A move to Toronto

[Rwarky]

I've considered moving to Toronto after college (in about 1 1/2 years), and wanted to know how could I do so without giving up my U.S. citizenship. Furthermore, what is the cost of living when compared to cities like NYC, Boston, and Philly? Also, how is the job market in the city?

[BrandonTO416]

I've spent years considering moving to Toronto, and not just considering it but going through the paperwork and what-not required. Unfortunately I've not found the personal match between an employer worth working for/willing to process paperwork and cleared my immigration status.

I'm also not giving up, I intend on moving to Toronto in approximately 3-4 years, dependent upon how much time it takes for me to save money and/or process permanent residency status before going.

Since I've been to CIC offices and done serious inquiries regarding this, I want to give you a personal take on the issue.

*You do not have to give up US Citizenship if you move to Canada, and even if you apply for citizenship in Canada after being there for 3 years with a permanent residency card. You may hold dual citizenship. The problem is that you must never let the US know that you have allegiance to Canada, and vice versa. If you enter the United States, always use your US passport and documentation with the excuse that you are in Canada working. If you are coming back to Canada, always use your Canadian documentation and say that you were visiting family back home.

Dual citizenship is not an issue so long as you properly present yourself. Even then, they don't take your citizenship away. You just might find yourself being checked for an hour or more at the border instead of a simple pass through...

With that cleared up, my experience is that in Toronto cost of living is below that of some of America's major cities. San Francisco, Boston, and New York are all more expensive than Toronto; however, this is partially a US Dollar vs Canadian Dollar issue. Toronto is still the most expensive city in Canada to live, and its similar to living in Chicago or New York here even if its slightly cheaper.

If you want a decent one bedroom apartment, expect to pay $800 CDN a month. That's comparable to our major urban centers. Condos start at $200k for a decent one bedroom with enough sq footage to be comfortable. Homes generally start in the $300k range and go up in the GTA.

While this isn't cheap, its more affordable than New York or San Francisco by far. I'd say its similar to Chicago pricing more than any other city down here.

The job market in Toronto is unreal. Toronto is building more highrises than most any city in North America because its one of the world's boomtowns. Few people realize this in the United States, but Toronto is growing at a rate of nearly 600,000 people every 5 years. The Canadian census is conducted on a 5 year basis, as opposed to our 10 year census. This rate of growth is one of the fastest markets in North America. The job market is hopping mad, and you can find a job so long as you have residency status.

The down side? You cannot easily find a Canadian employer willing to wait for you to apply for a temporary work permit unless there is dire need and the company NEEDS your skills NOW. If you luck out, getting a temporary permit barely takes 2 weeks and you can be a Torontonian in no time.

I've never had the luck of having that happen, plus I would prefer to have permanent residency status. Being anywhere on a temporary visa is unsettling to me unless I dont' intend on being there long term.

That's part of why I'm not in Toronto right now.

Basically I say the city is probably the best quality of life for anyone who wants to live in a true urban center but also have suburbs that don't absolutely suck. Toronto doesn't have the history of poor American urban planning and policies here, along with the historic racial problems that plagued our cities for much of the past.

Because of that you see a city that is far different in nature, and a city that is one of the most multi-cultural in the world. The only city in North America that compares to Toronto's diversity is New York, hands down.

I encourage you to try, because its a great city with fantastic amenities.

Hopefully I'll be able to see you there someday as I hope to move in the future!

[Rwarky]

Thank you for the advice, heckles.

[BrandonTO416]

If you would like to chat privately about this further, please PM me.

I'm actually going to be filing for permanent residency status within the next 6 months, once I have saved the proper funds and have a better start.

[DanRNC]

My fiance and I are also looking to relocate to Toronto for post-doctoral research at the University of Toronto after we finish our graduate school work here in NC. We were up there this summer and found housing prices to be extremely reasonable compared to anything in Boston, SF, Seattle, or even the RTP area.

The amount of construction in the city was unbelievable, more so than most large U.S. cities. If you go to visit check out the St. Lawrence Market neighborhood-lots of lofts being developed in that part of town.

[punchbuggy]

My fiance and I are also looking to relocate to Toronto for post-doctoral research at the University of Toronto after we finish our graduate school work here in NC. We were up there this summer and found housing prices to be extremely reasonable compared to anything in Boston, SF, Seattle, or even the RTP area.

The amount of construction in the city was unbelievable, more so than most large U.S. cities. If you go to visit check out the St. Lawrence Market neighborhood-lots of lofts being developed in that part of town.