Canada · visa route
Emigrating to Canada
Canada doesn't assess you, it ranks you. You go into a pool and are invited if you rank high enough — and that makes every point tangible. This page shows how you collect those points, which doors there are, and what differs per province after arrival.
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- Kind of journey
- Points system, invitation required
- Lead time
- About 6 months after invitation
- Note
- Healthcare and driving licence differ per province
Last updated: August 2026
The journey
Five phases, from counting points to being settled
The order is everything here: your invitation gives you sixty days, and everything you still have to arrange then has a longer lead time than that. Whoever works ahead doesn't have to rush.
- 1
Orientation
Which door, and how many points do you bring?
Canada has three realistic doors: the points system of Express Entry, a provincial nomination that yields 600 points, and — for those aged 18 through 30 — a working holiday of a year. In this phase you calculate your score honestly and discover the biggest lever there is: French. It doesn't just yield points; the French-language draws closed well over a hundred points lower than the regular ones in 2026. For anyone with school French, that's the cheapest route to Canada.
- 2
Your application
Everything has a use-by date
Your credential assessment is valid for five years, your language test for only two, and your profile sits in the pool for twelve months. When the invitation comes, you have sixty days to submit a complete file — including a medical examination that can only be done at one address in the whole of the Netherlands, two days a week. Whoever only starts then doesn't make it. So this phase is about working ahead, not about waiting.
- 3
Closing the Netherlands
Treaty country for your AOW, not for your healthcare
Your AOW comes along in full — as a single person you keep the full 70%, which isn't so outside treaty countries. But there's no CAK route to Canada: you arrange your healthcare yourself until your provincial insurance starts. Two things that differ from the European routes: the Netherlands withholds up to 15% on your pension, and the deductions EU emigrants keep don't apply here. Good news on the paperwork: Canada has been an apostille country since January 2024, so the cumbersome legalisation has lapsed.
- 4
The move
One list decides everything, and your car stays here
Your whole household enters tax-free, but only what's on your arrival list — what you forget, you simply pay for later. Count on four to six weeks door-to-door to Toronto and seven to nine to Vancouver. And don't get creative with the car: a car bought in Europe simply isn't allowed into Canada, with no exception for immigrants. Sell it here and put the purchase on the spot in your budget.
- 5
Arrival in Canada
Federally in, provincially settled
Your status is national, but almost everything you arrange now belongs to your province. Your health insurance starts immediately in Ontario, in Alberta from your settlement date provided you apply in time, and in British Columbia only after a good two months. Your driving licence you exchange in BC and Alberta without a test — but in Ontario the Netherlands isn't on the list and you sit the test again. And you start financially from zero: your Dutch credit history doesn't count here.
Look inside
This is what one step of your plan looks like
Not a brochure but the real thing: this is one of the steps of the Canada journey, exactly as it appears in your personal step-by-step plan — with the deadlines, the counters and the sources.
Step 1.2 of your plan
Calculate your points, and discover what French does
- Lead time
- an evening with the calculator
- Costs
- none
Calculate your score honestly with the official tool. Age, education, language and work experience make up the lion's share; be strict, because points you hope to get don't count.
Two things you need to know here, and which many guides still get wrong. The points for a job offer were abolished in March 2025 — so looking for a Canadian employer "for the points" no longer makes sense. And French has become worth much more: NCLC 7 on all skills yields 25 points, or 50 if you also have English at CLB 5 — a formality for most Dutch people.
The real gain isn't even in those points but in the category draws. Besides the ordinary rounds Canada also invites per category, and in 2026 the French category repeatedly closed at around 391 to 420 points, against 516 for the ordinary rounds. That's more than a hundred points' difference, and thousands of people are invited at once each time. For whoever has school French and wants to invest a year, this is the cheapest route to Canada there is.
Where you arrange it
What this step rests on
This is step 1.2 of 34. The other 33 are ready for you — each with the same sources, the same counters and a planning that watches your dates.
What it costs
A rough indication for your situation
A few short questions, and you get a range instead of an amount. That's deliberate: an exact figure would suggest a precision nobody has.
Count on a total of
€ 13.600 – € 34.300
Where does that difference come from?
- Auto — verkopen en opnieuw kopen€ 3.000 – € 12.000
- Buffer tot het eerste inkomen€ 6.000 – € 12.000
Open the breakdown below: there you'll find per item where the upper and the lower limit come from.
- Aanvraag en papieren
- € 1.800 – € 2.700
- De verhuizing
- € 3.300 – € 12.900
- De eerste maanden
- € 8.500 – € 18.700
View the itemsPer item the amount, the source and whether it's a rate or an estimate
Aanvraag en papieren
- Aanvraagkosten permanent verblijf€ 1.000 – € 1.200
- Biometrie€ 55 – € 60
- Diplomawaardering (ECA)(estimate)€ 200 – € 350
- Taaltest€ 250 – € 650
- Medische keuring€ 150 – € 400
- VOG, aktes en apostilles€ 70 – € 200
De verhuizing
- Vliegtickets(estimate)€ 350 – € 900
Enkele reis Amsterdam naar Toronto, Montreal of Vancouver. De bandbreedte is het verschil tussen ver vooruit boeken buiten het seizoen en last minute in de zomer; de westkust ligt structureel hoger dan de oostkust.
