working, I'm eligible for permanent residency. When that time comes, it is something I will be looking into."
Mr Blake, from Liscannor in Clare, has been in Toronto since last April and has secured work as an insurance consultant.
Tonight, 300 Irish newcomers to Toronto will gather for an 'information meeting' organised by the local Irish chamber of commerce.
"The majority of Irish people who emigrate to Canada hit Toronto first," Marguerite Bourke, of Enterprise Ireland in Toronto, said. "It's the biggest city, there's more jobs, more opportunities."
The Irish Ambassador to Canada, Ray Bassett, said Canada was "more high profile" in Ireland than ever before. "Canada is very much flavour of the month," he said.
The Canadian government has indicated that -- because of its booming economy and relatively small population -- its labour force will be boosted solely through immigration in the coming years.
Under new rules, Canada has increased its working holiday visa allocation to Ireland by 1,000 and will now also allow Irish people to apply for a second visa.
The unexpected changes will benefit those applying for the one-year visa programme for 18-35 year olds.
Last year, when the Irish quota of 4,000 was filled, Ireland was allocated extra visas that were not taken up by other countries.
This year, there will be 5,000 visas on offer, but it's arguably the opportunity to apply for a second one-year visa that will have the biggest impact.
Eligible
It is anticipated that thousands of Irish people who are already in Canada on a one-year holiday visa are expected to apply to stay for a second year.
"I'm here for the foreseeable future," Seamus Blake (25), one of those in line to benefit, told the Irish Independent from Toronto last night.
"My family is at home but there is no work to go back to. Once I've been here for two years and working, I'm eligible for permanent residency. When that time comes, it is something I will be looking into."
Mr Blake, from Liscannor in Clare, has been in Toronto since last April and has secured work as an insurance consultant.
Tonight, 300 Irish newcomers to Toronto will gather for an 'information meeting' organised by the local Irish chamber of commerce.
"The majority of Irish people who emigrate to Canada hit Toronto first," Marguerite Bourke, of Enterprise Ireland in Toronto, said. "It's the biggest city, there's more jobs, more opportunities."
The Irish Ambassador to Canada, Ray Bassett, said Canada was "more high profile" in Ireland than ever before. "Canada is very much flavour of the month," he said.
The Canadian government has indicated that -- because of its booming economy and relatively small population -- its labour force will be boosted solely through immigration in the coming years.
- Jason O'Brien
Irish Independent
You’re leaving already?
Image via WikipediaSix out of 10 business-class immigrants who land in Quebec quickly take their money elsewhereWhen your province’s birth rate is hovering at replacement level, and when nearly a quarter of the population is nearing retirement, language politics tend to take a back seat to more pressing matters—like how to sustain the economy. No surprise, then, that Quebec has assumed a prominent spot on the immigration bandwagon, treating newcomers as a key to its economic future rather than a threat to its identity. By any measure, its efforts have paid off: in the last decade, the province has jacked up its intake of immigrants by more than 50 per cent, welcoming almost 49,500 last year.
The question now is how to keep the most wealthy and productive newcomers from flying the coop. A recent internal report by the federal immigration department suggests more than six out of 10 of the coveted business-class immigrants who declared Quebec as their destination during the early 2000s quickly fled to other provinces, taking their investment dollars and entrepreneurship potential with them. The big winners? Ontario and the two westernmost provinces. B.C. saw a 22 per cent net gain in the number of business-class immigrants who called it home, due to migration from other provinces. Ontario enjoyed a 14.5 per cent bump while Alberta saw a 9.5 per cent increase.
The report, which was obtained under Access to Information by Vancouver immigration lawyer Richard Kurland, calls into question the widespread belief in Quebec that newcomers will provide much of the province’s future economic momentum. The theory, promoted in policy circles and at all levels of government, assumes a heavy influx of business immigrants—an umbrella term for investors, entrepreneurs and the self-employed who are admitted to Canada on the basis of the wealth they will generate (investor-class immigrants to Canada must be willing to spend more than $800,000 in this country, and their net worth must exceed $1.6 million; entrepreneurs must have a $300,000 net worth and two years of business experience).
Immigration drives construction and the B.C. economy
Image by bfraz via FlickrIn Alberta, the price of oil is the economic sign of the times. In Saskatchewan, it’s a mix of key agricultural and mining commodity prices. In Ontario, manufacturing and financial services dominate.
These indicators provide a snapshot of their economies and signposts of the health of what is driving provincial economies.
A recent report by the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) of B.C. shows something different drives B.C. – immigration.
Though forestry, mining, and tourism remain important, it’s the in-flow of individuals and families from the rest of Canada and from other countries that’s at the heart of our economy.
