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Winters in Canada’s largest cities (Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal) are colder and snowier than central and southern Sweden, but summers couple of degrees warmer and more humid.
OP depending on where in Sweden you live, as an example Stockholm is nicer than Ottawa. Ottawa is little bit boring but Montreal and Toronto much more fun and more things to see/do.
Canadians gets less vacation day than Swedes by law, so quality and work/life balance in Sweden is better.
Quebec is the most Europeanized system in North America.
It's pouring rain today and going to a high of +7C.
Yes that is exactly what I mean. It is not always -30 C. We, in the south & middle parts of Sweden, typically have that kind of weather all through the winter. Of course there are exceptions, like last year and so far this year. We do get a little bit of snow every year but not enough to do winter sports. That kind of amounts is only seen every 4 to 5 years. But from what I’ve understood you get that amounts every year, which is great.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack
If you're a permanent resident of Canada, my expectation is that you could bring into Canada the same stuff as Canadians can, under the same conditions.
That sounds about right. I’ve read that it is not very difficult to obtain permanent residency, not at all like in the US or Australia anyway. Do you know anything about that/have any experience? If I’ve understood the visa conditions correctly, and I have not spent that much time digging into it yet, I can only stay for 1 year. So, after that I would need to get a permanent visa or leave the country.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJmann
Winters in Canada’s largest cities (Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal) are colder and snowier than central and southern Sweden, but summers couple of degrees warmer and more humid.
OP depending on where in Sweden you live, as an example Stockholm is nicer than Ottawa. Ottawa is little bit boring but Montreal and Toronto much more fun and more things to see/do.
Canadians gets less vacation day than Swedes by law, so quality and work/life balance in Sweden is better.
Quebec is the most Europeanized system in North America.
The large cities of Canada do have a much more continental climate compared to the large cities of Sweden, that mostly have an oceanic climate. There are also a lot more large cities (Stockholm is the only true “large” city in Sweden) to choose from and they all have their certain qualities. It is true that the Swedish social security system does have its advantages. Mostly the 18-month paid parental leave and the 5 weeks of paid vacation. To some extent also the free healthcare and education systems. But that is, sadly, only half the truth. The truth is that both the education system and above all the health care system is on its knees here right now. Both the quality and the availability has dropped considerably the last decade or so (political and demographical issues).
As for Stockholm, that I’ve visited many times, it’s a very nice city. But it’s also very isolated (in European terms) as it is over 500 km to closest fairly large city (Oslo or Gothenburg) and also very expensive to live in. According to numbeo almost everything is between 20 % to 50 % more expensive in Stockholm than in Ottawa. And I’m pretty sure that the average salary is lower, for white collar jobs anyway. Furthermore, there’s the Swedes. As I’ve previously mentioned the Swedes are very narrow minded, homogenic and self-absorbed. When I say self-absorbed I mean difficult to make contact with, materialistic and difficult to befriend. Actually, research has found Swedes to be the least sympathetic and most difficult people to befriend in the whole world! As someone with foreign origin (Bosnian/Croatian) that really affects my life.
Ottawa would hopefully offer me a better more continental climate, a larger variety of people, closeness (by car or train) to other cities and a better financial situation for myself.
I’ve read that it is not very difficult to obtain permanent residency, not at all like in the US or Australia anyway. Do you know anything about that/have any experience? If I’ve understood the visa conditions correctly, and I have not spent that much time digging into it yet, I can only stay for 1 year. So, after that I would need to get a permanent visa or leave the country.
Why not find out for yourself? See this page from the Government of Canada:
Thank you for the link. But I was more asking to hear about someone’s personal experiences or views.
I think you ought to go through the information at the link thoroughly. As you might find, it may not be as easy as you think. If you want a personal experience, here's a secondhand one.
My ex-wife immigrated to Canada from the United States. As a medical professional who graduated from a recognized school in the US, she had skills that were in demand up here. She was offered a job at a Canadian hospital as a temporary worker, and took it. So she moved up here, and she was locked into that job until she could gain permanent residency status. If she quit, she had to move back to the US. If she got fired, she had to move back to the US.