- Auto — verkopen en opnieuw kopen(estimate)€ 3.000 – € 12.000
Een in Europa gekochte auto kan Canada niet in: hij voldoet niet aan de Canadese veiligheidsnormen en er is geen uitzondering voor immigranten (alleen voertuigen van vijftien jaar en ouder mogen). De auto blijft dus hier, en in de meeste provincies heb je er daar meteen weer een nodig. De bandbreedte loopt van een goedkope tweedehands tot een degelijke gezinsauto; wat je Nederlandse auto opbrengt, gaat er direct weer af.
De eerste maanden
- Zorgverzekering tot je provinciale dekking ingaat(estimate)€ 0 – € 700
Er is geen verdragsroute via het CAK naar Canada, en de provinciale zorgverzekering gaat niet overal meteen in. In British Columbia duurt het de rest van je aankomstmaand plus twee maanden, en de provincie adviseert zelf een particuliere polis voor die periode; Quebec kent een wachttijd tot drie maanden. Ontario en Alberta kennen die wachttijd niet meer. De bandbreedte loopt daarom van nul (Ontario of Alberta) tot een polis van bijna drie maanden voor het hele gezin.
- Borg, tijdelijk verblijf en inrichting(estimate)€ 2.500 – € 6.000
Zonder Canadees kredietverleden vragen verhuurders een hogere borg of een garantsteller. De regels verschillen per provincie: in Ontario is een schadeborg verboden en mag alleen de laatste maand huur vooruit worden gevraagd, in British Columbia mag een halve maandhuur plus eventueel eenzelfde bedrag als huisdierborg. Daarbovenop: tijdelijk verblijf tot je een woning hebt, en de eerste inrichting terwijl je container nog onderweg is.
- Buffer tot het eerste inkomen(estimate)€ 6.000 – € 12.000
Canada vraagt bij de aanvraag zelf al aan te tonen dat je jezelf kunt onderhouden — ruim CAD 15.000 voor een alleenstaande tot ruim CAD 28.000 voor een gezin van vier, en dat geld mag niet geleend zijn. Die eis is meteen een goede vuistregel voor je echte buffer: reken op enkele maanden vaste lasten voordat er salaris binnenkomt.
And if you buy a house?
This calculation assumes renting: the first months include deposit and rent in advance.
If you buy, count on 2 to 5% of the purchase price on top of this amount. On a home of € 250,000 that's € 5.000 to € 12.500.
Canada kent geen federale overdrachtsbelasting, maar wel een land transfer tax per provincie, en in Toronto ook nog een gemeentelijke bovenop de provinciale. Daar komen notaris of advocaat, titelverzekering en inspectie bij. Samen 2 tot 5%, met Ontario en Brits-Columbia aan de bovenkant.
Note: buying isn't simply allowed here
Dit is de belangrijkste regel en hij is tijdelijk: de Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act verbiedt niet-Canadezen tot 1 januari 2027 het kopen van een woning in de stedelijke gebieden — en dat zijn precies de gebieden waar mensen naartoe verhuizen. Canadese staatsburgers en permanent residents vallen er buiten, en er zijn uitzonderingen voor sommige houders van een werkvergunning die aan verblijfs- en aangiftevoorwaarden voldoen. Ga er dus niet van uit dat kopen kan zolang je vergunning nog niet rond is.
An order of magnitude based on averages, not a quote. The real amounts depend on your occupation, your route, the season and dozens of choices you still have to make.
Rates checked on 16 August 2026.
Your complete, personal cost picture — with your route, your documents and your deadlines — you get in Vertrekklaar.
That was the move. And once you live there?
Who may tax your pension once you live in Canada, is there a favourable regime, and how do you become insured? That depends on where your income comes from. Tick it and you see which rules apply to you — with the source.
See the financial conditionsThe departure guide
Five mails, and you see your whole journey
Not ready to start yet? Then we'll send you the departure guide for Canada: five mails in a week and a half, with the order, the pitfalls and the real costs. After that only a short update when something in Canada really changes — at most one a month, no newsletter, and you can switch it off at any time.
Read on
The knowledge base on Canada
Per phase, the articles that are already there. They're written from the same journey and go deeper than what fits above.
Orientation
- 4 min
Express Entry and your CRS score: why French is the biggest lever you pull yourself
Canada ranks you on points and invites the top. Two things many sites still have wrong: the points for a job offer were abolished in March 2025, and French yields up to 50 extra points — with French-language draws that close a hundred points lower than the ordinary ones.
Updated 16 August 2026
- 3 min
Working holiday in Canada: the route for whoever is under 31 — with a quota of 480
The Netherlands has a youth mobility agreement with Canada, and that gives access to a year of work with an open work permit. Two hard limits: you have to be 18 to 30 inclusive, and the Dutch quota is small — 480 places, allocated by lottery, and usually used up by spring.