With construction adding more than $9 billion a year to GDP, and driving nearly 10 per cent of the jobs in the province, the health of the industry matters to everyone.
View from the Board
Philip Hochstein
Residential construction is more important in British Columbia than any other province.
More than nine per cent of our GDP comes from the sector. Quebec’s residential construction sector has the second largest impact in Canada – and its share of GDP is 25 per cent less than in B.C.
What drives residential construction? Population growth.
What drives population growth? Here in B.C., it’s international immigration.
B.C., like the rest of the Western world, has declining birth rates. British Columbians are doing little to bump up our population.
In-migration from other provinces has been strong for the past few years – a recovery from the 1997 to 2004 period, when more people moved away than moved here. International immigration now drives B.C.’s population increases.
There is a direct link between population growth and residential construction. There was solid growth and high housing starts up until the mid-1990s.
Population growth slowed from 1997 to 2000 – mirrored by a decline in housing starts.
When the population started increasing again in 2001, housing starts began rising to levels surpassing the mid-1990s.
It’s not just numbers that are important.
It’s the attitude the immigrants bring – a strong attachment to home ownership. In an assessment released last year, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation looked at immigrants six, 24 and 48 months after arrival.
While less than one-in-five owned their home at the end of six months, (an already impressive proportion, CMHC noted) more than half did by the 48-month mark.
B.C. booms when more people decide to call this province home. Far from taking away jobs, immigrants, and Canadians heeding the call to head west, generate them. In particular, new British Columbians drive the construction sector – in homebuilding, in multi-family construction and in expanding the commercial and institutional infrastructure that a growing population requires.
Think of it this way – in Alberta, they’re building homes for oil workers, in Ontario for folks working in manufacturing plants.
In B.C. we’re building new homes for the people who are building homes for the people moving to B.C.
In addition to all immigration does to make this a more vibrant and interesting place to live, it’s also key to the economic well-being of all British Columbians.
Philip Hochstein is the president of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) of B.C. Philip is also a member of the Journal of Commerce Editorial Advisory Board. Send comments or questions to editor@journalofcommerce.com.
China looking beyond Canada’s resource sector .
Image via WikipediaANDY HOFFMAN — ASIA-PACIFIC REPORTER,
VANCOUVER— From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
Published
Last updated
When Chinese telecom manufacturer Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. unveiled plans to spend $50-million on a new research and development facility in Ottawa last spring, it may have ushered in a new era of foreign investment in Canada.With the region still reeling from thousands of job losses related to the collapse of the once-mighty Nortel Networks Corp., Shenzhen-based Huawei’s strategy to tap Ottawa’s pool of highly skilled technology workers for its new facility was heralded as welcome relief for a battered part of the economy.
Now, there are further signs China is looking beyond Canada’s resource sector for new investment opportunities that could help revive a besieged domestic manufacturing industry.
A survey of more than 1,300 mostly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from China shows strong interest in investing in Canadian manufacturing. About 8 per cent of the Chinese companies surveyed said they planned to invest in Canada within the next three years. Among those companies, the average size of intended overseas investment is $16.1-million (U.S.), according to the report prepared by the Asia Pacific
Under the central government’s so-called Go Global strategy, which encourages companies to invest abroad, China has become a powerful player in the international competition for foreign direct investment. While much of Europe and North America continued last year to struggle to recover from the global financial crisis, Chinese companies plowed about $50-billion into assets and companies abroad.
Canada’s mining and energy sectors, and particularly the Alberta oil sands, have attracted the bulk of Chinese capital flowing into Canada in recent years. Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have made multibillion-dollar investments buying control of resource development projects in need of financing or taking minority stakes in assets that are already producing.
However, the report finds that among Chinese SMEs – which are defined as companies with less than 300 million renminbi ($45-million U.S.
Chinese companies are interested in Canada’s manufacturing sector not only for its access to the greater North American market, but also to acquire high-end technology and skilled managers and workers.
“Much of the investment is likely to help Chinese manufacturers move up the value chain. They’re not looking for cheap labour that they can get in Thailand, the Philippines or African countries. They’re looking for the kind of technological, management and marketing expertise that will allow them to become global companies,” said Yuen Pau Woo, president of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.
In addition to encouraging companies to invest abroad, China has recently loosened restrictions on offshore trading in its currency, which is expected to promote more overseas investments by Chinese firms.
As well, China Investment Corp., the country’s $300-billion sovereign wealth fund, is setting up an office in Toronto to help identify investment opportunities in North America.
Why Canada's recession wasn't as brutal
TAVIA GRANT
Globe and Mail Blog
In the cacophony of daily news, a useful new analysis has put the recession in historical context: it was milder than previous ones, though the initial tumble in output and employment was sharper than in any post-war period.Moreover, Canada is now the only G7 nation to have recouped its losses from the 2008-2009 recession, as both real GDP and employment remain below pre-recession levels in the other six countries, Statistics Canada’s chief economic analyst says.