Fortunately, she loved her job, and it loved her, so there was no question of quitting or being fired. But she could expand her horizons beyond that one hospital if she applied for permanent residency status. So, she undertook that. It took forms, fees, and a return to the US to apply through a Canadian consulate--the procedure cannot be done from within Canada (except in certain extreme circumstances, which she did not qualify for). So, while paying rent on her apartment in Canada, and while being granted leave from her job, she cooled her heels in the US for a while. Not as bad as it sounds, since she couch-surfed for free with a friend in Colorado, while the paperwork went through the Canadian consulate in Denver. The paperwork came through, and she could come to Canada as a PR, which she did.
But even as a PR, things were not ideal. We met after she gained PR status, and on trips we took to the US, I breezed through Canadian customs on the way home, while she was always held up as her papers were inspected. By this time, she had so many ties to Canada (car loan, apartment rent, joint bank account with me, job, and so on) that it was dumb to do so. But in the eyes of Canadian authorities, she was still a foreigner, and deserving of an extra look upon entry.
She then decided to become a Canadian citizen, to ease such delays at the Canadian border. Plus, she realized that she was not going to return to the US to live--she liked it here too much. She had been here long enough to qualify for citizenship, and to know a lot about what was on the citizenship test. So she filled out the forms, and paid the fees, only to run up against questions such as, "So when were you last in the US? For how long? Where? And before that, and before that, and before that," and so on. You see, she had to be present in Canada a certain number of days per year--and her trips to visit her Mom, conferences in Chicago and in Reno, and vacations to Denver, Seattle and San Francisco with me, counted against that total. Lest you think that this was some kind of Canadian prejudice against the US, her time at conferences in Stockholm and London also counted against the total. It's just that she had family in the US, that she went there often.
It was not easy, but she persevered, and I was at her Canadian citizenship ceremony. In total, it was about 12 years from when she first came to Canada to work, until she became a citizen. However, being only allowed one job, couch-surfing outside Canada when she had a perfectly good apartment in Canada, and being grilled on the exact dates of trips to the US to see her mother, don't sound easy to me. As I said, this is secondhand information, but I lived with her, and was married to her, long enough that I heard all the experiences many times.
In short, it is not easy to obtain permanent residency in Canada, much less citizenship. I cannot speak to how easy in comparison to the US or Australia, but the link I posted is worth looking into. With the tool provided there, you can tell whether you have a chance of being accepted, or whether you'd be wasting your time.
I think you ought to go through the information at the link thoroughly. As you might find, it may not be as easy as you think. If you want a personal experience, here's a secondhand one.
My ex-wife immigrated to Canada from the United States. As a medical professional who graduated from a recognized school in the US, she had skills that were in demand up here. She was offered a job at a Canadian hospital as a temporary worker, and took it. So she moved up here, and she was locked into that job until she could gain permanent residency status. If she quit, she had to move back to the US. If she got fired, she had to move back to the US.
Fortunately, she loved her job, and it loved her, so there was no question of quitting or being fired. But she could expand her horizons beyond that one hospital if she applied for permanent residency status. So, she undertook that. It took forms, fees, and a return to the US to apply through a Canadian consulate--the procedure cannot be done from within Canada (except in certain extreme circumstances, which she did not qualify for). So, while paying rent on her apartment in Canada, and while being granted leave from her job, she cooled her heels in the US for a while. Not as bad as it sounds, since she couch-surfed for free with a friend in Colorado, while the paperwork went through the Canadian consulate in Denver. The paperwork came through, and she could come to Canada as a PR, which she did.
But even as a PR, things were not ideal. We met after she gained PR status, and on trips we took to the US, I breezed through Canadian customs on the way home, while she was always held up as her papers were inspected. By this time, she had so many ties to Canada (car loan, apartment rent, joint bank account with me, job, and so on) that it was dumb to do so. But in the eyes of Canadian authorities, she was still a foreigner, and deserving of an extra look upon entry.
