Is Canada a Better Place Than the UAE / Gulf?

[dildaraldoski]

NICE AND INTERESTING VIEWS

 

[Fishal2017]

Following post is from a blog post of “ahaboubi” (who is also available on Canadavisa forum). The objective of this thread is to invite comments who have made similar transitions (Gulf states to Canada) in order for us to make an informed decision.

If you ignore the emotional aspects and any attachments that you may have to one of these countries, then this question becomes highly subjective and the answer to it will vary from one person to another. I chose to make this comparison because I lived and worked in the UAE for more than ten years before leaving it and coming to Canada as a permanent resident. Also, I know of many people who are finding it hard to decide whether to leave their work in the UAE and decide to come here to Canada after they get their visa.
There may not be a straight forward answer to this question because so many factors and personal issues will come into play when trying to decide which country is better to live in. But what I will try to do is to write about my own personal experience and hopefully it will be a bit easier for you to make this decision.
First of all, I will talk about the financial aspect of the comparison. The UAE is a tax-free country where people do not pay any income tax, whereas in Canada people have to pay an income tax (as well as other types of taxes). Having said this, a part of these taxes is used to give residents free schooling (in public schools) and free health care. In the UAE, healthcare is not free and you pay a very large amount of money for good schools. And if we talk about housing, I used to pay more money in the UAE (in Abu Dhabi) for a rented apartment than what I’m currently paying as mortgage for my own house. Insurance, on the other hand is extremely expensive in Canada (please see here), so the UAE gets a point in this regard. In short (and I know that this is a very brief comparison) the UAE is more expensive in terms of health care, schooling and housing, and Canada is more expensive in terms of taxes, utilities, car petrol and more. But many companies in the UAE provide their employees and their families with health insurance (mandatory in Abu Dhabi), housing and pay for kids’ schools. So if you work in the UAE in a company that provides these services, then financially you’ll be better off in the UAE than in Canada.
But for me, the financial aspect, while it is very important, is not the most important aspect. Perhaps the most important aspect for me in the comparison is the stability issue. In the UAE your residence is linked to your work. Meaning, if you lose your job, you’ll have to leave the country (in most cases). Whereas in Canada, if you come as a permanent resident, then you are treated as such from the first day you arrive into the country…a permanent resident. And if you stay in the country for three years (and if you meet all the requirements) you can apply for Canadian citizenship. In the UAE, you cannot apply for citizenship regardless of the number of years you live in the country.
I didn’t mention any other aspects in the comparison because I think I mentioned the most important aspects to most people. Also, aspects such as social issues will purely depend on personal preferences. The UAE, being a primarily Muslim country, is more conservative than Canada. So if you come from a more conservative society then you’ll feel more at home in the UAE than in Canada.
And as I said in the beginning of this post, if you have an emotional attachment to one of the two countries (as I do to Canada!), then you’ll tend to focus more on its positives than the negatives. And at the end of the day, I do believe in the saying “Home if where the heart is”. And for me, even though I have great memories and know some wonderful people in the UAE, but my heart is in Canada!

http://www.thecanadianblog.com/2012/08/22/is-canada-a-better-place-than-the-uae/[/QUOTE

And how I pity your thinking and thoughts. Comparing these two countries is like caimapring appple and peaches.
Don’t even try to do that.
You stay where your heart is. Don’t justify the artificial bubble of UAE especially Dubai with Canada.
Have a safe and free life.

 

[Sydkadra]

If you migrate from the Middle East to Canada, the first thing you miss is your job. The job which you have been doing for 2, 5, 10, 15 years or more in the Gulf countries and which you loved a lot for various reasons including but not limited to that it was commensurate with your qualifications, the salary, the benefits, the treatment from superiors, the duties and responsibilities and your yearly paid vacation with all airfare paid to you and your family. You will be bewildered to know that the similar jobs are non-existent for you or not available and out of reach for you. You have to go on applying for similar jobs dozens of time in a week and you get nothing, you will not get even acknowledgment for most of your applications let alone getting an interview if you are fortunate enough to get one. The weeks and months go by and you can't afford to lead the lifestyle which you were used to in the Gulf, the glitzy SUVs, the spending of weekends with your family relishing delicious cuisines in renowned restaurants, the picnics, the chit-chat with your friends or leisurely watching TV after coming from your office exactly after spending eight hours.
The things will change you come to know that you have to look after your family and you will not be able to provide the lifestyle to your family which you were used to there. Your kids used to go to school on the bus which picks up from home and here the kids either walk to school if nearby or ride a public transport city bus and come home in the cold evenings of -15 deg Celsius. You feel the guilt of not being able to provide the lifestyle to your family and kids as you yourself have to comprise and to get any job any job means any job ( which even you can't imagine) to survive with the basics which are needed to move on. So this will be story of most of the immigrants for first few years and if you are lucky to get any local education or enhancement of skills, if you are not in advanced age and if you eventually get a job of your expertise and your liking, then you are lucky and among the 10 percent immigrants who are lucky.

