New Immigrants or Just Landed Immigrants in Nova Scotia (Halifax) - Nov 2017

[mdzakir1]

Dear All,

I am creating this group for all of us . As we know many people have secure visa to land in Halifax Nova Scotia and many of our seniors have already reach their destination . It will be helpful to all if we share things i.e

1) Landing in Halifax Airport and What things we have to declare (Which documents we need to show them at airport ).
2) Prohibited items to carry in flight ( Food Items which we can carry ).
3) Declaration of Currency or DD (How much Canadian $ we can carry on landing ).
4) Important things to carry from India which is not available easily there .
5) Clothing which we need to bring for Winter .
6) Initial things we have to do as a new immigrants (SIN,BANK ACCOUNTS,SIM CARD,REAL ESTATES AGENT ) .
7 ) Good location for families to live (Where Indians or Asian community lives )
8) Job market (Which consultancy to approach for jobs) .

I know many things we will learn when we land there but some useful tips we can get from people who are already there .

Seniors and Friends can add many things to this list and share their views as well .

BR
Zakir

 

[nuurueal]

Dear All,

I am creating this group for all of us . As we know many people have secure visa to land in Halifax Nova Scotia and many of our seniors have already reach their destination . It will be helpful to all if we share things i.e

1) Landing in Halifax Airport and What things we have to declare (Which documents we need to show them at airport ).
2) Prohibited items to carry in flight ( Food Items which we can carry ).
3) Declaration of Currency or DD (How much Canadian $ we can carry on landing ).
4) Important things to carry from India which is not available easily there .
5) Clothing which we need to bring for Winter .
6) Initial things we have to do as a new immigrants (SIN,BANK ACCOUNTS,SIM CARD,REAL ESTATES AGENT ) .
7 ) Good location for families to live (Where Indians or Asian community lives )
8) Job market (Which consultancy to approach for jobs) .

I know many things we will learn when we land there but some useful tips we can get from people who are already there .

Seniors and Friends can add many things to this list and share their views as well .

BR
Zakir

good initiative!

 

[shakhawet]

Dear All,

I am creating this group for all of us . As we know many people have secure visa to land in Halifax Nova Scotia and many of our seniors have already reach their destination . It will be helpful to all if we share things i.e

1) Landing in Halifax Airport and What things we have to declare (Which documents we need to show them at airport ).
2) Prohibited items to carry in flight ( Food Items which we can carry ).
3) Declaration of Currency or DD (How much Canadian $ we can carry on landing ).
4) Important things to carry from India which is not available easily there .
5) Clothing which we need to bring for Winter .
6) Initial things we have to do as a new immigrants (SIN,BANK ACCOUNTS,SIM CARD,REAL ESTATES AGENT ) .
7 ) Good location for families to live (Where Indians or Asian community lives )
8) Job market (Which consultancy to approach for jobs) .

I know many things we will learn when we land there but some useful tips we can get from people who are already there .

Seniors and Friends can add many things to this list and share their views as well .

BR
Zakir

Dear Zakir,

Really good initiative...appreciated.

BR,
Shakhawet.

 

[mdzakir1]

Thanks all for your valuable feedback... Hope this is useful for each and everyone . Now it's time to help each other in Halifax . Hope we get some thing out of the post ....

 

[NetMecca]

Dear All,

I am creating this group for all of us . As we know many people have secure visa to land in Halifax Nova Scotia and many of our seniors have already reach their destination . It will be helpful to all if we share things i.e

1) Landing in Halifax Airport and What things we have to declare (Which documents we need to show them at airport ).
2) Prohibited items to carry in flight ( Food Items which we can carry ).
3) Declaration of Currency or DD (How much Canadian $ we can carry on landing ).
4) Important things to carry from India which is not available easily there .
5) Clothing which we need to bring for Winter .
6) Initial things we have to do as a new immigrants (SIN,BANK ACCOUNTS,SIM CARD,REAL ESTATES AGENT ) .
7 ) Good location for families to live (Where Indians or Asian community lives )
8) Job market (Which consultancy to approach for jobs) .