For Canada, “this is a significant achievement, given that the global economic downturn which began in 2008 was the most severe and synchronized since the 1930s,” said Philip Cross in a paper published Thursday.
While no Canadian body dates official starts and ends to recessions, as in the U.S., Mr. Cross estimates it started in August or September of 2008 and lasted until May or July of 2009. The economy was “clearly” in recession for three quarters, from the fourth quarter of 2008 to the second quarter of 2009, he says.
He explored what factors caused the precipitous slide, and why the downturn wasn’t nearly as severe as in previous recessions of 1981-82 and 1990-92, nor as bad as in other countries. Here are some of his findings:
- Jobs contracted at only half the rate at which output fell during this recession. That’s because employers in Canada relied almost equally on reductions in employment and shorter workweeks to cut total hours worked in line with output. That response is different than in prior recessions -- in the prior two downturns, employers relied on cutting jobs much more than hours.
- May, 2009, seems to be the low point for monthly GDP, “when widespread plant closures in the auto industry as two major firms went bankrupt depressed output, and the same month was the low in hours worked.”
- The initial speed of descent in the last downturn exceeded that in the other two recessions.
- But employment bounced back much more quickly. It took four years after the 1990 recession began for the labour market to recover; three years after the 1981 recession, and two years (for both GDP and jobs) to recuperate in the past recession. The downturn in the early 1990s was marked by a rare double-dip recession.
- Full-time job cuts were heavier in prior recessions than the recent one. Full-time employment at the end of last year is still 64,000 below its pre-recession peak, which explains why total hours worked remain 0.7 per cent below their peak.
- Exports plunged at a record rate. “The most striking feature of the 2008-2009 recession was the speed and severity of the contraction in exports,” the report said. The “unprecedented speed and severity of the fall in exports...reflects the impact on the global economy and trade flows of the unprecedented disruption in financial markets that occurred in the fall of 2008.”
- With the fall in exports came a collapse of business investment. Investment in plants and equipment plunged by about 20 per cent in the recession, matching a record plunge. Investment has since picked up, but remains below pre-recession levels.
He attributes this to several factors: Canadian households had strong balance sheets going into the downturn. Employment didn’t fall as much as in past contractions. Credit wasn’t as impaired as in other countries. “This reflects both a sounder financial system and the massive response from policy makers both to shore up capital and to lower interest rates.”
Minister Kenney Makes it Easier for Haitians in Canada to Work
Image via WikipediaOTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Jan. 18, 2011) - Haitians in Canada temporarily can now apply for work permits more easily, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today."Given the continued health and safety concerns in Haiti, ensuring that Haitian nationals who are currently in Canada temporarily can work and support themselves while they are here is paramount," said Minister Kenney. "It's important for Haitians already in Canada to know that if they need a work permit, they can now obtain one much more easily."
The Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations generally require work permit applications to be accompanied by a determination by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada that there is no adverse impact on the labour market. This is known as a labour market opinion, or an LMO. By removing this requirement, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is making it easier for Haitians who are here to work and maintain their immigration status.
Haitian nationals applying to extend their work permit will also receive continued coverage under the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP). New applicants who are eligible for these measures will now also benefit from the IFHP.
These measures will take effect immediately and will apply to all Haitian nationals who were in Canada prior to January 13, 2011, and who are applying for a work permit or extending a work permit. The requirement for an LMO will remain in place for all those who arrived in Canada after that date.
Eligible individuals will have until September 1, 2011, to apply. Work permits are normally valid for one year.
For further information on work permits: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/index.asp
Special Canada Day Report: How Canada stole the American Dream
Image by MusMs via FlickrBy: DUNCAN HOODThe numbers are in. Compared to the U.S., we work less, live longer, enjoy better health and have more sex. And get this: now we're wealthier too.
To be an American is to be the best. Every American believes this. Their sports champions are not U.S. champions, they're world champions. Their corporations aren't the largest in the States, they're the largest on the planet. Their armies don't defend just America, they defend freedom.
Like the perpetual little brother, Canadians have always lived in the shadow of our American neighbours. We mock them for their uncultured ways, their brash talk and their insularity, but it's always been the thin laughter of the insecure. After all, says University of Lethbridge sociologist Reginald Bibby, a leading tracker of social trends, "Americans grow up with the sincere belief that their nation is a nation that is unique and special, literally called by something greater to be blessed and to be a blessing to people around the globe." Canadians can't compete with that.
Continued Below
But it turns out that while they've been out conquering the world, here in Canada we've been quietly working away at building better lives. While they've been pursuing happiness, we've been achieving it.