She then decided to become a Canadian citizen, to ease such delays at the Canadian border. Plus, she realized that she was not going to return to the US to live--she liked it here too much. She had been here long enough to qualify for citizenship, and to know a lot about what was on the citizenship test. So she filled out the forms, and paid the fees, only to run up against questions such as, "So when were you last in the US? For how long? Where? And before that, and before that, and before that," and so on. You see, she had to be present in Canada a certain number of days per year--and her trips to visit her Mom, conferences in Chicago and in Reno, and vacations to Denver, Seattle and San Francisco with me, counted against that total. Lest you think that this was some kind of Canadian prejudice against the US, her time at conferences in Stockholm and London also counted against the total. It's just that she had family in the US, that she went there often.
It was not easy, but she persevered, and I was at her Canadian citizenship ceremony. In total, it was about 12 years from when she first came to Canada to work, until she became a citizen. However, being only allowed one job, couch-surfing outside Canada when she had a perfectly good apartment in Canada, and being grilled on the exact dates of trips to the US to see her mother, don't sound easy to me. As I said, this is secondhand information, but I lived with her, and was married to her, long enough that I heard all the experiences many times.
In short, it is not easy to obtain permanent residency in Canada, much less citizenship. I cannot speak to how easy in comparison to the US or Australia, but the link I posted is worth looking into. With the tool provided there, you can tell whether you have a chance of being accepted, or whether you'd be wasting your time.
Oh, that was very interesting, thank you for sharing! I had no idea that it could be that difficult for a American to move to Canada. Thank you for the insights, that sort of knowledge cannot be obtained through government websites. But I’ll definitely check out the website you recommended.
I’ve forgot to ask you, as you seem to know quite a lot about the area. Are there any smaller picturesque towns within the Ottawa region (say up to an hour drive from city centre)? I’ve read about town like Niagara-on-the-lake and Collingwood and they both look pretty but they are quite a bit from Ottawa. Anything like that closer to the city?
I’ve forgot to ask you, as you seem to know quite a lot about the area. Are there any smaller picturesque towns within the Ottawa region (say up to an hour drive from city centre)? I’ve read about town like Niagara-on-the-lake and Collingwood and they both look pretty but they are quite a bit from Ottawa. Anything like that closer to the city?
Wakefield, Chelsea and Montebello in Quebec, and Merrickville, Manotick, Smiths Falls and Perth in Ontario.
Wakefield and Merrickville are probably the best of the lot.
Wakefield, Chelsea and Montebello in Quebec, and Merrickville, Manotick, Smiths Falls and Perth in Ontario.
Wakefield and Merrickville are probably the best of the lot.
Both of them look nice, but a bit small. I was thinking something like 20 000 to 60 000, so that you don't have to go into Ottawa to watch a movie or attend a pub?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack
Ottawa is a very good place to live, by most standards.
Housing costs are so-so, but will likely seem cheap compared to Sweden.
There is a decent amount of history and local culture for a North American city. Certainly more than a place like Calgary, but less than places to the east like Montreal, Quebec City and Atlantic Canada.
Nature is very easily accessible here. Do a Google search for Gatineau Park. That's about a 10-minute drive from central Ottawa. This is a great region for outdoor activities in all four seasons.
There is about an 80% chance of a White Christmas.
Skiing is not as good as in the Alps but probably not too bad by Swedish standards. You can go downhill skiing on so-so hills after dinner on a weeknight. It's that close. Better hills are 2 hours away at Mont-Tremblant and the Laurentians (north of Montreal). There is also good skiing a few hours further in northern NY state and Vermont.
Summers are real here. Average maximum is about 28C and it's quite humid so most days feel like 30C or more. It's usually sunny but sometimes with a 15-minute thunderstorm at the end of the day. It's easily warm enough to swim in lakes that are frozen over in the winter, and many people have backyard pools.
Canada (especially Anglo-Canada) is extremely politically correct. Perhaps the world champion!
I just saw this article. https://www.narcity.com/news/the-cha...tty-depressing
Did you know that it was 80% or did you just guess? Anyway, seems like it was a very exact observation.
It is amusing how they call anything below 90 % “low chance”.
Both of them look nice, but a bit small. I was thinking something like 20 000 to 60 000, so that you don't have to go into Ottawa to watch a movie or attend a pub?
Brockville, Ontario maybe?
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