I know many things we will learn when we land there but some useful tips we can get from people who are already there .

Seniors and Friends can add many things to this list and share their views as well .

BR
Zakir

I did not land in Halifax (I landed in Vancouver, and it has been a while since I landed, though for the most part the landing related questions appear to be general and applicable to Canada, not just Halifax. Having lived in Halifax now for 8 years I can hopefully offer some insights. So..

4. Spices. Good spices are hard to find in Canada and especially Halifax. If you want good spices you have to have a friend send it to you.

5. If you are coming from a place that is not generally cold I would suggest that you save your money and buy winter clothes in Halifax. For the most part even in winter regular clothes will prove adequate. Mostly you need a good winter coat (rated for cold temperatures). Good pair of snow boots. Cleats for ice. Some warm socks would be nice. If you are working outdoors in winter, you may need some work specific clothing, like insulated coveralls. In either case I would suggest that you come here and buy your actual winter clothes here. For your info, coldest I have experienced since moving to Halifax was -22 degrees C. Mostly winter temperatures hover around -5 degrees C.

6. SIN. Don't remember having to do much when I landed. My SIN letters just arrived, as part of the regular process. (might be different now)
BANK : There are 5 big banks in Canada. They have started competing more and more with each other for foreigner accounts. They are RBC, BMO, TD, Scotia and CIBC. Best to is to shop around when you arrive to find the package that works the best for your needs. Fair warning. Banking in Canada sucks and is generally rather painful and complicated.
SIM : Most of the major networks do not use SIM cards (as you would know them) any more. Same as banks, a few networks. Mostly expensive but fairly good. Options are Bell, Telus, Rogers, and budget Kudoo + plus a few smaller local operators. I am with Bell. Best coverage and service. Might also be worth looking and bundling services. Can often bundle cell, cable and telephone into one package with some savings. Hunt when you arrive.
Real Estate agents : Most are pretty good so no real need to fuss to much about it. In Canada most property transactions have two agents. One for the buyer and one for the seller. If you are able to reach the listing agent, might be possible negotiate a slight discount on commission. Realty is very strongly regulated so you can feel safe to deal with any licensed realtor.

7. I don't know that there are actually specific foreigner communities in Halifax. It is a pretty small city. Someone else might have a different perspective.

8. Job market is not great for the most part. Sales positions are fairly common, call center and banking positions fairly common. Loads of online resources and I would suggest that you search for employers and contact their HR departments directly (often through the employer websites directly). There are one of tow agencies that help with executive positions though those positions are few and far between.. If you have status I would suggest that you start looking for a job as soon as you can. Don't wait until you arrive..

Feel free to reach out if you have any other Halifax specific questions.

 

[mdzakir1]

It was awesome response . By the way how much cash we can carry with us . I heard we cannot bring more than 10,000$ .Can you inform me about this .

 

[steaky]

It was awesome response . By the way how much cash we can carry with us . I heard we cannot bring more than 10,000$ .Can you inform me about this .

You can bring as much as you want. Just remember to declare if the amount is equal or more than 10,000$, otherwise subject to seizure.

 

[mdzakir1]

OK means we can carry more cash and we should inform them thats all ... Because some one told me we cannot bring more than 10k . Thanks for your response .

 

[December2017]

A

I did not land in Halifax (I landed in Vancouver, and it has been a while since I landed, though for the most part the landing related questions appear to be general and applicable to Canada, not just Halifax. Having lived in Halifax now for 8 years I can hopefully offer some insights. So..

4. Spices. Good spices are hard to find in Canada and especially Halifax. If you want good spices you have to have a friend send it to you.

5. If you are coming from a place that is not generally cold I would suggest that you save your money and buy winter clothes in Halifax. For the most part even in winter regular clothes will prove adequate. Mostly you need a good winter coat (rated for cold temperatures). Good pair of snow boots. Cleats for ice. Some warm socks would be nice. If you are working outdoors in winter, you may need some work specific clothing, like insulated coveralls. In either case I would suggest that you come here and buy your actual winter clothes here. For your info, coldest I have experienced since moving to Halifax was -22 degrees C. Mostly winter temperatures hover around -5 degrees C.

