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Posted on November 18 2021

What’s great about Canada immigration? A comparison with Australia

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By  Editor
Updated May 25 2023

If you have some overseas experience in Australia already and yet are intrigued by all the hype around Canada immigration, you may want to make a comparative study between the 2 countries. We want you to make a fair decision if you are yet to decide where to immigrate. So here we go!

Since employment is the major drive for immigration, let’s make the first comparison based on how each country welcomes skilled foreign workers.

Immigration programs for skilled workers

We will compare 2 skilled worker immigration programs: the FSW program of Canada and the Skilled Independent program of Australia.

FSWP (Federal Skilled Worker Program) falls under the Canada Express Entry program. It’s meant for aspiring immigrants who possess the skills, qualifications, and work experience required to help the Canadian economy grow.

Under this program, you won’t require to receive a job offer to work in Canada from a Canadian employer. Nevertheless, having one can increase your chances of getting invited to apply for a Canada PR visa.

In Australia, there’s the Subclass 189 (Skilled Independent Visa) that you can use to permanently stay in the country. The moment you are granted the Subclass 189 visa, you become a permanent resident of Australia.

Now, let’s compare the requirements you have to meet under each of these programs:

FSWP Subclass 189 visa
You must have skilled work experience of at least a year in NOC skill type 0, A, or B. The work must have been continuous full-time employment or equivalent part-time employment. You must have completed a suitable skills assessment and your occupation must be present on the relevant SOL.
You must have an English/French skill level CLB 7 in all 4 language abilities. You must pass the English competency test. IELTS – A minimum of 6 for each of the 4 skill components TOEFL – Min. points of 12 for listening. 21 for writing, 13 for reading, and 18 for speaking. PTE Academic - A minimum of 50 for each of the 4 skill components OET - A minimum of 8 for each of the 4 skill components Cambridge C1 Advanced test - A minimum of 165 for each of the 4 skill components
You must score at least 67 out of 100 points under the skilled worker points grid. You must score at least 65 points to qualify.
Having foreign education, you must provide an ECA report for immigration from a designated organization. This is to prove that your qualification is equivalent to a diploma, degree, or certificate from Canada. Doctorate, Bachelor’s/Master’s degree, or Diploma.
You must undergo a security background check and medical examination, both of which you must pass. You must meet the health and character requirements to be eligible for the visa.
You must have proof of funds which means that you must have enough money to settle yourself and your family in Canada unless you have a valid job offer in Canada or are able to work in Canada legally. Any money you or your family members owe to the Australian government must be paid back.
You must be aged between 18 and 35 years to get maximum scores for age. After that, for every year, 1 point will be deducted which will turn zero once you reach 47 years of age. You must be aged under 45 years when you apply for the visa.
Visa is processed in under 6 months. Visa application processing could take up to 25 months.

Besides these, an applicant for Subclass 189 must:

  • Sign the Australian values statement
  • Not have a history of previous application refused or a visa canceled.

Other comparable immigration programs in each country are Canada’s PNP and Australia’s Subclass 190 (Skilled Nominated Visa). These also provide a pathway to permanent residence.

PNP Subclass 190
You can express your interest to apply for a visa (EOI) directly to a province or visa the Express Entry system. Once you submit an EOI a state or territory government could nominate you after which you will get a letter of invitation to apply for PR.
There are 11 PNPs in Canada with their own streams and requirements aiming at different groups like skilled/semi-skilled workers and students. The visa is applicable to you only if you are fit to fill a job position included in the Skilled Occupation List.
The processing time is under 6 months via Canada Express Entry. Visa application processing could take up to 17 months.

In both cases, it’s necessary that you are nominated by a regional entity (state/territory/province).

Other general comparisons

Job opportunities

The Australian economy has not been dwindled by the COVID-19 pandemic and its many consequences like lockdowns and restrictions. In fact, Australia has achieved economic growth of above 100% in 2021 when compared to 2020. The country features low unemployment, low inflation, and low rates of interest.

There’s high demand for professionals in industry sectors like education, engineering, IT, and healthcare. Nevertheless, international students are facing a bit of a challenge in getting jobs in Australia. This is due to employers being hesitant for reasons like students’ lack of work experience and lack of clarity regarding their visa status, among other reasons.

Coming to Canada, one of the top 10 economies of the world, there is a huge number of job opportunities in various industry sectors. This is especially true of the tech sector. There are over 40,000 ICT companies that have emerged in Canada, who are ready to employ qualified and skilled graduates. Such graduates will find it easier to get a job in Canada as they will mostly get one within a couple of years of completing education.

Industry sectors like IT, sales, hospitality, and healthcare are offering opportunities in high-demand occupations.

Cost of living

The cost of living in Canada is around CAD 2800 per month for a single person. The same comes to around AUD 2835 per month in Australia.

The cost of living is about 9% lesser than what it is in Australia. In Canada, the government offers its PRs/citizens benefits in terms of healthcare facilities and food security. But Australia is one of the most expensive countries in the world with a higher cost of living when compared to Canada.

Healthcare facilities

Both Canada and Australia are quite high on the scale when it comes to their healthcare facilities. There’s a similar standard kept by both countries with regards to a healthcare structure that is well-divided between the central and state governments.

Both countries provide healthcare benefits not only to their natives but also to immigrants and even international students. Australia is among the top 5 countries providing the best healthcare provisions to its people. Canada is also ranked among the top 10 countries in the same aspect.

Do these comparisons give you a good insight into each of these wonderful countries? We surely hope you will be able to make a choice between Canada immigration or Australia immigration.

Know your eligibility for Canada immigration. Use the Canada points calculator.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest, or Migrate to Canada, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 immigration & visa company.

If you found this blog engaging, you may also like:

  1. Jobs outlook 2022 – The opportunities to gain if you work in Canada
  2. Major developments in Canada immigration expected in 2022 you must know

Note:

PR – Permanent Residence/Permanent Resident

EOI – Expression of Interest

PNP – Provincial Nominee Program

NOC – National Occupational Classification

CLB – Canadian Language Benchmark

ECA – Educational Credential Assessment

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