Updated 16 August 2026
Arrival in Canada
- 2 min
Buying a house in Canada: until January 2027 your residence status is the key
Canada prohibits the purchase of homes by whoever isn't a citizen or permanent resident — the ban has been extended to 1 January 2027. For emigrants the opening lies in the exceptions: a work permit with at least 183 days' validity left gives room to buy. After that the province determines the bill, with Ontario as the example: land transfer tax, a rebate for first-time buyers — and 25% extra for whoever doesn't have PR.
Updated 7 September 2026
- 5 min
Your first weeks in Canada: SIN, health card and a driving licence that works out differently per province
Canada is federal as far as your status is concerned, but provincial in almost everything you arrange after that. Your health insurance, your driving licence and your deposit differ per province — and the driving licence in particular holds a surprise: the Netherlands is on the exchange list of BC and Alberta, but not on Ontario's.
Updated 21 August 2026
Leaving the Netherlands — for every destination
- 2 min
Keeping a bank account and DigiD: the two lines you never cut
After your deregistration you still need the Netherlands for years — for the M return, refunds and your pension. Within the EU your bank account is a right, towards Australia a favour from the bank. And your DigiD you arrange before departure, not after.
Updated 11 August 2026
- 3 min
The protective assessment: the bill that travels with you, and that never expires for one item
On emigration the Netherlands imposes an assessment on your pension, your annuity and your substantial shareholding that you don't have to pay — as long as you do nothing that makes it collectable. For pension and annuity it usually lapses after ten years. For a substantial shareholding it doesn't: that one remains valid indefinitely.
Updated 27 August 2026
- 2 min
Emigrating with children after a divorce: the consent that comes before everything
With joint custody you can't just go abroad with the children — you need the consent of the other parent, or substitute consent from the court. What the court weighs, and why leaving without consent is legally child abduction.
Updated 11 August 2026
- 3 min
Emigrating on early retirement: the CAK route is expected to close as of 1 November 2026
Whoever moves to the EU or Switzerland with a Dutch pension arranges their healthcare via the CAK. That door is closing to a crack: as expected, from 1 November only new applicants with AOW, Anw, WAO, WIA or Wajong will be admitted. Early retirement and RVU fall outside it — whoever is already a customer keeps their rights.
Updated 16 August 2026
- 2 min
The M form: the tax return for the year in which you emigrated
For the year of your departure you lived partly inside and partly outside the Netherlands, and a separate return goes with that. Nowadays it can be done online — but you have to think of it yourself, because an invitation rarely comes by itself.
Updated 9 August 2026
- 2 min
Your AOW accrual stops on departure — and you have one year to repair that
Every year outside the Netherlands costs you 2% AOW (the Dutch state pension), for life. The SVB has a voluntary continuation that closes that gap — but signing up is only possible in the first year after departure, and almost everyone misses that deadline.
Updated 11 August 2026
- 3 min
Your Dutch pension abroad: what comes along, and who levies
The AOW (the Dutch state pension) travels fully to the EU and to Australia — the latter thanks to a treaty from 2001. Your company pension too, but *where* you pay on it depends on the tax treaty, and the exemption you arrange yourself.
Updated 11 August 2026
- 3 min
Cancelling your health insurance without a gap
Your Dutch basic insurance is tied to living or working in the Netherlands and stops being a given on emigration. The art is to have the end date match your new cover — and to know which route belongs to your situation.
Updated 28 August 2026
- 2 min
Taking medicines across the border: certificates, supply and the 90-day ceiling
For medicines under the Opium Act you need a certificate — and the Dutch system only carries you for three months. What you arrange with the CAK, what Australia wants to see at the border, and why finding a local doctor simply belongs to your first weeks.
Updated 11 August 2026
- 9 min
Partner comes along without a job of their own: deregistering, healthcare, AOW and the house
Your partner has a job, a visa or a right of residence there; you come along without a job of your own. Administratively you're then no passenger: the deregistration, the end of your health insurance and your AOW accrual apply to you separately. What you get back if you arrange it well, what it costs if you let it slide — and why "just staying registered" isn't an option.
Updated 7 September 2026
- 2 min
Stopping allowances on emigration: do it yourself, and in time
Housing allowance, healthcare allowance, childcare allowance and child budget don't stop by themselves on the day you leave. Whoever lets them run gets a reclaim months later — this is what you arrange per allowance.
Updated 9 August 2026
- 3 min
Deregistering with the municipality: when exactly, and what stops then
Deregistering from the BRP is only possible from five days before departure, and is compulsory as soon as you're away for more than eight months a year. What stops at that moment, what stays, and which piece of paper you have to ask for right away.
Updated 9 August 2026
- 6 min
When does your pension stay taxed in the Netherlands? The three pots and the three conditions
"Your pension is taxed in your new country of residence" is right by approximation and not in the details. Your AOW, your company pension and your government pension each follow a rule of their own, and with the company pension the Netherlands can still levy if three conditions apply at once. This article explains which three, and which four questions you have to answer for your own situation.
Updated 27 August 2026
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