• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

What is it like living in: Canada? How about New Zealand? Germany?

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Mason

Member
Canada, New Zealand, and Germany are three countries I would be interesting in possibly immigrating to at some point in the future. Are there any posters here from those countries that could give a broad overview of what it's like to live there, cost of living, what is legal/not, how the government works, economy, jobs available, culture, how long it takes to get music/movie/videogame releases, types of food eaten, etc etc?
 
X

XS+

Banned
You know what we've had way too much of already?
"I'm moving to Canada!" threads in one day
 
A

AeroGod

Member
If you go to New Zealand you can live in the Shire with Samwise and Frodo and drink ale with all the hobbits. DO IT!
 
V

videogamer

Banned
Mason said:
Canada, New Zealand, and Germany are three countries I would be interesting in possibly immigrating to at some point in the future. Are there any posters here from those countries that could give a broad overview of what it's like to live there, cost of living, what is legal/not, how the government works, economy, jobs available, culture, how long it takes to get music/movie/videogame releases, types of food eaten, etc etc?
Click to expand...

Well, the Bitchfest thread says that people really like sheep in New Zealand. Lots of Canada info so far. We need the Germans to tell us about their country!
 
M

Mason

Member
Ok, who said I live in the US? And who said this has anything to do with the election? Stop being such babies. I'm genuinely interested, or I wouldn't ask.
 
F

fennec fox

ferrets ferrets ferrets ferrets FERRETS!!!
Mason said:
Ok, who said I live in the US? And who said this has anything to do with the election? Stop being such babies. I'm genuinely interested, or I wouldn't ask.
Click to expand...
Gee, you'll have to forgive me for assuming it had to do with the election, considering you posted this topic right after spreading Titor bullshit in another one.
 
M

Mason

Member
fennec fox said:
Gee, you'll have to forgive me for assuming it had to do with the election, considering you posted this topic right after spreading Titor bullshit in another one.
Click to expand...

It was a joke. Pull the stick out of your ass.
 
M

Mason

Member
I understand that Canada is fairly similar to the US. I don't understand how health care is handled, though. And how prevalent is French in Canada? I know the country is officially bilingual, but would it be necessary to know French unless I lived in a city that was known as a heavy French-speaking city?

EDIT: And NZ? I know pretty much nothing about it besides it's beautiful and I hear it's a good place to live. Germany, I really like their culture and what I have seen of their cities and way of life.
 
R

rs7k

Member
Mason said:
Canada, New Zealand, and Germany are three countries I would be interesting in possibly immigrating to at some point in the future. Are there any posters here from those countries that could give a broad overview of what it's like to live there, cost of living, what is legal/not, how the government works, economy, jobs available, culture, how long it takes to get music/movie/videogame releases, types of food eaten, etc etc?
Click to expand...

Canada is very similar to the US, at least culture-wise. Most of the TV channels we get here come from the US. The Canadian accent is almost non-existent, and is very American-sounding, so you wouldn't have any trouble communicating here. The legal age for drinking in most areas is 19. In Alberta and Quebec, the age is 18. I think what's legal/illegal is the same here, although you're not going to go to jail for possession and laws in general seem much less stricter. The government is probably the most different part. We have a House of Commons, where all the elected MPs get together and debate national issues, and we have a Prime Minister... I don't know that much about our system, TBH I know more about American politics.

The economy is better, but don't quote me on that. I'm just basing this on the fact that our deficit is not nearly as bad as yours, and our dollar has never been this high. We get music and video game releases the exact same day. I've never had to wait to get them.
 
M

Mainline

Member
You do not need to know any french at all, there are litteraly zero times where I've needed it, unless you plan on living in Quebec, which I wouldn't recommend, just my opinion. If you consider a move to Canada, I would suggest West, not just because I am from there, but because I have lived in Ontario and I just like it a lot more out here. Unless you have to live in a very large city, then maybe Toronto is for you.

edit: note to the above poster - our Dollar was worth more than the American dollar not that long ago, and it's back on track to passing the American dollar again, possibly within the presidents 4 year term.
 
S

soundwave05

Member
Having lived in both Canada and the US, I think Canada is the better place to live. The only downside are the cold winters, which kinda swings it back to being about even.

They're pretty similar culturally though. The biggest real difference is the health care system and the sports preferences.
 
P

Pochacco

asking dangerous questions
Mason said:
I understand that Canada is fairly similar to the US. I don't understand how health care is handled, though. And how prevalent is French in Canada? I know the country is officially bilingual, but would it be necessary to know French unless I lived in a city that was known as a heavy French-speaking city?

EDIT: And NZ? I know pretty much nothing about it besides it's beautiful and I hear it's a good place to live. Germany, I really like their culture and what I have seen of their cities and way of life.
Click to expand...
I doubt most people in Canada know French. It's only really prevalent in the province of Quebec.

The more I look at the US, the prouder and happier I am to be Canadian.
 
M

Mason

Member
I know this seems petty, but how widely available is broadband internet? And what about the cost of living in general?
 
