7 Best Cities In Canada For New Immigrants To Move In!

Whether you are a new immigrant in Canada or someone already in Canada looking to move, below is the list of 7 immigrant-friendly cities you can move to with good quality of life.

List of 7 Best Cities For New Immigrants

1. Ottawa 

The city of Ottawa is a favourite with immigrants. The city constantly receives high marks for life quality and cleanliness and is often seen as one of the nicest places to live in the world.

Ottawa is a vibrant, young city with beautiful architecture, a thriving city centre, and picturesque neighbourhoods because of its cultural diversity. Enormous young people are drawn to the city by its two universities, the University of Ottawa and Carleton University.

The city is home to just under 1 million people, but new investment and Canada’s immigration drive forecasts to increase population by 3% over the next three years. Another advantage is that Ottawa is incredibly green and clean. There are many options for an active outdoor lifestyle, and it is bike-friendly.

There are various trails, walkways, running tracks, and bike lanes along the magnificent Rideau Canal that runs through the city. Moreover, the canal freezes over in the winter and turns into the longest ice skating rink in the world.

The city of Ottawa experiences four distinct seasons, which offer a change of scenery throughout the year. The city’s winters are chilly and dazzlingly bright, and many winter activities are available. Conversely, summers can be fairly hot and muggy.

Ottawa offers many services in French and English because the city is officially bilingual. While knowing French is helpful, English is widely spoken. You don’t need to be bilingual to lead a happy life there, but learning French may help you integrate quickly or land a specific job.

Despite being higher than average, Ottawa’s cost of living is still very reasonable. Apartments can be rented between CAN $700 and 1400 per month, depending on your desired area. However, eating out and buying groceries can be expensive, mainly if they are imported. Although incomes are higher than usual, Ottawa’s unemployment rate of 5.3% is one of the lowest.

Retail salespeople, computer programmers, and interactive media creators are among the top professions. In addition, information systems analysts and consultants are also in high demand.

The federal government of Canada is headquartered in Ottawa, which also has significant municipal and provincial government employees. In Ottawa, the public sector employs about 20% of the labour force. Natural and applied sciences, as well as fields related to them and occupations in education, law, and community, experienced the fastest employment growth.

2. Burlington

Burlington, close to Toronto, is the ideal location for people who desire to live in a big city close to nature and the great outdoors. It is located at the southwestern edge of Lake Ontario. Burlington preserves more than 580 hectares of parkland and has an excellent quality of life.

Many schools, universities, and healthcare services are available to residents, making for a decent quality of life. In addition, Burlington offers wonderful and varied options, from the 115 parks spread around the city to the museums to the numerous annual festivals locals participate in.

The average home in Burlington costs approximately $500,000, four and a half times the average income. As a result, Burlington is one of the more expensive cities. However, this city gets top grades for its low unemployment, lovely weather, minimal crime, high earnings, and excellent transit.

The city’s diverse economic basis contributes to its economic stability and guarantees that work opportunities are consistently available across many sectors.

Any one industry or employer does not dominate the economy of Burlington. Nevertheless, it’s not difficult to find work in Burlington, and the city’s low unemployment rate can be attributed to the diverse economy of the affluent Golden Horseshoe region.

The commuter train between downtown Burlington and central Burlington makes it simple to reach Toronto from Burlington. The commute by rail lasts one hour. So many professionals decide to commute daily from Burlington to Toronto for business.

3. Oakville

Oakville, a charming suburban community in southern Ontario, is particularly proud of its excellent location in Halton Region on Lake Ontario, which provides residents with simple access to Toronto’s metropolitan centre and natural wonders on the one hand.

Toronto’s downtown is only 30 minutes away by car from Oakville, and it takes an hour to get to Niagara Falls and the US border. Because of its exceptional catering for families and kids, it deserves to be included on the list of Canada’s greatest places to live.

There is no shortage of things to do for those who enjoy the arts, culture, and music. These include performances at the nearby Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts, trips to museums and galleries, and fantastic festivals like the annual Waterfront Festival, Festival of Classics, and Jazz Festival in Oakville.

There are many leisure options in the neighbourhood. For example, seven golf courses are available for play, including the PGA-recognized Glen Abbey Golf Course, which has frequently hosted the Canadian Open.

Over 2,400 acres of parkland contain many well-maintained hiking routes. In addition, two beautiful harbours and boating options are available in Oakville for boaters. With manufacturing facilities run by UTC Aerospace Systems and General Electric, as well as Siemens and The Ford Motor Company’s Canadian offices based in Oakville, jobs are simple to get.

Oakville is a popular location for life science businesses, primarily focusing on pharmaceuticals and eldercare. However, like Burlington, Oakville is a suburb of Toronto, and many locals travel to Toronto for work, where there are numerous and varied career options.