How do we know? You just have to look at the numbers. For our Canada Day special issue this year, Maclean's compared Canadians and Americans in every facet of our lives. We scoured census reports, polls, surveys, scientific studies, policy papers and consumer databases. We looked at who lives longer, who works more, who spends more time with friends, who travels more and who has more sex. We even found out who eats more vegetables. After digging through the data, here's what we found: the staid, underpaid Canadian is dead. Believe it or not, we now have more wealth than Americans, even though we work shorter hours. We drink more often, but we
live longer and have fewer diseases. We have more sex, more sex partners and we're more adventurous in bed, but we have fewer teen pregnancies and fewer sexually transmitted diseases. We spend more time with family and friends, and more time exploring the world. Even in crime we come out ahead: we're just as prone to break the law, but when we do it, we don't get shot. Most of the time, we don't even go to jail.
The data shows that it's the Canadians who are living it up, while Americans toil away, working longer hours to pay their mounting bills.
The wealth numbers, in particular, are shocking. As of 2005, the median family in Canada was worth US$122,600, according to Statistics Canada, while the U.S. Federal Reserve pegged the median American family at US$93,100 in 2004. Those figures, the most recent available, already include an adjustment for our higher prices, and thanks to the rising loonie Canadians are likely even further ahead today. We're ahead mainly because Americans carry far more debt than we do, and it means that the median Canadian family is a full 30 per cent wealthier than the median American family. "The fact that we're now richer is a big reversal," says Jack Mintz, former president of the C.D. Howe Institute and the current Palmer Chair in public policy at the University of Calgary. "It's a huge change in the way we view the world."
Mintz points out that it wasn't all that long ago that we were much poorer than the Americans. Just think back to the 1980s when our dollar was worth 69 American cents, inflation was raging, our real wages were dropping and our productivity was . . . well it was just embarrassing. "From 1987 to 1997 in particular, we had terrible economic growth," says Mintz. "By the time we reached 1999, we were way behind the U.S. in per capita incomes and everything else." Back then, he notes, the newspapers were packed with dire warnings of brain drain. Canadian incomes were so low compared to Americans, our best and brightest were fleeing the country.
Today, it's the reverse, and families such as Eric Nay, his wife, Polly, and their son are moving the other way. Nay, who's 41 and now works as associate dean at the Ontario College of Art & Design in Toronto, says he packed his bags and left his home in tony Monterey, Calif., for a new life in Canada two years ago. And get this: he did it for a bigger paycheque. "The academic salaries here are much higher," he says. "When I was working as an assistant professor in California, I was making $55,000, but in Canada, that magically becomes $70,000."
How did this happen? Canada often comes out ahead when you look at squishy things like quality of life. But since when were we richer? Mintz credits the rising loonie, the boom in commodities, and better public policy. He says that over the past decade productivity growth in the U.S. has slowed, while we've been hacking away at our government debt and lowering taxes. In short, as a nation, we've been doing everything right, while the U.S. has been doing everything wrong.
When you look at how individual Canadian and American families make and spend their money, it gets even more interesting. The numbers show that our median household incomes are about the same, or at least they were back in 2005 when the most recent figures came out. That year the median household income in Canada was about US$44,300, after you adjust it for the exchange rate and our lower purchasing power, while the American median was US$46,300. Since then, the loonie has gained on the U.S. dollar, so we've likely narrowed the gap. But while our incomes may be similar to American incomes, we're still much wealthier because we have less debt. What you make isn't a good measure of how rich you are — to figure out your true wealth you should add up everything you have and subtract what you owe. And Americans owe more. A lot more. Here in Canada the average amount of personal debt per person is US$23,460. In the U.S. it's a whopping US$40,250. And all those numbers are from 2005, just before their housing market slipped into a sinkhole. If you looked at the numbers now, you'd find that Americans are even further behind, because their largest asset — their home — is worth less. "There has been a lot of destruction of wealth in the U.S. over the past few years," says Mintz, "and that would affect the net worth figures significantly. I would suspect that they would be even worse off today."
Certainly Canadians who venture down to live in the U.S. say there's a huge difference in how the two countries approach spending and debt. Gerry Van Boven grew up in southern Ontario but moved to the U.S. in 1985. Now he's 57 and living in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He says his American friends seem genuinely puzzled by his reluctance to load on huge piles of debt so he can buy a big luxury car and a monster home. "Most of the people that I know who were born and raised here are a lot farther in hock than I am, and they think that's quite normal," he says. "They're like, 'Can't afford it? I'll just put it on plastic.' Whereas I was brought up to believe that if you can't afford to buy it in cash, you can't afford it."
