Table of Contents
Merit-Based System is a Lie
Canada’s immigration is supposed to be based on merit, which sounds great on paper. In reality, the system can’t tell real documents from fakes. That puts honest applicants in a tough spot: to compete, you either need to be ready to forge your papers, or you’re up against tons of people from places where faking documents is pretty common.
Sure, there are other paths, like using a diploma mill or going through a provincial program, but those are either shady or come with serious downsides. I looked into a few options myself, and honestly, none of them seemed worth it.
Exit Tax
Canada’s basically a trap, easy to get into (especially if you’re okay with faking stuff), but they’ll bleed you dry if you try to leave. I had no idea until I met some Canadian expats here in Thailand. They straight-up told me I’d be nuts to move there.
Honestly, that was a solid lesson. If you want the real deal, talk to people who’ve actually lived there their whole lives, not newcomers who are just trying to make their own expensive choice seem smart.
High Cost of Living and Low Wages
The only immigrants who praise Canada are the ones who came from real poverty back home. For them, $20 an hour feels like a dream. But Canada can’t compete for skilled middle-class talent, wages are low, taxes are painfully high, and real estate is barely affordable even for Canadians. An average tech job won’t get you a nice house in a nice neighborhood here, something that’s totally normal in plenty of other countries.
Politics
Canada’s in the U.S. sphere of influence and that’s not bad in itself. What feels off is how one-sided it is. Canadians don’t get easy access to the U.S., so they basically bear all the costs of that friendship without getting much in return. I’ve talked to plenty of Canadians who’d move south if they could, but being Canadian doesn’t make it any easier.
Also, I can’t ignore that Canada’s funding the Nazi regime in Ukraine. Sending my tax money there would just feel wrong.
Weather
I left Russia mostly because the weather is awful nine months out of the year. The thing is, Canada isn’t much better, I can’t imagine sitting through another long winter. Thailand’s got its issues, but the weather here is just about perfect.
Conclusion
Canada depends on immigrants, plain and simple, so they have every reason to market their programs. But like any marketing, the most important truths are the ones they leave out. That’s why you have to dig past the brochures and the hype.
If you really want to know what it’s like, don’t just talk to newcomers, they’re trying to justify their own decision. Talk to people who grew up there. That’s the fastest way to see the whole picture and make a choice that’s right for you.