4. St. Albert

For several years running, St. Albert, Alberta, has been moving up the list of the greatest provinces in Canada. More Canadians and foreigners are moving to Alberta because of its robust economy and well-paying jobs as people realize that the province offers more than simply oil.

It includes all the conveniences, including parks and facilities to support a healthy lifestyle, schools, health care, and recreational options. More than 85 km of bike routes run alongside the Sturgeon River in St. Albert. There are also plenty of outdoor rinks. A 55,000-person annual International Children’s Festival is held there as well.

Although the country’s winters can be brutal (with an average of 28 days per year with a minimum temperature below -20 C), there is still plenty of sunshine all year round, and crime rates are progressively declining. St. Albert is a popular location for people who prefer a slower pace of life because it is only 30 kilometres from Edmonton, the regional capital.

Edmonton commuting services are convenient through the St. Albert Transit system. St. Albert may be a better option if living in Edmonton doesn’t appeal to you, but your employer is there. With most residents travelling to Edmonton for work, St. Albert has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation (4.3%) and some of the highest earnings.

St. Albert can’t completely avoid the trend in the area even though it has a considerably smaller exposure to the oil and gas business. Petrochemicals are the most significant industry in Edmonton’s nearby oil and gas hub.

Oil and natural gas are abundant in the area, earning Edmonton the moniker “Oil Capital of Canada.” Many St. Albert people commute to Edmonton to work in the oil industry. However, there are numerous different career fields available in the region. For example, information technology, banking, and biotechnology all offer opportunities.

5. Boucherville

With a population of about 43,000, Boucherville is one of the oldest municipalities in Québec. The city’s unemployment rate is an exceptionally low 2.88 percent, and the typical household income is $92,253.

Boucherville’s proximity to Montreal and rapid population expansion, along with its bike-friendly streets and vibrant arts and sports scene, make it particularly appealing to foreign residents.

In Boucherville, the outdoors is undoubtedly an important aspect. One of the most incredible parks in Canada is the Iles-de-Boucherville National Park, which offers activities like sea kayaking, snow hiking, volleyball on sand, riding, and wildlife viewing.

It’s the ideal place for a family who enjoys golf, the outdoors, and scenic views but yet needs access to a big city’s facilities. Most people in Boucherville speak French; about 2% of the population can speak English fluently. About 90% of the population speaks French. Therefore, if you wish to relocate to Boucherville, understanding French is a need.

Bilingual people have higher employment prospects from an employment standpoint. The city generally has a low unemployment rate, and personnel acquire top salaries. Boucherville’s commercial park is domestic to around 575 agencies, presenting employment to 23 000 people.

Given that Montreal, Canada’s second-largest city, is only 18 kilometres from Boucherville, many Boucherville inhabitants commute to Montreal for work. Montreal’s typical industries are aerospace, software, electronics, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and transportation.

Over 40,000 people are employed in Quebec’s aerospace industry, which includes firms like Bell Helicopter Textron, Bombardier Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, and CAE. The city is one of North America’s main aerospace hubs.

6. Vancouver

It’s not surprising that Vancouver consistently ranks as one of the best cities in the world to live in. The city has it all: mountains, beaches, islands, a coastline, an urban core, and lovely residential districts.

Vancouver genuinely offers everything. The real estate market in Vancouver is the only disadvantage if you intend to relocate there.

In the suburbs, the cost of a family house can soon exceed $1 million, and any properties that come on the market are quickly purchased. As a result, finding a place to live can be challenging because even rent can be costly.

However, you may take advantage of all Vancouver offers after resolving your home situation. It has excellent links to nearby islands and other countries, so leaving the city and entering nature is frequently simpler than going downtown.

The economy of Vancouver is vibrant and diverse. Since the city is the third-most-popular filming destination after New York and LA, the film and television industries are major employers in the region.

Vancouver jobs are simple to locate and pay well, thanks to the 2010 Winter Olympics, which attracted investment that facilitates locating a home! However, Vancouver has a fairly high overall cost of living. 

In most of Canada, Vancouver boasts the best public transportation, shopping areas, harbour, and well-maintained parks (Stanley Park is renowned worldwide). It also offers the best schools, hospitals, and medical services.

Since Vancouver’s weather is milder than other cities, outdoor activities are more available all year round. Vancouver is amazing if you can afford it.

7. Calgary

There is a good probability that you will have to choose between Calgary and Edmonton if you are going to Alberta. Anyone moving to Canada will find that Calgary, the largest city in Alberta, has a lot to offer.

It is a vibrant metropolis with 1.5 million residents that is constantly alive and deeply rooted in the natural world and its surroundings. Life in Calgary is undoubtedly picturesque due to the city’s location at the elbow and bow of two rivers at the base of the Rocky Mountains.

The railway’s westward expansion initially caused Calgary to develop from a small village into a city. As a result, it combines all the city’s facilities with all the charm of a mountain village.

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