R

rs7k

Member
Mason said:
I understand that Canada is fairly similar to the US. I don't understand how health care is handled, though. And how prevalent is French in Canada? I know the country is officially bilingual, but would it be necessary to know French unless I lived in a city that was known as a heavy French-speaking city?
Click to expand...

The only place it would be necessary to know French would be the entire province of Quebec, except for Montreal maybe. Being bilingual does help for finding a job though, especially government-related.

All citizens are given free healthcare. If you become a citizen, you will get a health card (from the province you're in), and you'll never have to worry about medical bills ever again (apart from prescription drugs I guess, but those are really cheap here).
 
S

soundwave05

Member
Broadband internet in Canada is pretty much everywhere. Has been for years.

Cost of living is lower in Canada, but I believe the taxes are higher.
 
M

Mainline

Member
Broadband is available in every major city, most citys have atleast 2 different broadband providers (ie cable or dsl)
 
M

Mason

Member
rs7k said:
All citizens are given free healthcare. If you become a citizen, you will get a health card (from the province you're in), and you'll never have to worry about medical bills ever again (apart from prescription drugs I guess, but those are really cheap here).
Click to expand...

That is insane. How is that even possible?
 
R

rs7k

Member
Mason said:
I know this seems petty, but how widely available is broadband internet? And what about the cost of living in general?
Click to expand...

Unless you live out in the boonies, you should be able to get broadband internet anywhere. I only pay $40 CDN a month for my DSL access, and I get download speeds that usually average around 350KB/s.
 
V

videogamer

Banned
Doctors get paid a lot less in Canada. Should I get into med school and finish it up, I would probably run right over to Canada right away anyways. Money has become less and less important to me over the years.
 
M

Mason

Member
How populated is Canada? I had always gotten the (probably false) impression that there were big cities with large concentrated populations, and then most everyone else lived kind of out in the boonies.

And what are the down sides to living in Canada? It sounds too good to be true.
 
V

videogamer

Banned
Mason said:
How populated is Canada? I had always gotten the (probably false) impression that there were big cities with large concentrated populations, and then most everyone else lived kind of out in the boonies.

And what are the down sides to living in Canada? It sounds too good to be true.
Click to expand...

They have about 31 million, which is less than California's 35 million. The major cities really aren't that big, and they are spread pretty far apart. With all of those rural areas, I would expect Canada to be a heck more conservative than the US. Ah whatever
 
R

rs7k

Member
Mason said:
How populated is Canada? I had always gotten the (probably false) impression that there were big cities with large concentrated populations, and then most everyone else lived kind of out in the boonies.

And what are the down sides to living in Canada? It sounds too good to be true.
Click to expand...

31 million people. The biggest city is Toronto, with the greater area possibly amounting up to 5 million people. Then there's Montreal, which I believe is close to 4 million people. Vancpuver with 2 million, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg all hovering around or near the million mark. I live in a small city myself, Barrie with 120,000 people. It's about an hour north of Toronto.

I believe there's a higher percentage of people living in urban areas here than in the US, and in my own opinion, it could be the reason why we don't seem to have as many rednecks.

The main downsides of Canada would be the cold winters, the NHL lockout right now, the higher taxes, and we seem to be very dependent on the US.
 
B

border

Member
Why not the United Kingdom? Too likely as a terror target (thanks to Blair)?

I think you are missing out on some important concerns:

How easy is it to get citizenship or even a work visa in UK or Canada? How is the job market in these countries?
 
D

Dilbert

Member
It's very hard to work in Germany as a foreigner. Not sure how hard it is to emigrate there to become a citizen.
 
M

Mason

Member
Also, it was suggested that western Canada would be a good place to consider moving to. I was thinking about somewhere near Calgary, Winnipeg, or Regina. Anything positive/negative to say about those particular choices? Or perhaps other recommendations?
 
R

rs7k

Member
Mason said:
Also, it was suggested that western Canada would be a good place to consider moving to. I was thinking about somewhere near Calgary, Winnipeg, or Regina. Anything positive/negative to say about those particular choices? Or perhaps other recommendations?
Click to expand...

Calgary can get INSANELY cold (-50C or -58F). Regina is just the same, and Winnipeg is just as bad. The job market in Calgary was excellent a few years ago, but I don't know how it is now.

Toronto is becoming way too big IMO. Life is quite expensive there, and that's why Barrie got so big. Half of all the people living in Barrie commute to Toronto every day.

If it were my choice, I would move to Montreal or Quebec City, but that's probably because I speak French. Both these cities are just fucking beautiful.

For an English speaker, Vancouver would be a good choice, but it's also really expensive, moreso than Toronto.
 
M

Mainline

Member
I live in Winnipeg, there are about 700,000 people in the area, I like it a lot here, there is also fantastic cottage country within an hours drive of Winnipeg, I spend a lot of time in the summer up there, its great. Regina is a bit smaller, Calgary is a bit larger, it really depends on what you are looking for, Calgary probably has more tech-related jobs if that's what you're into. I would suggest visiting each city before moving obviously, it wouldn't be that hard to take a road trip through them all, they are all connected by the trans-Canada highway.
 
