Your Practical Guide to Moving From Canada to Europe
How Canadians can move to Europe today, and where the EU talks stand.
Start here: visa-free movement between Canada and the EU does not exist. If you want to move in the next few years, you will be using one of the national routes each member state already operates, or an EU passport through ancestry, if you qualify. The October 2026 Canada-EU summit did not change that.
Latest from the tracker
Track What’s Changing
Canada-EU Summit 2026: What Was Decided
Canada and the EU closed their Montreal summit on October 30, 2026 with a joint statement. They committed to define a closer association, short of EU membership, by the 2027 summit, and to open talks on Erasmus+ and mobility. Nothing has changed yet for Canadians moving to Europe.
Canada Invited as EU Associate Member
On September 16, 2026, the European Commission proposed making Canada the EU's first "associate member." The status is new and its terms are not defined.
Carney and Macron Discuss Visa-Free EU Living and Working for Canadians
Reporting from the Wall Street Journal and Reuters says Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Emmanuel Macron have discussed allowing Canadians to live and work visa-free in the EU as part of exploring an 'associate member' arrangement. This is an early-stage political discussion, not current law.
Guides to routes that exist today
What You Can Do Today
France
Moving to France from Canada
How Canadians move to France today: youth mobility, the visitor visa, the talent passport, work and study routes, and what to expect after you arrive.
Portugal
Moving to Portugal from Canada
How Canadians move to Portugal today: the D7 and D8 visas with 2026 thresholds, youth mobility, family rules, and the new 10-year path to citizenship.
Spain
Moving to Spain from Canada
How Canadians move to Spain today: the non-lucrative visa, the digital nomad visa, youth mobility, work and study routes, plus 2026 income thresholds.
Stay Ahead of the Rules for Your Move
Visa thresholds, citizenship rules, and deadlines change often. Tell us which route you're considering, and we'll email you when something changes that affects it, plus new practical guides as we publish them.
Step-by-Step Checklists
Once you know your route, the checklists cover what to gather, the order to work in, and what to confirm with official sources.