Immigrants to Canada are the Happiest

Taking the decision to move overseas is a huge step to make and some people end up regretting the move or feeling homesick because they are so far away from friends and family. However, if you are wrestling with the decision on whether to immigrate and are still undecided as to where to immigrate to, then the findings of a new survey might be helpful to you.

A recently-published survey has detailed how people who immigrate to Canada have declared themselves the happiest. The survey was conducted by the visa application site Global Visas; the survey also revealed that those who immigrate to China were the least happy.

More than 1.500 British expats were interviewed for the new survey and all of the people questioned were adults aged 18 years or over. As part of the questioning, the participants were asked about how they felt about their new country and how happy they felt living there.

In the survey, the people taking part where asked if they were enjoying their new life abroad, however, participants were also asked whether they were feeling happy or displeased with their choice.

According to the results, the survey showed that 90% of the people interviewed were happiest in Canada. Those interviewed cited the quality of life and the improved standard of living in Canada as the main reason for their contentment. Canada came top of the poll for the happiest immigrants with popular holiday destination Greece coming second, and despite its current economic difficulties, Spain came third.

What was most interesting about the survey results for Canada is that they are a start contrast to people who had moved to China, with more than 56% of immigrants expressing their unhappiness with their move to the Far East, citing cultural differences and money worries as their main issues.

Liam Clifford of Global Visas acknowledged that moving overseas could be a lonely time for some people and advised new immigrants to take the time to get to know the local expat community as feelings of loneliness and isolation can cause further problems down the line.

The survey highlights the importance of getting involved in the local community as well as getting to know people from the expat community to avoid the initial isolation and loneliness that one might feel when they move overseas; the survey also demonstrates how difficult it can be to suddenly adapt to a new culture.