We moved here in 2021 after 8 years in the US. We’ve only got another year to go until we’re cleared to apply for our citizenship. Then another year of processing till we get the passports. So, we’re going to stay here till we get our passports atleast. But after that, we don’t have any intention of staying in Canada for the long term mostly for the reasons you stated above. We don’t have any friends or family in Canada since everyone’s in the US. Haven’t been able to meet new friends either cause we both work from home and are raising a toddler.
As for next steps, the TN visa is an option cause we’re both working for US companies. But we’re also considering Dubai cause I’m an Oil & Gas guy. I don’t mind spending 10 years in Dubai making 2x to 3x more with low taxes compared to Canadian Oil & Gas salaries. But an option that we really like is moving back to India and staying close to family and friends. We can afford daily help such as nannies, cooks and drivers in India easily and this will free up our time. Raising kids in the West hasn’t been easy. We’d prefer to maintain our sanity and spend quality time with kids as opposed to cleaning dishes, doing household chores etc. We’d face the same problem if we move back to US but not if we move to Dubai or India.
I really wanted to make Canada work for me but I can’t find a good reason to stay here. I don’t see the leadership in this country doing anything remotely helpful that would grow their economy and reduce housing costs and improve public healthcare. Also, cost of living in Toronto is pretty high here and I don’t find it deserving of that. For example, I’d gladly accept high cost of living in cities like NY, Seattle, SF cause of the wealth of opportunities and high earning capability in those cities. But Toronto has been underwhelming to say the least. Perhaps it may be different for a Tech person with considerable opportunities in Toronto.
It’s not all bad though… There are many things about Canada that I’m super grateful for and I’ll always love it for that. We’ve made some good memories here as a family and we’ll cherish those.