“I’m done with Canada.”

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Cameron is one of several people who wrote to CTVNews.ca about settling outside of Canada due to the high cost of living. Although data from Statistics Canada shows there are more people immigrating to the country than there are emigrating, Canadians such as Cameron are permanently leaving the country every day. Statistics show that one emigrant will leave Canada every 20 minutes or so.

High housing costs played a key role in Cameron and his wife’s decision to leave Canada, he said. For his four-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Ontario, Cameron’s monthly mortgage payment was about $5,500, he said.

But in Barbados, Cameron is renting a three-bedroom, three-bathroom home in Saint Philip for slightly more than $3,000 per month. The house spans about 2,300 square feet and includes a pool.

According to Numbeo, an online database where users can share information related to the cost of living in various countries, grocery items such as milk, bread and eggs are more expensive in Barbados than in Canada. Despite this, the couple hopes to save money in other ways. For utilities such as electricity, water and gas, for example, Cameron expects to pay about $250 per month in Barbados, compared to a monthly payment of $593 while living in Hamilton.

Like many Canadians who reached out, Cameron said he hopes the move will have a positive impact on his overall quality of life, allowing him to generate more disposable income to spend on recreational activities and eventually growing his family. Cameron said he and his wife had held off on having children while living in Canada, but plan to revisit the idea now that they’re living in Barbados.

“We see that we have better opportunities for us somewhere else [compared to] what Canada seems to be able to provide for us moving forward,” he said.

‘DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SURVIVING AND LIVING’
Steve Thurrott, who is originally from Ottawa, also decided to leave Canada in March 2020 because of the high cost of living. More than three years after leaving, Thurrott is now visiting Alberta before he and his wife permanently settle in Cambodia.

“I was in Banff and a little restaurant by the lake wanted $17 for a hotdog,” Thurrott told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on July 4. “I just don’t understand how people survive here.”

The 45-year-old veteran receives military and disability pensions, following his medical release from the Canadian Armed Forces in 2020. But this money was barely enough to afford his monthly expenses while living in Canada, he said. After visiting Mexico, the Philippines and Alberta, Thurrott and his wife plan to move to Cambodia, where the cost of living is “far more affordable” compared to Canada, he said.

Starting in August, Thurrott and his wife will live in a three-bedroom, three-bathroom home with a pool while paying $300 per month in rent, he said. Meanwhile, in Canada, the average price to rent a one-bedroom unit is $1,837, based on the latest report from Rentals.ca.

According to Numbeo, the average price of food and transportation in Cambodia is generally cheaper than it is in Canada. Grocery items such as a dozen eggs and a loaf of bread, for example, cost less in the Asian country. Additionally, the price of a meal at an inexpensive restaurant in Cambodia can be as low as $3 per person, said Thurrott, who visited the country earlier this year.

Meanwhile, in Canada, grocery prices have risen 9.1 per cent year-over-year, according to the latest inflation data from Statistics Canada. When looking at the country’s overall annual inflation rate, this figure currently stands at 2.8 per cent. Although this represents a drop from the 8.1 per cent recorded in June 2022, inflation levels are still higher than the Bank of Canada’s two-per-cent target.

In terms of transportation in Cambodia, a short trip via tuk-tuk, a three-wheeled motor vehicle, can cost as little as $1 while a taxi ride over longer distances can cost as much as $50, although prices can be negotiated, Thurrott said. Purchasing a new or used car, however, tends to be more expensive in Cambodia than in Canada, he said.


Aside from mandatory expenses, the cost of products and services that aren’t essential, such as a trip to the movie theatre or going on a scenic tour, are also less expensive in Cambodia compared to Canada, Thurrott said. Being able to do more of these recreational activities has greatly improved his quality of life, he said.

“When all of these other extra costs are so much cheaper, the quality of life that that brings is huge,” he said. “There’s a difference between surviving and living.”

FATHER OF TWO NO LONGER SEES CANADA AS THE ‘END GOAL’
Shane Baetz, who grew up near London, Ont., began working in the Philippines in 2011. About a decade later, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he returned to Canada with his wife and two children. He had been laid off at the time and his family was considering permanently relocating to Canada, he said.

But as his family looked for a new home, they saw average prices were rapidly rising. By February 2022, the national average price of a home peaked at $816,720, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association. Looking at rising home prices in London, Ont. and the Greater Toronto Area, Baetz said he didn’t know if it made financial sense for his family to stay in Canada.

“Houses were going up, like, hundreds of thousands of dollars within months,” the 48-year-old told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on July 5. “It was shocking.”


