Key takeaways
- Permanent residents must keep 730 days in Canada in every 5 years; leaving too early can cost your status
- A job or steady income abroad is the biggest factor in a safe move
- Leaving ends provincial health coverage and most benefits, and can trigger departure tax
- Citizens can always come back; temporary residents and PRs may not
- If the answer is close, a time-limited trial can keep your options open
Why people leave Canada
More people left Canada in 2025 than in decades, according to Statistics Canada estimates reported in the media. Common reasons include housing costs, the cost of living, job and pay prospects, family abroad, and changes in immigration rules. Many immigrants also leave in their first years after arriving. Read more in why immigrants leave Canada and why Canadians are leaving.
A good decision looks at what you gain and what you give up. This tool puts the main factors side by side.
How the tool scores your answers
Each answer adds or takes away points. Positive points favour leaving; negative points favour staying. The weights are simple on purpose:
- Status weighs most for permanent residents. If you would fall short of 730 days, you could lose PR, which is hard to undo (−3).
- Income abroad is the biggest money factor: a signed offer +3, remote income +2, nothing lined up −2.
- Cost pressure in Canada adds up to +2.
- Family and support here count against leaving (up to −2); support at the destination counts for it (+2).
- Ongoing health care counts −2, because provincial coverage ends when you move.
- A home or large investments count −1 for the extra tax steps.
A total of +4 or more leans toward leaving. −2 or less leans toward staying. In between is balanced.
Worked example
Ana is a permanent resident with 900 days in Canada. She has a signed job offer in Lisbon, feels high housing pressure, has some family here and a sister in Portugal, no ongoing health care, no home, and is unsure. Her score: PR −1, offer +3, cost +2, family −1, support there +2, gut 0, so +5. Her answers lean toward leaving. The tool still flags her PR: she must plan when she returns, or apply for citizenship first.
What leaving really costs
- Status: PRs must keep 730 days in 5 years. See will I lose my PR.
- Tax: becoming a non-resident can mean departure tax on investments and section 116 if you sell a home later. See departure tax explained.
- Benefits: the Canada Child Benefit and the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit generally stop when you leave.
- Health: provincial coverage ends. See health insurance when you leave.
- Money: moving abroad often costs $10,000 or more. Use the move-abroad budget calculator.
Next steps
If you lean toward leaving, build your plan with the leaving Canada checklist and look at visa options in the visa finder. If you lean toward staying, look at what is pushing you: a cheaper city, a different job, or benefits you are not claiming may change the picture. The best city for me tool compares Canadian cities.
This tool is not legal, tax or financial advice. Talk to a regulated immigration professional and a cross-border tax advisor before you act.