 

[steaky]

If you migrate from the Middle East to Canada, the first thing you miss is your job. The job which you have been doing for 2, 5, 10, 15 years or more in the Gulf countries and which you loved a lot for various reasons including but not limited to that it was commensurate with your qualifications, the salary, the benefits, the treatment from superiors, the duties and responsibilities and your yearly paid vacation with all airfare paid to you and your family. You will be bewildered to know that the similar jobs are non-existent for you or not available and out of reach for you. You have to go on applying for similar jobs dozens of time in a week and you get nothing, you will not get even acknowledgment for most of your applications let alone getting an interview if you are fortunate enough to get one. The weeks and months go by and you can't afford to lead the lifestyle which you were used to in the Gulf, the glitzy SUVs, the spending of weekends with your family relishing delicious cuisines in renowned restaurants, the picnics, the chit-chat with your friends or leisurely watching TV after coming from your office exactly after spending eight hours.
The things will change you come to know that you have to look after your family and you will not be able to provide the lifestyle to your family which you were used to there. Your kids used to go to school on the bus which picks up from home and here the kids either walk to school if nearby or ride a public transport city bus and come home in the cold evenings of -15 deg Celsius. You feel the guilt of not being able to provide the lifestyle to your family and kids as you yourself have to comprise and to get any job any job means any job ( which even you can't imagine) to survive with the basics which are needed to move on. So this will be story of most of the immigrants for first few years and if you are lucky to get any local education or enhancement of skills, if you are not in advanced age and if you eventually get a job of your expertise and your liking, then you are lucky and among the 10 percent immigrants who are lucky.

So people in the Middle East don't save? They spend all their salaried / earned money on the things you mentioned before the end of each month. This has nothing to do with Canada. One could live in Canada as good as in anywhere else if he/she knows how to use money wisely.

 

[steaky]

Well I'm pretty sure you cant just decide to live in Canada after retirement age... i doubt canada is looking for old people who do not contribute to the economy and are a burden on the healthcare... only way that I know of currently to migrate for old people is on parents visa or investment visa..

The thing with living in ME is you never know when you will lose your job and be asked to leave the country - EVERYTHING depends on your job, and i mean everything... from your wife's dependent visa to your kids school education.. imagine i lose my job in January and i cant find a new job by March, i would have to exit the country with my family, remove my kids from the school midway through the academic year, go back home and start a new, forget about me the child loses an year becoz of this... and that is best case scenario ... scary isnt it ??

children and grandchildren would benefit becoz they will have a western passport, good education and a fairly safe place to grow up... and not to mention a good and healthy lifestyle - they wont be brought up in ACs lol

I've never lived in Jordan so i cant comment - But i think its a fair assumption that Canada is a better country to live in than Jordan...

How old is retirement age? Can people retire at 40 or sooner? How would retirees burden or not contributing the economy? As with pretty much like everyone else in salaried jobs, they can get sick (burden to healthcare, but this is the main reason why healthcare is needed). Like you, they can contribute to push up housing prices. I know a lot of people who return to Canada because they are dual citizens - they can just decide to move to Canada after retirement.

 

[thestunner316]

How old is retirement age? Can people retire at 40 or sooner? How would retirees burden or not contributing the economy? As with pretty much like everyone else in salaried jobs, they can get sick (burden to healthcare, but this is the main reason why healthcare is needed). Like you, they can contribute to push up housing prices. I know a lot of people who return to Canada because they are dual citizens - they can just decide to move to Canada after retirement.

As far as I know there is no set retirement age here...
Well in ME if you retire, you go back to your home country... as simple as that.

Dual citizenship is an interesting process - But not available for everyone. For Ex I'm an Indian and if and when I take up canadian citizenship i will have to give up my Indian passport... I cant be a dual national.

