If you are planning to relocate to PEI, this easy guide to moving to Prince Edward Island will help you establish yourself in the province easily. Transitioning to a new country is a major decision that can have a notable impact on your life. Thus, learning the basic details about the new place, such as housing, education, employment, healthcare, taxation, etc., can facilitate your journey and make an easy transition. 

About Prince Edward Island (PEI)

Prince Edward Island, or PEI, is a Canadian province that is among the eastern maritime areas between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Lighthouses, farmland, and red-sand beaches distinguish the island. PEI is also famous for its quiet lifestyle and seafood.

The PEI is Canada’s least populated province, noted for its quieter and more personal villages. It also has a low crime rate, making it an ideal spot to settle for new immigrants. PEI is a suitable option if you want to settle in Canada, far from the hustle and bustle of the country’s major cities.

Guide to Moving to Prince Edward Island 

The following are the essential details concerning housing, education, employment, healthcare, taxation, commuting, etc. that can help you facilitate your journey in Prince Edward Island. 

Housing

The housing market of PRI is quite small, thanks to the province’s small population of over 170,000 people. The province has little over 64,000 housing properties.

Notably, PEI has two Census Agglomerations (CAs): the capital city of Charlottetown, with a population of little over 86,000, and Summerside, with a population of slightly more than 18,000. It does not have any Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs). As of February 2022, one-bedroom flat’s average rent in Charlottetown was $1,205.

You can use the following resources to locate housing in PEI:

  • Government of PEI
  • Immigrant and Refugees Services Association

Healthcare

In Canada, healthcare is managed under the universal healthcare model employing public tax dollars. After living in the province for more than three months, new immigrants can get free healthcare services if they have a valid provincial health card.

To get a health card, you can apply online or submit an application with all the necessary documents to any approved PEI center and PEI Medicare.

With a valid provincial health card, Canadians living in any province or territory can get free public health care in their area of residency. However, for certain treatments and medications, individuals may need to pay for service.

Education

Children in PEI attend kindergarten at the age of six. It is the mandated element of the Canadian education system. You can enroll your child in school for free under the public school system from kindergarten through grade 12.

There are private school options in PEI as well, which require you to submit tuition fees to enroll your children.

Concerning post-graduation education, there are over 20 Designated Learning Institutions (DLIs) in PEI located in 13 different cities across the province.

Most DLIs in PEI offer educational programs that would qualify a newcomer for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). A PGWP enables individuals to gain Canadian work experience. 

Employment

In PEI, the following are the popular enterprises that offer the most employment opportunities for newcomers.

  • The Trade industry: It employs more than 12,000 residents of PEI.
  • The Public Administration industry: It employs over 9,000 people in PEI.
  • The Healthcare and Social Assistance sector: It employs over 9,000 people in PEI.

The trade industry in PEI is a broad group of service-producing employment sectors that includes positions in retail and wholesale commerce. 

Individuals who operate in public administration typically hold governmental positions at the federal, provincial, local, municipal, or regional levels. 

In addition, the healthcare and social assistance industry in PEI employs a variety of healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, and personal care workers. Besides these, a wide range of other mental and physical health professionals.

You can use the following resources to locate a job in Prince Edward Island (PEI):

  • Work PEI
  • Immigrant and Refugees Services Association

Taxation

 The sales tax in PEI on goods and services is 15%. This is the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) of the province. It typically consists of PEI’s Provincial Sales Tax (PST, 10%) with a Goods and Services Tax (GST) of 5%.

Moreover, the income taxes in PEI, like other Canadian provinces and territories, depend on individuals’ annual income in a given tax year.

In general, individuals with a higher annual income need to pay more taxes to the government during a tax season.

Commuting

As per a report, over 90% of people in PEI use a van, car, or truck to travel from one place to another. 

If you like to drive in the province, you’d need to have a PEI driver’s license. Initially, for the first four months, you can use your home country’s driver’s license.

If you intend to use your home country’s driving license in Canada, you must get an International Driving Permit (IDP) during this period, as urged by the federal and PEI’s provincial governments.

After the four-month period ends, you have to obtain a PEI’s provincial driver’s license to drive a vehicle.

It’s notable that the province of Prince Edward Island (PEI) has fewer public transportation options than other Canadian provinces. However, T3 Transit, a bus system, provides the majority of public transit in the province.

Newcomer services in PEI

PEI has a province’s Immigrant and Refugee Services Association (IRSA), which enables new immigrants to the province to get settlement services. The services vary from the pre-arrival of the newcomers to their readiness to appear for the Canadian citizenship test.

For new immigrants to PEI, there is another service called the 211PEI. It aids them in locating settlement resources in the province.

Besides these, the immigration department of Canada, IRCC, also offers government-funded settlement services to individuals throughout Canada.

These services help newcomers search for jobs, learn languages such as French or English, find schools for children, and more. The list of services provided by IRCC can be found on its official site.