Baetz was also worried about whether his daughters, aged nine and 12, would eventually be able to afford homes themselves, he said. Although the national average price of a home has dropped since February 2022, the latest CREA data shows an annual increase between June 2022 and June 2023.

“I always felt like my daughters were going to have a better life in Canada but I wasn’t seeing that anymore,” he said. “It’s sad to no longer perceive Canada as an end goal.”

Rising home prices ultimately led Baetz and his family to return to the Philippines in March 2022, he said. They now rent a three-bedroom, three-bathroom condominium in Manila for about $4,000 per month, he said.

Although leaving Canada has made it difficult to spend time with his relatives, Baetz plans to continue living in the

Philippines with his wife and daughters, he said. There, he is able to provide them with greater financial stability and a better quality of life, he said.

“The list of reasons to stay in the Philippines is probably longer than the list of reasons to move back to Canada,” said Baetz. “The future feels like it’s brighter.”

It’s not uncommon for Canadians to settle in countries with a low minimum wage, said Tsur Somerville, an associate professor of strategy and business economics at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business. For those who have generated income while living in Canada, it is easier to make this money go further, he said.

“If I take my wealth that I’ve accumulated in Canada and then move to someplace where incomes are much lower and wages are much lower, then everything is going to be a much lower price,” Somerville told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on June 13.

Countries such as Cambodia and the Philippines have minimum wages that are lower than the base salary earned by workers in Canadian provinces and territories. In the Philippines, for example, minimum wage is about $14 per day. In Canada, employees can make at least $104 per day, with the minimum wage ranging from $13 to $16.77 per hour depending on the province or territory.

FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYERS AND RETIREES CONSIDER LEAVING CANADA
Several Canadians also wrote to CTVNews.ca about plans to leave Canada in the near future, including Andre Fortier, who is looking to purchase his first home.

Fortier, who is currently renting an apartment in Toronto for about $1,600 per month, said he is considering moving to Colombia, where his partner is from. It is there that he hopes to purchase a home, as he does not see himself being able to afford a property in Canada.

“I’ve been contributing in this country all of my life, I feel completely cheated,” the 59-year-old told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on June 12. “I’m nowhere near where I thought I was going to be by the time I’m 60, and it’s not from the lack of trying.”

Although average home prices may be cheaper outside of major urban hubs such as Toronto, Fortier said he has been struggling with finding full-time employment outside the city. If he were to stay in Canada during his retirement years, money from his pension would barely cover his rent, he said.

During a visit to Colombia in December, Fortier saw homes for sale between $50,000 and $100,000, he said. He and his partner are now looking at moving to Colombia in two years’ time, and plan to live there permanently.


“The cost of living here is exponential to what it is there,” he said. “If I stay in Canada … I’m going to be absolutely broke.”

Based in Mission, B.C., Leslie Dunn is also considering moving to another country. The semi-retired 57-year-old hopes to purchase a home in Mexico and split her time between both countries throughout the year.

Research conducted by Far Homes, a real estate website that helps foreigners purchase properties in Mexico, shows an increasing number of Canadians have been migrating there since 2020. Data from the Mexican government shows that 1,032 temporary resident cards were issued to Canadians in 2020, compared with 3,160 cards issued in 2022, according to a report from Far Homes.

Recent surveys conducted by the company show a significant factor behind this trend is the desire for a lower cost of living. Dunn said this is one of the main reasons behind her decision to settle in Mexico. Rising average home and rent prices in Canada are especially concerning to her, along with the elevated cost of food, she said.

“The cost of living is expensive [in Canada],” Dunn told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on June 22. “Housing rates pretty much everywhere are on the incline [and] I find that there`s a lot of people that are house poor.”

Based on recent trips to Mexico, Dunn said the price to purchase an average condominium is about $125,000, while the cost of a detached house can be about $400,000. She recently offered to buy a four-bedroom townhouse for about $180,000 in the town of Puerto Morelos, she said. Property taxes for the 2,700-square-foot home would have been just under $100 per year.

Although the deal did not go through, Dunn said she and her partner continue to look for homes to either buy or rent in Mexico.

HOW INCREASED SUPPLY CONTRIBUTES TO HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
Canadians, along with residents of countless other countries, continue to struggle with affordable housing amid a cost of living crisis, Somerville said.

“Rent and mortgage payments have gone up a lot more than incomes, particularly in last two to three years,” said Somerville, referring to Canada.

Although average home prices have largely fallen from their peak in February 2022, they haven’t decreased enough to offset the higher mortgage payments brought about by the Bank of Canada’s interest rate hikes, Somerville said.

