With its high standard of living, robust public education system, and universal access to healthcare, it’s not surprising that the Canadian lifestyle is so appealing to immigrants seeking a new home. For their part, the Canadian government welcomes newcomers to the country. In 2022 alone, the government was proud to accept over 431,000 new permanent residents.
That’s not to say that moving to Canada is as easy as crossing the border and leasing an apartment. If you’re curious about how much would it cost to move to Canada, you should be aware that there are quite a few fees that you need to pay and requirements that you have to meet.
Moving Fees and Immigration Expenses
The first thing to consider is what type of visa you’ll be pursuing. Your visa establishes your legal right to live in Canada, so you need to take care of that before you can even worry about other expenses.
There are a variety of avenues you can use to get a residence visa, and each has its own set of fees associated with it. The application for humanitarian or caregiver visas can be as low as $1,085 CAD while applying for a business immigration visa could cost $2,140 CAD.
There are also some incidental expenses that prospective immigrants are responsible for. These include things like language tests, medical exams, ID photos, notary services, and so on. These fees amount to about $935 CAD per adult.
Lastly, to ensure that new residents don’t become a burden on the social welfare system, Canada requires immigrants to have what’s called a settlement fund. This is a cash reserve that new arrivals can use to support themselves for up to six months without an income. For example, a single adult needs to prove that they have at least $13,310 CAD in cash savings available to them.
How Much Would It Cost to Move to Canada in Total?
Between the cost of a visa, miscellaneous fees, and the required settlement fund, an individual would need around $16,000 CAD to permanently relocate to Canada, depending on their situation. That’s about $12,000 USD. There may be additional fees depending on how you opt to immigrate, but let’s take that number as our baseline.
While that’s no small sum, the cost per person does at least go down the larger your household is. The total cost for a couple to relocate is $21,727 CAD. A couple with one child would pay $26,085, a couple with two children would pay $31,024, and so on.
Of course, that’s only the cost to get settled. If you plan to make Canada your permanent home, you’ll probably want to own your own house eventually.
It can be challenging for immigrants to any country to buy property, but there are amenities in place to streamline the process. When you decide that it’s time you owned your own home in Canada, services like house buying at teamkleiner.com are here to help.
Starting a New Life in Canada
When determining how much would it cost to move to Canada, you need to take into account the size of your household, the area you plan to settle in, and the nature of the visa that you’re applying for. Not to mention that you need a healthy cash reserve to support yourself and your family for at least six months.
Planning a move to Canada can be the start of an exciting new chapter in your life. But it’s not the only way to seek out new opportunities. Check out our other posts on our blog for ways to expand your personal and professional horizons.
