Moving to Canada

[waseemf]

Dear all,

I am new to this blog and I would really appreciate if you can share with me your expertise in settling down in Mississauga . We have landed initially in 2008 and left the country trying to find a job while not in Canada which proven to be very tricky. Now we have decided to take our chances starting Q1 next year.

The following are some question that I have not been able to answer so far

Shipment
We have not declared that we will be shipping anything to Canada when we first landed. Now, if we were to ship simple things like, toys , books etc. do we have to pay tax?

Accommodation
I understand that will need to stay in a hotel may be the first week or so then try to find an apartment. Now the questions are:
-Will week be good enough to find an apartment and furnish it?
-If I am jobless (hopefully will find one soon) can I still rent or lease an apartment for long term ( ie. 6 months?- year) and what is the process.
-I have looked into different Internet sites; will prices be different than those in the real market? What would be an average 2 bed room in Mississauga?
-What is the average price of moderate furnishing for this 2 bed room or where can I find such prices?

Transportation
-I understand that I will need to get license, how long would that take , and until then can I rent a car for long period ( a month?) for a good price and what would be the range.
-Once I get the license, can I lease a car , while still jobless.
I know that's a lot of question , but I feel that I still have tooooo much to understand any way

Thank you again for your help

 

[qorax]

friend,

why didn't u find out all these when u were here last yr, in 2008? everything is pretty much status quo since. and ur list is quite huge for one go. anyhow, here r some inputs:

1. goods to follow is to be declared once upon initial landing. if u haven't u r now under the mercy of CBSA. chances r small things they wouldn't mind, but things coming thu a container shall be no no.
2. 7-15 days will be needed to find a suitable accom.
3. bing jobless wouldn't be a prob for renting accom, as all landlords understand. a copy of ur credit card shall suffice as imdt guarantee. besides 1-2 months advance rent (though illegal in canada, as a security deposit) is prevalent.
4. iternet house rental sites r quite Ok.though quite a few wouldn't be listed. the local newspaper classifieds would be a better choise. check: www.mls.ca & http://www.hometrader.ca/CategoryRental.aspx
5. it is not good to take a 2BR rent imdtly. at best rent a 1BR, stay for 6 months & then move on. u should be getting one approx CAD 500-750/- in mississauga.
6. they already come semi furnished. rest u may add on as per taste & budget. u may like to keep aside CAD 1,000-2,000 for it (though i wouldn't know ur requirements).
7. d/license depends on ur current one, is it swappable one? else, 3-4 months for G2, full by approx 1 yr.
8. leasing veh is ok, all u need is ur sin card or pr card.
9. purchasing a new car imdt is not advisable, buy a 2nd hand. better is bank auction ones. u may find one for CAD 1,000 (fairly good ones). again look at classifieds.

hope that helps.

 

[brill]

friend,

why didn't u find out all these when u were here last yr, in 2008? everything is pretty much status quo since. and ur list is quite huge for one go. anyhow, here r some inputs:

1. goods to follow is to be declared once upon initial landing. if u haven't u r now under the mercy of CBSA. chances r small things they wouldn't mind, but things coming thu a container shall be no no.
2. 7-15 days will be needed to find a suitable accom.
3. bing jobless wouldn't be a prob for renting accom, as all landlords understand. a copy of ur credit card shall suffice as imdt guarantee. besides 1-2 months advance rent (though illegal in canada, as a security deposit) is prevalent.
4. iternet house rental sites r quite Ok.though quite a few wouldn't be listed. the local newspaper classifieds would be a better choise. check: www.mls.ca & http://www.hometrader.ca/CategoryRental.aspx
5. it is not good to take a 2BR rent imdtly. at best rent a 1BR, stay for 6 months & then move on. u should be getting one approx CAD 500-750/- in mississauga.
6. they already come semi furnished. rest u may add on as per taste & budget. u may like to keep aside CAD 1,000-2,000 for it (though i wouldn't know ur requirements).
7. d/license depends on ur current one, is it swappable one? else, 3-4 months for G2, full by approx 1 yr.
8. leasing veh is ok, all u need is ur sin card or pr card.
9. purchasing a new car imdt is not advisable, buy a 2nd hand. better is bank auction ones. u may find one for CAD 1,000 (fairly good ones). again look at classifieds.

hope that helps.

Hi,
First of all,congrats on getting visa.
Secondly,you are doing a good job in providing a useful information for newcomers.So,I have some questions here:
1)I want to go Cornwall so do you have any idea what is the distance from Cornwall to the main downtown of Toronto?
2)As when I go,can I take 1 bedroom apartment and what is average rate?Is there also available fridge,stove with oven and washing machine with drier in 1 bedroom apartment rentals?As I am a small family with 3 small kids so can I take 1 bedroom apt. initially?
3)When I move there need to improve my English skills?What are the procedures,fees and are they in campus classes?
timings?
4)My one friend is a dentist and he applied under healthcare manager category.Have you any idea any certificate,diploma or degree distance education he can study from Canada reconized university,before landing so that he can find any job there easily based on Canadanian qualification.Any guidance for health professionals including medical doctors and dentists?
5)semi furnished means?
6)Cost of second hand car ?Is it only 1,000 CAD?OR ???
7)What are goods to follow list?any electronic items of 110 voltage as kitchen food processor,dough maker machine etc.?
Waiting for guidance.
Thanks............

 

[qorax]

Dear Brill,

1) I want to go Cornwall so do you have any idea what is the distance from Cornwall to the main downtown of Toronto?
I haven't been to cornwal, but I know that Cornwall-Toronto is approx 400+ kms.
2) As when I go,can I take 1 bedroom apartment and what is average rate? Is there also available fridge,stove with oven and washing machine with drier in 1 bedroom apartment rentals? As I am a small family with 3 small kids so can I take 1 bedroom apt. initially?
Fridge, Stove r usually regular with rental accoms & Washing Machine also comes with some. The general cost of renting a 1BR is $500-750. For actuals plz see those 2 links.
3) When I move there need to improve my English skills? What are the procedures,fees and are they in campus classes?
timings?
Many comunity centres have English classes, as well as many colleges pursue a 'English as my 2nd Language' courses. Exact details I wouldn't know. U may like to take some more opinion on that matter. Googling will be a good option too.
4) My one friend is a dentist and he applied under healthcare manager category. Have you any idea any certificate,diploma or degree distance education he can study from Canada reconized university,before landing so that he can find any job there easily based on Canadanian qualification. Any guidance for health professionals including medical doctors and dentists?
Unfortunately Medics hava a pretty hard time settling in their profession in Canada. It's one of the 'most neglected' occupations vis-a-vis Canadian integration. Their out-of-Canada quals r not accreditated and they have to pursue 4 yrs medical studies to be eligible for practising. Plz excuse me for this discouraging info, quite many medics get into pathetic stage after landing in Canada. Though I'm not qualified to give info on medical courses, but one thing is for sure... u cannot do a genuine & favorable course by distance learning. A medical course is ought to be done as a resident.
5) semi furnished means?
Plz see my answer at point-2.
6)Cost of second hand car ? Is it only 1,000 CAD? OR
In $1,000, one can get up & running. These cars will be old (around 1980 models). A nice & proper used one would come in around $5,000.
7) What are goods to follow list? any electronic items of 110 voltage as kitchen food processor,dough maker machine etc.?
Goods to follow List is in Form B4E. This list shall avoid u from paying import tax on your household goods. But large appliances like fridge, TV, a/c etc should be avoided, the transportation costs would be enormous, which'll not make the proposition very appealing, wouldn't it? It's best for jewellery & few must haves only.

I hope that helps.