The numbers confirm that Americans like to spend big. They have bigger homes than we do, averaging about 2,500 sq. feet, compared to only 2,000 sq. feet in Canada. They spend about 34 per cent of their annual household expenditure on their homes, compared to just 19 per cent here. They also love big cars. In the U.S., luxury cars and SUVs make up 21 per cent of the market, whereas in Canada, they make up only 11 per cent. The most popular model overall in the U.S. is the more upscale Toyota Camry, whereas we prefer the basic Honda Civic. "They like the big SUVs here especially," says Van Boven, "or at least they did. A good friend of mine went out and bought one of those big GMC Yukons a while back, but now gas is at $4 a gallon. I saw him the other day and asked when he was going to get rid of it. 'I can't,' he said. 'I don't own it yet.' "
Bibby, the sociologist, says the great American debt load is a direct result of their relentless quest for the best. "American culture is more consumer-oriented due to a more intense and more vigorous marketplace," he says. "My sense is that more dollars are spent per capita on advertising, for example. Little wonder then that per capita debt is considerably higher in the U.S. than in Canada. It is largely a function of the aggressive and successful marketing efforts of American companies." Health care, too, is helping to keep Americans in a state of owe, and for all the same reasons. In the U.S., as long as you have a good insurance plan, you have access to the best health care in the world. MRI machines are available on an hour's notice, there's plenty of staff, and the specialists are the finest there are. But all of that comes at a cost, says Van Boven, and every American feels it. "The absolute biggest difference, financially, that I noticed was the cost of health insurance," he says. "When my wife got laid off, we found out that you could keep the insurance you got through work for a while as long as you paid for it. But it cost $5,000 a year, and that was back in 1986. We couldn't afford that. So since then I've had no health insurance." Eric Nay, who moved to Toronto from California, says that even Americans with good insurance feel the pinch. "When I taught for the state of California, I had the best health coverage on the planet," he reports. "But when my son was born — and it was totally by the book, no complications — my insurance only covered the first $10,000 of the hospital costs. The remaining $8,000 came out of my pocket. And that's with full coverage."
Meanwhile in Canada, not only are we wealthier, but we don't even have to work as hard to make that wealth. In 2004, the average Canadian worker put in 35 hours of work per week, while our American counterparts put in 38. Only 30 per cent of Canadians work 45 hours a week or more, compared to 38 per cent of Americans. We also get — and take — much more vacation time. Employed adults in Canada get about 17 vacation days a year, and we take 16 of those days, leaving just one on the table. In the U.S., they get 14 days of vacation, but they only take 11, making them the world leader in yet another category: the working drudge.
Because we have more time off, Canadians tend to have a lot more fun. We spend more time with friends than Americans do, and we're much more likely to have a sit-down dinner with the family at home each night. We also tend to drink alcohol more often, with 27 per cent of us having a drink at least a few times a week, compared to 19 per cent of Americans. Nay says that our richer social lives were one of the biggest differences he noticed when he moved to Toronto. "It was only in Canada that I found myself going to the pub with friends and colleagues," he says. "I spend more time in pubs here than I have in any other place that I've lived. It's partly the culture, and partly because the quality of beer is fantastic."
Christian Lander is another Canadian living among Americans. He grew up in Toronto, but the 29-year-old moved to Los Angeles 2½ years ago where he runs the popular Stuff White People Like website, and he's publishing a book under the same name on July 1. He also finds that Americans like to do things big, but that doesn't always mean better. "The expectations here are just different," he says. "There's more ambition. More ambition to acquire more in terms of money and career. Whereas Canadians seem to be more European in that we care more about enjoying life." He's lived all over the country and says that it's very difficult to sum up the differences between Americans and Canadians because Americans are so diverse. The gaps between rich and poor, or black and white within the confines of the U.S. are much deeper and wider than the gap between the two countries. And within that mix, he says there's a subset of Americans who are just like Canadians. "Left-wing urban Americans," he says. "Canada is just a country of left-wing urban Americans." Still, he says that the relentless zeal, the private schools, the long work hours, not to mention the fact that everyone in L.A. seems to carry a gun, well, it all gets him down sometimes. His wife, who's American, is pushing to move back to Toronto, he says. "And yeah, we probably will."
Reginald Bibby notes the irony of the situation. The U.S. is a country that aggressively pursues happiness, but Canada seems to have just stumbled onto it. While Americans are putting in overtime to pursue the American dream, we're at the pub having a few pints with friends. They may have bigger cars and bigger homes, but they're living under a mountain of debt. They look richer, but the numbers prove that they're not. The truth is that all of that competition, all of that keeping up with the Joneses, can take its toll. Getting ahead can be a lot easier when everyone is moving in the same direction. "The pursuit of happiness is ingrained in Americans as part of what it means to be an American," Bibby says. "But in Canada, happiness is almost something of a by-product of coexisting peacefully."