E

ErasureAcer

Banned
It's hard to work anywhere if you are an immigrant. You probably don't have the proper papers to work nor citizenship. You're screwed.

Looking at New Zealand...they only require you to be there 3 years. So you could go to school there, finish and be a citizen. The only other way to get citizenship is through marriage(possible) and family ties to that country.

It seems I have to marry a foreign woman to get out of this country. Any female takes on GA? :)
 
S

soundwave05

Member
It doesn't snow much at all in Vancouver. Lots of rain though. Gorgeous city. Great pot too ;)

Toronto is one of the top 5 markets in North America IIRC, its gotten pretty huge.

I don't think its that hard to get citizenship in Canada. I'm sure there's definitely a process, but I don't think its as stringent as the (legal) immigration in the US (lol).
 
M

Mason

Member
ErasureAcer said:
It's hard to work anywhere if you are an immigrant. You probably don't have the proper papers to work nor citizenship. You're screwed.
Click to expand...

Well I'm going to start seriously researching this soon. I hope it's not as bad as you make it sound.
 
S

soundwave05

Member
I'd reccomend taking a flight up to Vancouver and visting the surrounding areas like Victoria as well. It's pretty cool.

Pretty nice nightlife. Toronto has a great club scene.
 
V

videogamer

Banned
soundwave05 said:
It doesn't snow much at all in Vancouver. Lots of rain though. Gorgeous city. Great pot too ;)

Toronto is one of the top 5 markets in North America IIRC, its gotten pretty huge.

I don't think its that hard to get citizenship in Canada. I'm sure there's definitely a process, but I don't think its as stringent as the (legal) immigration in the US (lol).
Click to expand...

Though I've been to Vancouver and Toronto and the local areas for about a week each during the summer,

Vancouver>Toronto

Stayed in Richmond and Mississauga areas while there.

Richmond >>>>> Mississauga

Biggest "wow" while in Canada: All the fresh Asian fruit. In the US, we're stuck with canned mangosteen and frozen rambutan.
 
M

Mason

Member
Fresh Prince said:
Why are you emmigrating?
Click to expand...

The list would be way too long if you wanted every reason. But looking at the past 10 years, or 50 years, or 100 years of American history, it's clear to see the US is only getting worse. I didn't ask to be born here, and now I'm old enough to do something about it. It's not just short-term problems like a president who isn't fit for the job, or rampant censorship, or the banning of gay marriage; though those things really upset me. There are also much larger and more long-term issues. Like the way this government is run: from the corporate sponsorship, to the disaster of a voting system, to the outdated electoral college; it doesn't work for me, and it's never going to change. My only option is to remove myself from it.

It's not like I'm packing up tomorrow (though if that were feasible, I definitely would). This is a "within-the-next-10-years" type of thing.
 
F

Fresh Prince

Banned
Mason said:
The list would be way too long if you wanted every reason. But looking at the past 10 years, or 50 years, or 100 years of American history, it's clear to see the US is only getting worse. I didn't ask to be born here, and now I'm old enough to do something about it. It's not just short-term problems like a president who isn't fit for the job, or rampant censorship, or the banning of gay marriage; though those things really upset me. There are also much larger and more long-term issues. Like the way this government is run: from the corporate sponsorship, to the disaster of a voting system, to the outdated electoral college; it doesn't work for me, and it's never going to change. My only option is to remove myself from it.

It's not like I'm packing up tomorrow (though if that were feasible, I definitely would). This is a "within-the-next-10-years" type of thing.
Click to expand...
Understood but I think in some repects the other parts of the Western World are already Americanised. I think the whole world is taking the slide as well. Seems like no one likes the word moderate anymore :lol

Anyway NZ is a good place to live (I've heard), although they have the second largest number of hours of unpaid overtime in any country in the world and the fact they always seem to be immigrating here:p
 
S

Socreges

Banned
Vancouver is the choice, unless you're concerned about relatively high rent/taxes (this is just something I've heard - seems normal to me, but I haven't lived elsewhere).

And cold/ugly winters, I guess, but I snowboarder so I take that as a trade-off. I also actually like crisp (no rain or clouds) winter nights, but not everyone would.
 
S

speedpop

Has problems recognising girls
New Zealand if you like cold weather, otherwise just hit it up in Australia - although I'm guessing it might not be the right time since essentially Australia is turning into Bush's bitch.
 
M

Mason

Member
:lol Check out the Google Ad.

nzad.gif
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Satya Nadella: Annual letter to stockholders. Content on new platforms will continue
4 5 6 7 8
352
20K
noob smokes replied
Zuckerberg announces Meta's paid verification program goes live in the US today
11
1K
Eddie-Griffin replied
Amazon Prime to add Commercials, unless you pay $3 extra monthly
2 3
115
9K
Deleted member 1159 replied
What actually happened to Warren Ellis?
14
3K
CGNoire replied
TOKYO PSYCHODEMIC launches May 30 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC via Steam
News Trailer
8
2K
Thick Thighs Save Lives replied
Top Bottom