Brits are increasingly leaving the UK for Canada, where certain jobs offer pay increases of between £2,000 and £20,000. IT specialists, engineers, and healthcare professionals are among those who could see a significant salary boost by relocating to the North American country.
Why Canada?
Steve Cooper, RCIC Coordinator at Canadacis, has spent years assisting British nationals with Canadian immigration. He notes a shift in motivations: "Five years ago, the majority of British applicants we saw were lifestyle-motivated — people who wanted space, outdoors, a slower pace. What we're seeing now is different."
Cooper explains that today's applicants are professionals in their thirties and forties who have hit a career ceiling in the UK. "These are people who are good at what they do and know it. A software engineer in Manchester or Bristol looks at Canadian salaries, the cost of housing relative to income, and the pathway to PR, and the maths works out differently than it does at home."
The Cost of Living Crisis
The UK's ongoing cost of living crisis is a key driver. Cooper says: "There is a real sense among mid-career professionals that the goalposts have moved. They did what they were told — got the degree, built the experience, moved to a city for work — and home ownership still feels out of reach, progression is slow, and the tax burden is significant."
Canada offers a reset for many. "A lot of people arrive at the first conversation assuming Canada is complicated or out of reach. For a well-qualified British professional in their late twenties or thirties, the profile is often very strong. The system is designed to attract exactly the kind of person who is thinking about leaving the UK right now," Cooper adds.
Canada is now seen as a top destination for UK expats seeking better financial prospects and career advancement.
