Canada vs Australia: Which Is Right for You?

It depends on your profile. Canada's Express Entry has more frequent draws (every 2 weeks) but higher competition with typical cutoffs of 470–520 CRS. Australia's SkillSelect favors certain occupations and offers regional pathways with lower thresholds. If you're in a high-demand occupation like nursing or engineering, Australia may be easier. For IT and finance professionals, Canada often has more openings. Use Hijraah to calculate your score for both and compare.

Yes! Many applicants submit profiles to both Express Entry and SkillSelect simultaneously. There's no rule against it. Hijraah helps you manage both applications from one dashboard, tracking milestones, deadlines, and document requirements for each destination.

Both are excellent for families. Canada offers free public education K-12, the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) providing up to $7,787/year per child, and strong family-friendly immigration policies. Australia also has excellent schools but higher childcare costs. Canada's larger Arab community (1.2M+) means more Arabic schools, halal options, and cultural familiarity. Both have universal healthcare.

Canada has a larger Muslim population (over 1.6 million) with well-established halal food chains, mosques in every major city, and Islamic schools. Toronto and Montreal have the largest Arab communities. Australia has a growing Muslim community (over 800,000) with good halal options in Sydney and Melbourne. Both countries have Islamic banking options and community centers.

Canada's tech sector is booming, especially in Toronto ("Silicon Valley North"), Vancouver, and Montreal. Strong demand for software engineers, data scientists, and AI/ML specialists. Average tech salary: CAD 85,000–130,000. Australia has a growing tech scene in Sydney and Melbourne with demand in cybersecurity and cloud computing. Average tech salary: AUD 90,000–140,000. Canada's proximity to US companies and remote work culture gives it a slight edge for tech workers.