Are you an expat living in Canada?

Expat Arrivals is looking for locals to contribute to this guide, and answer forum questions from others planning their move to Canada. Please contact us if you'd like to contribute.

There’s no one-size-fits-all rule for settling into expat life in a new country, but here are a few helpful articles and personal stories that may help make your move a little easier.

Interview with Micha – an Israeli expat living in Newfoundland

Micha’s journey to Newfoundland began when he worked for a company that designed a facility there. With Covid limitations on travel, Canada shut down the gates, and in order for him to visit a client as a support engineer, he needed a special work permit given only to essential industries.This… Read more

Interview with Shannon – a British expat living in Victoria, Canada

Shannon is a 30-year-old expat from North Yorkshire, England, currently living in Victoria, Canada. Curious to learn more about why the world is the way it is, she majored in history at King’s College London. She is now focused on empowering people both in her personal life and as an HR adviser,… Read more

Interview with Figo – a South African expat in Toronto

Figo is a South African expat who moved to Toronto with his wife (a Canadian native) in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. He says moving to Toronto has been fantastic, although he misses the climate and diversity in Cape Town. In his interview with Expat Arrivals, Figo shares the ups and downs of… Read more

Interview with Catherine – a South African expat living in Calgary

Catherine is a South African expat who moved to Calgary in 2019 with her husband and two children. She says it’s been a wonderful adventure, and she enjoys sharing her experiences on her blog, Cape Town to Calgary. In her interview with Expat Arrivals, Catherine tells us about the ups and downs of… Read more

Interview with Tim and Kamila – expats living in Canada

Tim and Kamila are expats from South Africa and Slovakia who made the move to Canada. Between them, they have had their fair share of travelling before moving to Canmore, a relatively small town with mountainous surroundings. Together, they create and write Expat in Canada, a platform helping… Read more

Interview with Cyrus – an American expat living in Vancouver

Cyrus Janssen is an 11-year expat who spent 10 years in Asia before relocating to Vancouver, Canada in April 2017. He is a golf professional and sports marketing executive who enjoys international travel, language learning, and blogging about his journeys at www.cyrusjanssen.com.About CyrusQ:… Read more

Interview with Juliette – a French expat living in Canada

Juliette is a French expat living in Ottawa, Canada. Moving alone, she started teaching French as a second language and has now made a name for herself in freelance work. She still can’t stand the winters though.A keen photographer and traveller, you can catch up with her adventures on her website… Read more

Interview with Michele – an Italian expat living in Vancouver, Canada

Michele is an Italian expat living in Canada. He moved to Vancouver with his wife and young child in 1995in search of a better quality of life. Although he misses good Italian food, he enjoys life in Vancouver and runs his own business consulting firm.About MicheleQ: Where are you… Read more

Interview with Natalie – a British expat living in Canada

Natalie is a British expat who moved to Ontario, Canada, with her husband and two children for better opportunities for the family. Although she misses her family and friends back home, she is enjoying small-town life and feels safer than she was in London.Read more about Canada in the Expat… Read more

Renting vs. buying a home in Canada

by Jamie Sarner, Toronto Realtor and ExpatArrivals Canada Expert. For an expat that has recently moved to Canada, the issue of whether to rent or buy is a fight of ideologies and wallets. First-time homebuyers and young families are especially prone to finding themselves in the middle of… Read more

Interview with Aisha – a British expat living in Canada

Aisha and her husband first thought about moving to Canada in January 2010. ‘We’ve never been the type to let opportunities pass us by, so when Canada made an offer, six months later, we touched down in Toronto to start our Canadian life. I never imagined that we would pack up and move three small… Read more

Canada's Weather – What it's really like

…Rising from a deep curtsey, “Pleased to meet you Ma’am, and haven’t we been lucky with the weather for your Garden Party…” It’s supposed to be a British characteristic – an obsession with the weather. Something that’s discussed in any situation, the Post Office queue, the bus stop, at… Read more

Interview with Melissa – an American expat living in Canada

Melissa and her partner moved to Canada to pursue the rights they were denied in the States two years ago. Now settled in the Canadian countryside, she reflects on the trials and tribulations of expat life in New Brunswick.Read more about Canada in the Expat Arrivals Canada Country Guide or read… Read more

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