Be it sports, health care, business or wealth, Americans are still competing to be the best. And it's true that the best in the U.S. is the best you'll find on the planet. But when you look at the medians and the averages, their accomplishment pales. As the hard numbers in this report show, Americans have shorter lives, poorer health, less sex, more divorces, and more violent crime. Which may mean that perhaps America isn't the greatest nation on earth. After all, you can't judge a nation by the best it produces, you have to judge it by the success of the average Joe. And the average Joe in Canada is having a way better time.
With Patricia Treble
How do we know? You just have to look at the numbers. For our Canada Day special issue this year, Maclean's compared Canadians and Americans in every facet of our lives. We scoured census reports, polls, surveys, scientific studies, policy papers and consumer databases. We looked at who lives longer, who works more, who spends more time with friends, who travels more and who has more sex. We even found out who eats more vegetables. After digging through the data, here's what we found: the staid, underpaid Canadian is dead. Believe it or not, we now have more wealth than Americans, even though we work shorter hours. We drink more often, but we
live longer and have fewer diseases. We have more sex, more sex partners and we're more adventurous in bed, but we have fewer teen pregnancies and fewer sexually transmitted diseases. We spend more time with family and friends, and more time exploring the world. Even in crime we come out ahead: we're just as prone to break the law, but when we do it, we don't get shot. Most of the time, we don't even go to jail.
The data shows that it's the Canadians who are living it up, while Americans toil away, working longer hours to pay their mounting bills.
The wealth numbers, in particular, are shocking. As of 2005, the median family in Canada was worth US$122,600, according to Statistics Canada, while the U.S. Federal Reserve pegged the median American family at US$93,100 in 2004. Those figures, the most recent available, already include an adjustment for our higher prices, and thanks to the rising loonie Canadians are likely even further ahead today. We're ahead mainly because Americans carry far more debt than we do, and it means that the median Canadian family is a full 30 per cent wealthier than the median American family. "The fact that we're now richer is a big reversal," says Jack Mintz, former president of the C.D. Howe Institute and the current Palmer Chair in public policy at the University of Calgary. "It's a huge change in the way we view the world."
Mintz points out that it wasn't all that long ago that we were much poorer than the Americans. Just think back to the 1980s when our dollar was worth 69 American cents, inflation was raging, our real wages were dropping and our productivity was . . . well it was just embarrassing. "From 1987 to 1997 in particular, we had terrible economic growth," says Mintz. "By the time we reached 1999, we were way behind the U.S. in per capita incomes and everything else." Back then, he notes, the newspapers were packed with dire warnings of brain drain. Canadian incomes were so low compared to Americans, our best and brightest were fleeing the country.
Today, it's the reverse, and families such as Eric Nay, his wife, Polly, and their son are moving the other way. Nay, who's 41 and now works as associate dean at the Ontario College of Art & Design in Toronto, says he packed his bags and left his home in tony Monterey, Calif., for a new life in Canada two years ago. And get this: he did it for a bigger paycheque. "The academic salaries here are much higher," he says. "When I was working as an assistant professor in California, I was making $55,000, but in Canada, that magically becomes $70,000."
How did this happen? Canada often comes out ahead when you look at squishy things like quality of life. But since when were we richer? Mintz credits the rising loonie, the boom in commodities, and better public policy. He says that over the past decade productivity growth in the U.S. has slowed, while we've been hacking away at our government debt and lowering taxes. In short, as a nation, we've been doing everything right, while the U.S. has been doing everything wrong.
When you look at how individual Canadian and American families make and spend their money, it gets even more interesting. The numbers show that our median household incomes are about the same, or at least they were back in 2005 when the most recent figures came out. That year the median household income in Canada was about US$44,300, after you adjust it for the exchange rate and our lower purchasing power, while the American median was US$46,300. Since then, the loonie has gained on the U.S. dollar, so we've likely narrowed the gap. But while our incomes may be similar to American incomes, we're still much wealthier because we have less debt. What you make isn't a good measure of how rich you are — to figure out your true wealth you should add up everything you have and subtract what you owe. And Americans owe more. A lot more. Here in Canada the average amount of personal debt per person is US$23,460. In the U.S. it's a whopping US$40,250. And all those numbers are from 2005, just before their housing market slipped into a sinkhole. If you looked at the numbers now, you'd find that Americans are even further behind, because their largest asset — their home — is worth less. "There has been a lot of destruction of wealth in the U.S. over the past few years," says Mintz, "and that would affect the net worth figures significantly. I would suspect that they would be even worse off today."
