Image via WikipediaAccording to a study of over 1,000 expats carried out by NatWest International, Canada is the country which offers the best qualify of life for Britons abroad.
92 per cent of British expats in Canada surveyed by the bank praised their working environment as "very good” or "excellent”, while 90 per cent rated their financial security as meeting the same criteria.
Canada's health care system, educational standards and attractive natural environment were similarly rated highly by respondents.
Dave Isley, head of NatWest International Personal Banking said: “This is the second year Canada has topped the tables of the NatWest IPB Quality of Life Index. Its excellent working conditions, financial security and peaceful reputation have pushed Canada into this year’s pole position.
“As a member of the Commonwealth, Canada offers Brits common values and goals shared with the UK, helping British expats settle into the country and feel at home.”
Expat Stephen Davis, who lives in Toronto, said: "The media gives excessive attention to areas of sun, sand, sea and easy living etc. Life is not like that in Canada, but what we do have is a meritocracy in an ordered and quite well-organised society... where salaries are reasonable, the country's economy is relatively sound, and almost everyone has access to high quality health care. While no country can ever be perfect, I'm personally very glad I live here."
Stephanie Ash, a British expat who lives in Thunder Bay, north-western Ontario, added that she had personally found that the quality of life in Canada was “superior to anywhere else in the world”.
“Families here enjoy a high disposable income, which means a great lifestyle,” she said. "We have large and affordable homes, a clean and beautiful environment, great employment standards, plenty of business opportunities, and world-class education."
The country does, however, have one crippling disadvantage for expats. It is one of the 150 or so countries where British migrants can expect to have their pensions frozen at the rate they are when they first start drawing them abroad - something which causes serious financial difficulties for many of the country's oldest British settlers.
New Zealand and Australia occupied the second and third places on the index respectively.
The survey found that more than half of those Britons living and working abroad earn between £50,000 and £100,000, with expats based in Hong Kong earning the highest salaries. Nearly half of the expats based there said they were earning more than £100,000 a year
Canada has long sought to boost economic and demographic growth through immigration, and has one of the highest per-capita immigration rates in the world.
