Moving to Canada
Visas and residency, citizenship, tax, company and banking, cost of living and the places to live in Canada, in one place.
Northern AmericaThinking about moving to Canada?
Here's how long you can stay, the ways to live there for good, what you'd pay in tax and what everyday life costs, each figure from an official source.
In this guide, I'll show you:
- How long you can stay, by passport
- The visas and residency routes that let you live there
- How long citizenship takes
- How tax works, with the rates
- What it costs, and the internet and safety
- The best places to live
- The basics: capital, currency and languages
Pick your passport at the top of the page, and the stay rule shows for you.
TL;DRKey takeaways
Canada at a glance
How long can you stay in Canada?
It depends on the passport you hold.
Here's the rule for the most common ones:
US passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 180 days
UK passport- Rule
- eTA before you fly
- Stay
- 180 days
EU passport (German)- Rule
- eTA before you fly
- Stay
- 180 days
Australian passport- Rule
- eTA before you fly
- Stay
- 180 days
Indian passport- Rule
- Visa needed
- Stay
- –
For any other passport, pick yours at the top, or see every country on the visa-free countries map.
Visas and residency in Canada
These routes don't need a local job either:
- Visitor status for digital nomads (no work permit needed) (residency program)
See the investor routes side by side in the golden visa finder, and the ones for retirees in the retirement visa finder.
Citizenship in Canada
Naturalization takes about 3 years of residence.
Dual citizenship is allowed, so you can keep your passport.
Work out your own timeline with the second passport calculator.
Tax in Canada
Canada taxes its tax residents on their income from anywhere.
See where it sits among every country on the territorial tax map.
The main rates:
- Lowest income tax band – 18%
- Top income tax rate – 55%
- Corporate tax – 31%
- VAT or sales tax – 5%
- Capital gains tax – 27%
Where you're a tax resident usually comes down to days.
Count yours with the 183-day rule calculator.
Company and banking
Compare the banks and cards that work for people abroad in the bank account finder.
Move money for less with the money transfer comparison.
Setting up a company here?
See the fees and yearly costs in company formation compared.
Many people who live abroad run a US LLC instead; check yours with the US LLC for non-residents checker.
Cost of living in Canada
Everyday prices in Canada are about 83% of US prices.
That's the World Bank's price level for 2025: its purchasing power conversion factor divided by the exchange rate.
It's close to US prices, or above them.
A night's stay in a whole place, by Inside Airbnb's median:
- Montreal – $152
- Toronto – $209
- Vancouver – $269
Convert what things cost with the currency converter.
Is Canada safe?
The US State Department rates Canada Level 1 ("Exercise normal precautions", updated 2026-06-05), the same level it gives Austria, Portugal, Japan and Australia. Level 1 is normal travel. Some advisories are stricter for parts of a country, so read the full advisory before you go.
For a second view, the UK has no warning against travel.
See every country's level on the travel advisory map.
Internet in Canada
In M-Lab's open speed tests across Canada over the last 12 months, half came in above 102 Mbps download.
The fastest quarter of lines came in above 286 Mbps, closer to a good fiber connection (34,723,240 tests).
By place:
- Montreal – 88 Mbps typical
- Toronto – 91 Mbps typical
- Vancouver – 101 Mbps typical
Test your own line when you arrive with my internet speed test.
The best places to live in Canada
Compare them with places everywhere in digital nomad locations.
Canada: the basics
| What | Canada |
|---|---|
| Capital | Ottawa |
| Currency | Canadian dollar (CAD) |
| Languages | English, French, Inuktitut |
| Population | about 37.1 million |
From GeoNames' country data (CC BY 4.0).
More tools for Canada
- Passport index and compare passports
- Time zone overlap calculator for calls with home
- eSIM finder for data when you land
- Card fees abroad calculator before you spend
Canada FAQs
Visa-free, for 180 days.
Pick another passport at the top of the page to see its rule.
It depends on your passport.
Pick yours at the top of the page to see the days, and whether you need a visa first.
Not that I've found in official sources as of 2026-09-29.
The digital nomad visa finder lists every country that has one.
About 3 years of residence.
Yes.
Check that your own country allows it too.
Canada taxes its tax residents on their income from anywhere.
Check the details with a tax adviser before you move.
Everyday prices are about 83% of US prices, by the World Bank's price level for 2025.
Rent in the biggest cities can be higher than that suggests.
The US State Department rates it Level 1.
Levels 1 and 2 are everyday travel; read the full advisory for any regions it warns about.
Half of M-Lab's tests there came in above 102 Mbps download over the last 12 months.
The fastest quarter of lines passed 286 Mbps.
The places I cover there are Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.
Each has its own guide with the weather by month, internet and costs.
The Canadian dollar (CAD).
The main languages are English, French and Inuktitut.
Navid Moazzez
AI business strategist & AI OS builder
Navid Moazzez helps creators and founders master AI and build their own AI Operating System (AI OS) to automate their business and life.
Navid.me is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this site, I may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
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