SHOULD I RELOCATE TO UK 🇬🇧 OR CANADA 🇨🇦?
This post is to provide some insight with regards to ease of settlement and relocation for professionals to UK and Canada.
I live and work in the UK 🇬🇧 so I will dwell more on this. However, I have friends and colleagues who have relocated to Canada and will talk about their experiences.
1. If you are a healthcare professional, the UK 🇬🇧 might be the best place for you. Healthcare professionals are on the UK’s shortage occupational list and so are always in demand.
The licensing exams to practice as a healthcare professional in the UK is easier and more straightforward – takes about a year and you can get a job and relocate.
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Many healthcare colleagues I know who go to Canada don’t get to practice. At least not immediately. You will have to write the Canadian Medical Council exams which is a longer process.
If you are not in the healthcare profession, Canada may be the better option.
2. For family, both the UK 🇬🇧 and Canada 🇨🇦 are good options. Canada trumps UK 🇬🇧 slightly because they give citizenship by birth – every child you give birth to in Canada is automatically a Canadian citizen. This is not so for the UK 🇬🇧. But it will take you 6 years of living and working in the UK 🇬🇧 to become a British Citizen. Canadian Permanent Residency is instant via Express Entry. However, UK Permanent Residency (Indefinite Leave to Remain) can only be gotten after 5 years on a Tier 2 work Visa.
Family values are almost equal in both countries.
Education up to secondary level and healthcare is free in the UK 🇬🇧. Healthcare is also free in Canada (I think) but I don’t know about education.
3. Salary – The UK offers very good salary for healthcare workers. The taxation is high shaa. However, it is totally worth it. Pay is higher for healthcare professionals working in the US 🇺🇸 and Canada 🇨🇦 but the routes to getting licensed to practice in these countries are twice as long (duration) and twice as costly.
4. Time to move – If you are determined to leave Nigeria 🇳🇬, you can complete your licensing exams and move using any of the pathways we have been posting in this group. You can even use the UK Masters pathway to relocate. All this can be done under 1 year.
Getting Canadian PR and relocation usually takes not less than 2 years from starting to relocation.
5. Moving to the UK 🇬🇧 can be a stepping stone to relocating to Canada 🇨🇦
If you are a healthcare professional practising in the UK 🇬🇧, your UK qualifications may be recognised in Canada. I know a Colleague who got the Canadian PR, relocated with his family. He took PLAB came to the UK 🇬🇧 and is currently doing a 3-year specialist training as a GP. After this training, he will relocate to Canada to work as a Consultant GP. This will save him years and years of trying to get licensed in Canada and climbing the ropes. UK Trained Psychiatrists and other specialists are needed in Canada. 🇨🇦 You can come to UK, get trained as a Specialist, obtain your British passport in the process, collect Canadian PR and relocate to work as a Consultant there.
Everything is possible! 💯
It only begins with making the decision to leave Nigeria first.
I hope this helps. 🙏❤️
©Kelvin Alaneme, 2021.
Abdullahi Suleiman a Certified Registered Nurse based in Nigeria, an Entrepreneur and Also a Blogger, passionate about Community Development and Cosmetic Nursing