The numbers confirm that Americans like to spend big. They have bigger homes than we do, averaging about 2,500 sq. feet, compared to only 2,000 sq. feet in Canada. They spend about 34 per cent of their annual household expenditure on their homes, compared to just 19 per cent here. They also love big cars. In the U.S., luxury cars and SUVs make up 21 per cent of the market, whereas in Canada, they make up only 11 per cent. The most popular model overall in the U.S. is the more upscale Toyota Camry, whereas we prefer the basic Honda Civic. "They like the big SUVs here especially," says Van Boven, "or at least they did. A good friend of mine went out and bought one of those big GMC Yukons a while back, but now gas is at $4 a gallon. I saw him the other day and asked when he was going to get rid of it. 'I can't,' he said. 'I don't own it yet.' "
Bibby, the sociologist, says the great American debt load is a direct result of their relentless quest for the best. "American culture is more consumer-oriented due to a more intense and more vigorous marketplace," he says. "My sense is that more dollars are spent per capita on advertising, for example. Little wonder then that per capita debt is considerably higher in the U.S. than in Canada. It is largely a function of the aggressive and successful marketing efforts of American companies." Health care, too, is helping to keep Americans in a state of owe, and for all the same reasons. In the U.S., as long as you have a good insurance plan, you have access to the best health care in the world. MRI machines are available on an hour's notice, there's plenty of staff, and the specialists are the finest there are. But all of that comes at a cost, says Van Boven, and every American feels it. "The absolute biggest difference, financially, that I noticed was the cost of health insurance," he says. "When my wife got laid off, we found out that you could keep the insurance you got through work for a while as long as you paid for it. But it cost $5,000 a year, and that was back in 1986. We couldn't afford that. So since then I've had no health insurance." Eric Nay, who moved to Toronto from California, says that even Americans with good insurance feel the pinch. "When I taught for the state of California, I had the best health coverage on the planet," he reports. "But when my son was born — and it was totally by the book, no complications — my insurance only covered the first $10,000 of the hospital costs. The remaining $8,000 came out of my pocket. And that's with full coverage."
Meanwhile in Canada, not only are we wealthier, but we don't even have to work as hard to make that wealth. In 2004, the average Canadian worker put in 35 hours of work per week, while our American counterparts put in 38. Only 30 per cent of Canadians work 45 hours a week or more, compared to 38 per cent of Americans. We also get — and take — much more vacation time. Employed adults in Canada get about 17 vacation days a year, and we take 16 of those days, leaving just one on the table. In the U.S., they get 14 days of vacation, but they only take 11, making them the world leader in yet another category: the working drudge.
Because we have more time off, Canadians tend to have a lot more fun. We spend more time with friends than Americans do, and we're much more likely to have a sit-down dinner with the family at home each night. We also tend to drink alcohol more often, with 27 per cent of us having a drink at least a few times a week, compared to 19 per cent of Americans. Nay says that our richer social lives were one of the biggest differences he noticed when he moved to Toronto. "It was only in Canada that I found myself going to the pub with friends and colleagues," he says. "I spend more time in pubs here than I have in any other place that I've lived. It's partly the culture, and partly because the quality of beer is fantastic."
Christian Lander is another Canadian living among Americans. He grew up in Toronto, but the 29-year-old moved to Los Angeles 2½ years ago where he runs the popular Stuff White People Like website, and he's publishing a book under the same name on July 1. He also finds that Americans like to do things big, but that doesn't always mean better. "The expectations here are just different," he says. "There's more ambition. More ambition to acquire more in terms of money and career. Whereas Canadians seem to be more European in that we care more about enjoying life." He's lived all over the country and says that it's very difficult to sum up the differences between Americans and Canadians because Americans are so diverse. The gaps between rich and poor, or black and white within the confines of the U.S. are much deeper and wider than the gap between the two countries. And within that mix, he says there's a subset of Americans who are just like Canadians. "Left-wing urban Americans," he says. "Canada is just a country of left-wing urban Americans." Still, he says that the relentless zeal, the private schools, the long work hours, not to mention the fact that everyone in L.A. seems to carry a gun, well, it all gets him down sometimes. His wife, who's American, is pushing to move back to Toronto, he says. "And yeah, we probably will."
Reginald Bibby notes the irony of the situation. The U.S. is a country that aggressively pursues happiness, but Canada seems to have just stumbled onto it. While Americans are putting in overtime to pursue the American dream, we're at the pub having a few pints with friends. They may have bigger cars and bigger homes, but they're living under a mountain of debt. They look richer, but the numbers prove that they're not. The truth is that all of that competition, all of that keeping up with the Joneses, can take its toll. Getting ahead can be a lot easier when everyone is moving in the same direction. "The pursuit of happiness is ingrained in Americans as part of what it means to be an American," Bibby says. "But in Canada, happiness is almost something of a by-product of coexisting peacefully."
