Paul Brar came to Canada in 1983 and began his working life as a shingle sawyer in Mission, BC. He built a career in real estate over the four decades that followed, and graduated from the University of British Columbia with a diploma in Urban Land Economics in 1999. Before coming to Canada, he attended DAV College in Jalandhar and Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana.

Brar grew up on a farm, an upbringing he credits for the value he places on hard work, responsibility and community. He has volunteered on municipal, provincial and federal campaigns at the grassroots level, and has raised four children in Surrey.