Additionally, while leaving Canada to move to a lower-income country may seem like a good way to save money, this could have unintended consequences for those foreign communities, with ripple effects that may not be “unambiguously positive,” Somerville said.

In regions that see high levels of relocation by wealthy homebuyers, for example, if the existing housing supply does not meet demand, this can drive up average home prices in these areas, Somerville said.

“Your ability to pay more for housing … can have negative local effects,” he said.

Increasing Canada’s home supply is key to ensuring more affordable housing, according to a report released by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in 2022. The corporation has estimated that Canada’s housing stock will increase by 2.3 million units between 2021 and 2030. However, an additional 3.5 million homes will need to be built to ensure housing affordability in Canada. V.4921

One of the highlighted topics: Critical Skills Visa.

- Key Insight: Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast track to working in South Afr...
- This matter relates to critical skills visa and its broader implications.
- Individuals are advised to seek professional guidance.

Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast trac V.6139
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One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, became a victim of identity theft in 2012 when fraudulent transactions occurred, using her personal details.

-The Pretoria High Court found that the department of home affairs had violated constitutional rights without due process.
-Only half of Lawyers for Human Rights` test group has been unblocked, while 385 000 identities remain blocked nationwide.
-LHR appeals extension, urges affected people to seek help now.

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) are intensifying pressure on the department of home affairs over the national ID-blocking crisis, accusing the state of acting too slowly to unblock qualifying individuals despite a landmark court ruling.

In January last year, the Pretoria High Court found that the department`s practice of blocking IDs without due process was unlawful and unconstitutional. One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, a Swati citizen and South African permanent resident since 1998, fell victim to identity theft in 2012 when fraudsters used her personal details.

 V.6133
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6128
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6129
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A Washington state mother and her 6-year-old son have been released after spending more than three weeks in US immigration detention due to a brief trip to Canada and a small paperwork mistake, her attorney told CNN on Saturday.

Sarah Shaw, a New Zealand citizen who has lived legally in the US since she arrived in 2021, was detained at the Blaine, Washington, Customs and Border Protection checkpoint when returning home after dropping her two oldest children off at the Vancouver airport for a flight to visit their grandparents in New Zealand. Shaw, 33, chose the flight out of Vancouver because it was direct and she didn`t want her children to have to navigate a layover alone, her attorney Minda Thorward, told CNN.

 V.6130
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On 22 July 2025, the Gauteng High Court dismissed Sitrusrand Boerdery`s review of the Department of Employment and Labour`s refusal to issue a Working Conditions and Salary Benchmarking Certificate, an essential precondition for obtaining corporate visas under the Immigration Act.

Acting Judge Kekana AJ held that the Department`s decision was lawful, rational and procedurally fair. This judgment illustrates how businesses can - and must - structure their corporate visa applications to meet statutory requirements, and how legal practitioners should prepare robust review challenges when administrative authorities decline to recommend foreign-work permits.

 V.6131
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The United States could forfeit an estimated 9.4 billion dollars in visitor spending over the next three years following the introduction of a new 250 dollars `visa integrity fee,` according to industry groups, who warn the policy risks undermining tourism and costing thousands of jobs.
The United States’ decision to introduce a 250 dollars `visa integrity fee` on international visitors has triggered sharp criticism from the global tourism industry, with officials warning that the measure could deter millions of travellers and cost the U.S. economy billions.
The 250dollar `visa integrity fee,` part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed on July 4, 2025, will take effect later this year. According to immigration law firm Envoy Global, it applies to all nonimmigrant visa holders which include students, tourists, temporary workers, and business visitors particularly from African countries. V.6132
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6127
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1. Right to Legal Representation•You have the right to consult with a legal representative.•Contact an immigration practitioner, legal aid clinic, or attorney urgently.•Do not sign any documents without understanding them fully. 2. Section 34 of the Immigration Act•You must be brought to court with 48 hours to confirm arrest but you can remain locked up very long as courts figure out what to do with you •If you`re found to be illegally in South Africa, you may be detained for up to 30 days (extendable by a magistrate) pending deportation.•BUT this cannot happen arbitrarily. You must be informed of your rights, and Home Affairs must follow due process.- becomes a nightmare , you could lose your job , business , place to stay V.6121
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Driving for Bolt, Uber, Mr D, or Checkers Sixty60?If you`re undocumented, you`re risking more than just your income.The Risks if You`re Not Legal: - Vehicle impoundment - Heavy fines - Arrest & deportation - Permanent bans from working in SA V.6122
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