 

[thestunner316]

If you migrate from the Middle East to Canada, the first thing you miss is your job. The job which you have been doing for 2, 5, 10, 15 years or more in the Gulf countries and which you loved a lot for various reasons including but not limited to that it was commensurate with your qualifications, the salary, the benefits, the treatment from superiors, the duties and responsibilities and your yearly paid vacation with all airfare paid to you and your family. You will be bewildered to know that the similar jobs are non-existent for you or not available and out of reach for you. You have to go on applying for similar jobs dozens of time in a week and you get nothing, you will not get even acknowledgment for most of your applications let alone getting an interview if you are fortunate enough to get one. The weeks and months go by and you can't afford to lead the lifestyle which you were used to in the Gulf, the glitzy SUVs, the spending of weekends with your family relishing delicious cuisines in renowned restaurants, the picnics, the chit-chat with your friends or leisurely watching TV after coming from your office exactly after spending eight hours.
The things will change you come to know that you have to look after your family and you will not be able to provide the lifestyle to your family which you were used to there. Your kids used to go to school on the bus which picks up from home and here the kids either walk to school if nearby or ride a public transport city bus and come home in the cold evenings of -15 deg Celsius. You feel the guilt of not being able to provide the lifestyle to your family and kids as you yourself have to comprise and to get any job any job means any job ( which even you can't imagine) to survive with the basics which are needed to move on. So this will be story of most of the immigrants for first few years and if you are lucky to get any local education or enhancement of skills, if you are not in advanced age and if you eventually get a job of your expertise and your liking, then you are lucky and among the 10 percent immigrants who are lucky.

depends on which way you look at it mate... some are lucky to work here 15 yrs, and then all of a sudden one day they will give you the pink slip and then your struggles start... all this paper life in paper town you are talking about is depending on your job... the day you lose it, all the paper life comes crashing down... Dont believe it - ? I've seen tons of cases already in my 7 years here...

I thnk 10% immigrants is a number you made up and have no statistical data to backup with... But yes, if you are at an advanced age it would be much harder... But personally I would atleast breathe easy coz kids get a good education, they have citizenship to a growing and prosperous nation and eventually will be better to face the world... I have seen kids here who were born and raised in the ME, they are so naive and clueless and have no idea how the world works, just completely pampered and sheltered by their parents... Its not the case with everyone but a vast majority in my opinion... Life will hit them like a shovel in their faces one day... cant blame the kids, cant really blame the parents... its just how life is here

 

[steaky]

As far as I know there is no set retirement age here...
Well in ME if you retire, you go back to your home country... as simple as that.

Dual citizenship is an interesting process - But not available for everyone. For Ex I'm an Indian and if and when I take up canadian citizenship i will have to give up my Indian passport... I cant be a dual national.

As a result of not able to save up in ME, you cannot afford to drive your own SUV to pick up your children from school, cannot go to renown restaurant in Canada, cannot retire in Canada.... and feel guilty as simple as that.

Therefore, what's the point of working in ME?

 

[Sydkadra]

Almost all of non-Gulf Citizens( Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Philipinos, Nepalis, Egyptians, Jordanians, Sudanese, Lebanese and the like) work in the Gulf countries only to earn enough money and at the same time lead a comfortable lifestyle during their stay in the Gulf countries. Their prime goal is to earn money and return to their own home countries after spending the years 1-40 years in the Gulf. So, the comparison between Canada and the Gulf Countries is not accurate. Those who want to settle permanently for the rest of life, then they need to compare their own country with Canada if they think to migrate to Canada and at that time they will get an accurate picture that what will they gain/lose by doing so.

 

[steaky]

Almost all of non-Gulf Citizens( Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Philipinos, Nepalis, Egyptians, Jordanians, Sudanese, Lebanese and the like) work in the Gulf countries only to earn enough money and at the same time lead a comfortable lifestyle during their stay in the Gulf countries. Their prime goal is to earn money and return to their own home countries after spending the years 1-40 years in the Gulf. So, the comparison between Canada and the Gulf Countries is not accurate. Those who want to settle permanently for the rest of life, then they need to compare their own country with Canada if they think to migrate to Canada and at that time they will get an accurate picture that what will they gain/lose by doing so.

Seriously, you are one of the people who was comparing Canada and the Gulf countries.

How would they live comfortably in home country when they spend all the fortunes of their earned money in those activities you mentioned earlier upon returned to their home countries after spending the 40 years in the gulf? Are you citizen of one of the gulf countries?

 

[Sydkadra]

Seriously, you are one of the people who was comparing Canada and the Gulf countries.

How would they live comfortably in home country when they spend all the fortunes of their earned money in those activities you mentioned earlier upon return to their home countries after spending the 40 years in the gulf? Are you the citizen of one of the Gulf countries?

