It is quite amusing how often I am introduced to others as “someone who came back from Canada after only 3 months of living there.” Well, it’s true. I emigrated there after marriage, after “burning the bridges”, so to speak. Everyone, including myself, thought that I had gone there for the rest of my life. And then, after just 3 months, I was back for good.

Here, I do not intend to detail all my personal reasons for returning, which have got to do primarily with the practice of my religion. However, I intend to point out to would-be, aspiring immigrants some basic facts about Canadian life for foreigners, so that they know what they’re getting themselves into.

Winters in Canada are extremely cold :

Perhaps it’s not surprising why a country as cold Canada is sparsely populated, as a result of which they are facilitating foreigners’ immigration to their country, in order to garner a continuing workforce for their future economic growth.

The winters are long and dreary, so prepare yourself for staying indoors for more than 6 months a year. Your children will not be able to enjoy any outdoor activity, except perhaps ice-skating, skiing or snow-boarding, and will have to play in indoor community play-areas for months. You will continuously see a lot of bland “white” landscape outside your window, and it will definitely be depressing. You will also need to bundle up tremendously before venturing out into the sub-zero temperatures, wearing snow shoes so that you don’t slip and fall on the ice.

Good doctors and health care is difficult to find:

Yes, health care is “free”. But good doctors are also terribly hard to snag. Since the government finances everyone’s healthcare, it controls the number of practicing doctors in Canada, as it does their number of patients, so a lot of doctors you’ll call for an appointment, will turn you away, saying, “We are not taking any more patients.” Once you find the elusive doctor who will agree to see you, you will find him gruff and indifferent, sparing neither extra moment for your care; nor a kind word for you, if you’re a foreign immigrant.

Immigrants do not land prestigious, high-paying jobs; their careers are limited to lower-level, menial employment:

If, for the rest of your years, you find the concept of running a grocery store, opening a home day-care, driving a cab, becoming a security guard, or waiting tables at restaurants, appealing to you, by all means immigrate to Canada. On the other hand, if you do not have a degree from North America, nor can you speak good English, then face the fact that the above options are probably the only means available to you in Canada, for supporting yourself and your family - possibly for good.

Only those immigrants who possess degrees from Canadian, American or other prestigious, foreign universities land credible jobs in good companies in Canada; and that too, on a contract-basis, not on a permanent level. Their contract may be terminated when and as the company deems necessary, sometimes without any reason. This is a high risk-factor, one which blows away the immigrant’s peace of mind, because the rent and utility bills have to be paid, and the cost of living for families is very high.

You will never get over the feeling of homesickness; nor will Canadians ever make you feel accepted as one of their own:

Immigrants assume that once you land a great career in Canada, serve the country for many years, become citizens, or spend 50-60 years of your life there, you will achieve social and racial acceptance. Well, officially, no one will discriminate against you; but in public and at work, you and your children will always have that feeling of being “resident aliens trying to assimilate” into a foreign culture. People will always consider you outsiders who have come to their country to get a better life. It will never feel like home, except perhaps for born-and-bred children of immigrant parents, who grow up there.

As for the positive aspects of immigrating to Canada - well, there’s the ever-present lure of earning in dollars, even if one’s “career” is nothing more than a blue collar job. However, the benefit of an income earned in dollars is undermined by the extremely high cost of living, which makes it next-to-impossible for a family to save any extra money.

The infrastructure, architecture, public parks, and transport systems work smoothly and are state-of-the-art. There’s a happening art and culture scene, with loads to do in the realm of sports and recreation, entertainment and relaxation.

The landscape becomes beautiful in the summer and spring months, with gorgeous, bright botanical colors springing up everywhere, especially in the parks and picnic spots. The water and environment is picture-perfect and clean to the core, with no sign of pollution or dirt.

There are museums, art galleries and libraries for enthusiastic immigrants to freely and easily avail for their intellectual pleasure. Perhaps most importantly, the tuition-fee of programs offered by Canadian Universities is nominal for Canadian citizens, children of citizens or landed immigrants (Permanent Residents). This means that a good education can be easily availed by those immigrants aspiring for a credible undergraduate or graduate qualification. Many families immigrate mainly for this purpose - for the chance of providing their children with a good, foreign undergraduate education.

So there you have it, the pros and cons of immigrant life in Canada, albeit with the added twist of my personal perception of the whole Canadian immigration scenario. I personally know several immigrants who are settled with their families in Canada since years, but who are not happy there, to say the least, despite enjoying all the physical benefits of living in a developed country. Every aspiring immigrant deserves to know both sides of this story - the “rosy” picture painted by agencies promoting Canadian immigration - before they invest all their life savings into packing up and landing in Canada with their family; lock, stock and barrel!