A 26-year-old Indian software engineer working in Canada faces a tough decision: should he stay in Canada or return to India for a managerial role at his current company’s Bengaluru office? After moving to Canada in 2019 for a Master’s degree, he has since gained permanent residency (PR). Now, he’s torn between maintaining his life in Canada or moving back to India to be closer to his family.
The engineer shared that he currently earns 85,000 Canadian dollars (₹52.5 lakh) annually, including bonuses. However, the high cost of living, even in Halifax, where he resides, is making life challenging. His rent and utilities cost him 2,300 Canadian dollars (₹1.42 lakh), and he also finds Canada’s healthcare system difficult to navigate due to long waiting times for non-urgent cases.
His company has now offered him a managerial position in Bengaluru with a ₹36 lakh annual salary, plus a ₹5 lakh bonus. Having never worked in India, the engineer expressed concerns about adapting to the working style of an Indian boss. He wrote, “I’m good while my current managers are around (culture, work-life balance), but if they ‘leave’, I might end up with an Indian manager (I have heard horror stories, especially of their demands).”
A major dilemma is how this move could affect his path to Canadian citizenship. Staying in Canada would allow him to secure citizenship within 1.5 years, while moving to India could delay this by at least another year. He also feels that being in India could benefit his mother, who is experiencing increasing health issues.
“I wanted to get Canadian citizenship and move to the US, but now I’m thinking I’ll probably end up in India long-term. Might consider a short US stint if offered,” he shared on Reddit.
The post sparked a lively debate, with Redditors discussing the pros and cons of both options. Many recommended that he remain in Canada until he obtains citizenship and then return to India with an OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) card. One user advised, “Get citizenship and then leave. Passport gives you the power to your CV as well. Not having visa requirement makes getting job easy.” Another added, “Exiting Canada without citizenship is like leaving money on the table.”