Be it sports, health care, business or wealth, Americans are still competing to be the best. And it's true that the best in the U.S. is the best you'll find on the planet. But when you look at the medians and the averages, their accomplishment pales. As the hard numbers in this report show, Americans have shorter lives, poorer health, less sex, more divorces, and more violent crime. Which may mean that perhaps America isn't the greatest nation on earth. After all, you can't judge a nation by the best it produces, you have to judge it by the success of the average Joe. And the average Joe in Canada is having a way better time.
With Patricia Treble
Typical Living Expenses in Canada
Image via WikipediaSource: Muchmore magazine Your life in Canada will be different than in your home country. You may have to take a job with lower pay while you upgrade your skills or get experience working here. That means your financial status could change. Even if you earn a higher salary in Canada than you were earning in your home country, the cost of living here may be higher than you are used to. Below are typical cost of living figures in Canada for your information.
Existing newcomers, please feel free to add your typical costs for essential services or other items via comments as this is really useful information for everyone.
Prepare financially before you leave
Determine how much it costs to live where you are planning to settle in Canada. The cost of living will vary depending on where you decide to settle but some costs will be typical for items and services across Canada.Check with your banker, lawyer, or financial adviser to find out if your home country has a limit on how much money can be removed. Find out more about bringing money with you to Canada and items you can import duty free and tax free on the Canada Border Services Agency website.
If you will be immigrating to Canada as a skilled worker, investor, entrepreneur or as a self-employed person you will have to provide proof that you have sufficient funds to support yourself and your family after you arrive in Canada. You will need to provide proof of your funds to the Canadian visa office in your home country when you submit your application for immigration.
Here are some typical costs for items and services in Canada.
Typical Canadian living costs
Household expenses - Your everyday costs
Up to half your take-home pay in Canada can be taken up by household expenses. These expenses include the cost of your home, heating and other utilities, food, clothing, health insurance and transportation.Your home will cost the most
Most Canadians spend 35 to 50 percent of their income on housing and utilities. This includes the cost of renting your home or paying your mortgage (a mortgage is a long-term loan.) It also includes the often-high cost of heating your home and paying for electricity, telephone service and water.If you rent
Many newcomers choose to rent an apartment on a monthly basis. Rental costs vary across cities and across Canada; they usually cost less outside large cities.You will likely pay at least $350 a month to rent a room and at least $2,000 a month to rent a larger apartment or a large house. An immigrant-serving organization where you plan to settle can help you find a home that you can afford.
If you buy
If you want to buy a house, you will probably need to get a mortgage. Banks and other lending institutions give mortgage loans. They decide whether you have enough income, enough assets (things you own) and a good credit rating. Most banks will ask you to pay at least 10 percent of the cost of the house from your own money.In addition to your mortgage payments, you will have to pay for property tax and household insurance. If you plan to purchase a condominium (condo), you will have to pay other fees.
You can compare the costs of housing in communities across Canada in the city profiles section of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) website.
Health insurance
Some provincial and territorial health programs may not cover some newcomers for the first three months they are in Canada.You should check with the ministry of health in your province or territory as soon as you arrive in Canada to see if you will need to buy extra health insurance.
Basic expenses
Food will be a basic expense and costs will depend on the size of your family. This cost can double if you often eat in restaurants or choose to buy specialty items.Clothing expenses may be less than 10 percent of your take-home pay, but you may spend a lot more if you buy your clothing at designer stores. Second-hand shops sell used clothing and furniture at very low cost.
Alcohol and cigarettes
Some people include alcohol and cigarettes as part of their budget. Alcohol and cigarettes are expensive in Canada because they are heavily taxed.Transportation
Many Canadian families have one or more cars. Canadians either buy their cars new or used or they lease them, which is a form of rental.Make sure you think of all the costs before you decide to buy or lease a car. For example, when you own a car you will have to pay to keep it working well, for gas, monthly loan payments, registration and insurance. When you lease a car you will sign a contract to have the car for a set period of time. You will pay the same costs as you do when you own a car.
Many Canadians also choose to use public transportation, walk or bike.
Car insurance
It is the law that all cars must be insured and registered with your provincial or territorial government. Car insurance can be expensive, but it protects you and other drivers in case of an accident. In most provinces, you can find more information by contacting the Insurance Bureau of Canada.Be ready for occasional expenses
Living in Canada, you will find that every now and then you have to make payments for occasional expenses. Some examples: buying prescription medicine (not covered by health insurance), school supplies and long-distance calls to friends and family in your home country.Learn more about the costs for living in major cities across Canada at Statistics Canada’s website.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Check our online courses now
Click Here now!!!!