An entrepreneur’s viral social media thread has sparked intense debate after he shared a brutally honest review of his 18-month stay in Canada. Harsh Gupta, who moved to Toronto on a Permanent Residency (PR) but chose to leave, warned Indians about the harsh realities of relocating.
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“If you’re an Indian thinking of moving to Canada, here are 10 things you should know. (from someone who moved to Toronto on a PR & left after 18 months). 1. Good jobs are tough to get. Salaries are only slightly higher than in India, with thousands of applicants per opening. No globally dominant company besides Shopify. Most people are working at CAD 15/hour ( ₹1,000). 2. The cost of living will eat you alive. I lived in downtown Toronto. ₹2 lakh a month for an ordinary 600 sq ft apartment,” Harsh Gupta wrote on Threads.
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In the thread, he claimed that taxes were brutal in Canada. He continued, “The taxes are brutal. I earned ₹10 lakh/month from my business and paid ₹5 lakh in taxes.”
He continued that “free healthcare is a myth.” The entrepreneur recalled that it took him six months to get a family doctor, adding that a referral to a specialist meant waiting over two months. He went on to talk about medicines, cold, and the high cost of living in the following lines.
“Don’t let the internet fool you with scenery, clean air, and ‘peace.’ It looks great for 4–5 months a year. The rest is grey,” the man wrote. He added, “Alberta — colder, sparsely populated, more depressing. But cheaper, lower taxes. Montreal — the best of them. But no jobs without French, and colder and wetter. Vancouver — same as Toronto but milder winter and better natural scenery. Fewer jobs though. “
The post prompted outrage, with many calling the entrepreneur’s claims “delusional”. However, a few agreed with the man.
An individual posted, “I feel for all the international students that came here during the mass immigration post-COVID. They were duped by recruiters in India, being promised a beautiful Canada and PR status. There has definitely been a shift in Canada’s tolerance for immigrants. It’s sad.”
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Another commented, “Seems like the real pessimist here is you. Worth acknowledging that there’s a whole other type of Indian that could (and does) connect more deeply than you with the way of life in Canada. I love my country but India is not exactly a paradise either.”
A third expressed, “Unfortunately he is right on all of these points… Why I left Canada.” A fourth wrote, “Honestly, not an unfair assessment. Glad you figured it out so soon!”
