Moving abroad is often seen as the dream. Better salaries, cleaner cities, a better quality of life – the list is familiar. But one Indian entrepreneur says his experience in Canada was far from what he’d imagined.Harsh Gupta, who moved to Toronto after getting Canadian Permanent Residency (PR), recently shared why he decided to pack up and leave just 18 months later. His candid post has now gone viral, with people agreeing, disagreeing and sharing their own experiences of life in Canada.In a detailed thread on social media, Gupta said he wanted to give Indians considering a move abroad a more realistic picture of what they might face.One of his biggest complaints was the job market.According to him, finding a well-paying job wasn’t nearly as easy as many people believe. He claimed that thousands of people apply for the same openings, while many workers end up taking hourly jobs that pay around CAD 15 an hour.Housing, he said, was another major shock.Gupta wrote that he lived in downtown Toronto, where renting a modest 600-square-foot apartment cost him nearly ₹2 lakh every month.But it was taxes that really caught people’s attention.

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Despite earning around ₹10 lakh a month through his business, he claimed nearly half of it went towards taxes.Healthcare, another factor that often attracts people to Canada, also didn’t live up to his expectations.While Canada is known for its publicly funded healthcare system, Gupta said he had to wait six months just to get a family doctor. Getting an appointment with a specialist, he added, meant waiting several more weeks.He also spoke about the country’s long winters, saying social media often shows Canada at its best while ignoring how grey and cold much of the year can feel.Gupta went on to compare different provinces as well. While he described Alberta as more affordable with lower taxes, he felt it lacked the energy of larger cities. He called Montreal his favourite but pointed out that speaking French is almost essential for many jobs there. Vancouver, according to him, offered beautiful surroundings and milder winters, although he believed employment opportunities were relatively limited.His post quickly gained traction online and divided opinion.Some users said his observations matched their own experiences of living in Canada.One person wrote that many international students who arrived after the pandemic were sold an unrealistic dream by recruiters, only to struggle later with jobs, housing and changing immigration policies.Others felt Gupta’s views painted an overly negative picture.One commenter argued that plenty of Indians continue to build successful and fulfilling lives in Canada, adding that every country has its own challenges and no place is perfect.Another user simply wrote, “He’s right. These are some of the same reasons I left Canada.”At the same time, many pointed out that one person’s experience doesn’t tell the whole story. Life abroad can vary depending on factors such as profession, income, location and long-term career plans.Even so, Gupta’s post has reopened a conversation that’s becoming increasingly common among Indians thinking about moving overseas – whether the promise of a better life abroad still outweighs the rising costs and everyday realities.Thumb image: Representational