I think you missed the point, by leading the lifestyle as I mentioned before in the Gulf countries, they still save 30-60 % of their respective income to spend in their own home countries after returning from the Gulf, whose (home countries) cost of living is much cheaper than that of the Gulf countries. If they return to their own home countries after 10/20/30/40/50 etc.. years, they will have enough money/investment/savings to lead the comfortable life. I believe your intention is to argue that the same savings if they bring to Canada then they can utilize it to lead the good life. The answer is that Canada is advanced country and the cost of living is much higher than that of Gulf countries and if they bring their savings to Canada, it will not be sufficient and to supplement they need to get good paying job at least similar if not higher than the previous, if they get that then there is not a problem but it is very hard to get,

 

[steaky]

The answer is that Canada is advanced country and the cost of living is much higher than that of Gulf countries and if they bring their savings to Canada, it will not be sufficient and to supplement they need to get good paying job at least similar if not higher than the previous, if they get that then there is not a problem but it is very hard to get,

According to a new report, your answer that the cost of living in Canada is much higher than gulf countries is wrong. Dubai and Abu Dhabi ranks 26 and 40 respectively compare to Toronto and Vancouver at 109.

https://www.mercer.ca/en/newsroom/cost-of-living-2018.html

 

[newlaser]

Exactly the same situation as this. The dilemma is so enormous that in a single day I think of moving and the same day I consider not to move. Myself as well, 35 years old with 2 kids. Spent round about 10 years in Middle east to reach to the current level. Some how ended up in a Govt. Job here as engineer. I can save upto 7 $ out of every 10 $ I make, with of course good living standards. Keeping the current job for another 5 to 7 years seems more then likely. In all this current not so bad situation, we already did landing in 2016, and now 2018 dead-line of moving permanently is looming over my head. I am going nuts on this situation.
Unable to decide whether to move and start from scratch or just continue and save as much as possible for the rainy days of future.
I understand the importance of kids future and education in Canada, but frightened to my core by thoughts of not being able to even pay in Canada for their basic needs for house, food, clothes etc.
I too from India, and of course would be afraid of moving back from Middle East to India in my 50s or 60s.
but I would be more afraid of moving back from Canada to India in my 50s or 60s empty handed.

Hi Brother,

what have you decided. Same situation like yours infact both me and wife working in GOVT, thinking positively I am going ahead and moving end of this month. May god make it easy for all of us.

 

[canvis2006]

Everything depends on your perspective and what you're willing to compromise and adjust.

Canada is a different place. The worse thing here is the COLD WINTER weather which stretches from Nov/Dec until pretty much May. People coming from warm countries can never like or adjust to it, the cold weather is too much. Forces you to remain inside, causes depresssion and anxiety after few yrs. Only thing is you go to malls and walk around and eat there do some shopping and go home and stay home. Can't even go to the park for walk when its so cold.
If you don't find job in your field/level, then its a big struggle. There are lots of highly qualified people working menial/labour/min. wage jobs to get by, and in recent times the Rents of small apartments in a hi-rise buildings have sky-rocketed. Now its tough to find a 2-bedroom apartment in Toronto/Mississauga or GTA area under $1700 per month, that's just rent. Then you got other necessities of life which need considering. Afew yrs ago rents were not so high but now its extremely high, for buildings that look like ghettos with insect problems but sky-high costs of renting.
Lots of people driving cabs, working nightshift security guards 12-hr standing duty for minimum wages. So be prepared for this reality and once u get into this cycle its like a dead-end. So many people just give up as its not possible to study for high-level exams while doing 40+ hrs of labor to pay your rent and/or food etc for family. Health is the first that suffers many times (STRESS).
As for old age, its not good anywhere. Yes there is "free" healthcare here but mostly its only hospitals, doctor fees etc that are free. Medicine you gotta buy yourself and its really expensive here. (unless your job gives health insurance which then reduces medicine cost but thats not so common anymore in most jobs). They treat you just like cattle even here. So be prepared for this when you immigrate for your future here. As I said, the worst thing is the cold winters.

 

[Shiveta@17]

Hi ,

I am staying Dubai now for 6 years and my husband like 12 years. We are debating on moving to Canada . I am kind of settled in Dubai now with all basics needs, specially driving license and secure job . But my husband has been on mode to move out to a different country and try Canada . We both are from retail back ground (Fashion and Hospitality) . I am hesitant to move , reason we are 36 yrs old and don’t know if we will be able to find jobs in Canada , and have a decent living . I keep reading comments and msges , feedback about Canada , reviews are mixed . Can’t make up my mind .
Canada does give security and dubai security is gone with the job
Any suggestions