6. SIN. Don't remember having to do much when I landed. My SIN letters just arrived, as part of the regular process. (might be different now)
BANK : There are 5 big banks in Canada. They have started competing more and more with each other for foreigner accounts. They are RBC, BMO, TD, Scotia and CIBC. Best to is to shop around when you arrive to find the package that works the best for your needs. Fair warning. Banking in Canada sucks and is generally rather painful and complicated.
SIM : Most of the major networks do not use SIM cards (as you would know them) any more. Same as banks, a few networks. Mostly expensive but fairly good. Options are Bell, Telus, Rogers, and budget Kudoo + plus a few smaller local operators. I am with Bell. Best coverage and service. Might also be worth looking and bundling services. Can often bundle cell, cable and telephone into one package with some savings. Hunt when you arrive.
Real Estate agents : Most are pretty good so no real need to fuss to much about it. In Canada most property transactions have two agents. One for the buyer and one for the seller. If you are able to reach the listing agent, might be possible negotiate a slight discount on commission. Realty is very strongly regulated so you can feel safe to deal with any licensed realtor.

7. I don't know that there are actually specific foreigner communities in Halifax. It is a pretty small city. Someone else might have a different perspective.

8. Job market is not great for the most part. Sales positions are fairly common, call center and banking positions fairly common. Loads of online resources and I would suggest that you search for employers and contact their HR departments directly (often through the employer websites directly). There are one of tow agencies that help with executive positions though those positions are few and far between.. If you have status I would suggest that you start looking for a job as soon as you can. Don't wait until you arrive..

Feel free to reach out if you have any other Halifax specific questions.

Awesome!! Very helpful. Thankssss!!

 

[Bolt1204]

Dear All,

I am creating this group for all of us . As we know many people have secure visa to land in Halifax Nova Scotia and many of our seniors have already reach their destination . It will be helpful to all if we share things i.e

1) Landing in Halifax Airport and What things we have to declare (Which documents we need to show them at airport ).
2) Prohibited items to carry in flight ( Food Items which we can carry ).
3) Declaration of Currency or DD (How much Canadian $ we can carry on landing ).
4) Important things to carry from India which is not available easily there .
5) Clothing which we need to bring for Winter .
6) Initial things we have to do as a new immigrants (SIN,BANK ACCOUNTS,SIM CARD,REAL ESTATES AGENT ) .
7 ) Good location for families to live (Where Indians or Asian community lives )
8) Job market (Which consultancy to approach for jobs) .

I know many things we will learn when we land there but some useful tips we can get from people who are already there .

Seniors and Friends can add many things to this list and share their views as well .

BR
Zakir

Hello zakir good yo know u r initiating to make group please add my number 0091

 

[RR1234]

Any place new immigrants to avoid getting perm or temp housing due to high crime rate? Eg spryfield, etc??? I read based on few articles, comments from other forum and sites this place need to be wary of?

 

[NetMecca]

Most areas in Halifax are reasonably safe. Spryfield has a reputation and so do some parts of Preston. That said. It is all relative. So when people talk about crime in Halifax, good vs bad, bad is not really bad since Halifax in general is pretty good. Depending on your lifestyle and the type of accommodation you are looking for it is pretty hard to find yourself in a "bad neighbourhood" in Halifax. If you are concerned I would suggest you take a drive through the neighbourhoods you are considering and get a feel for yourself. Pretty easy to see which areas are nicer to live in that others.

Good luck

 

[RR1234]

Thanks Netmecca for the input. Its better to say "To see is to believe"

 

[Bolt1204]

Dear All,

I am creating this group for all of us . As we know many people have secure visa to land in Halifax Nova Scotia and many of our seniors have already reach their destination . It will be helpful to all if we share things i.e

1) Landing in Halifax Airport and What things we have to declare (Which documents we need to show them at airport ).
2) Prohibited items to carry in flight ( Food Items which we can carry ).
3) Declaration of Currency or DD (How much Canadian $ we can carry on landing ).
4) Important things to carry from India which is not available easily there .
5) Clothing which we need to bring for Winter .
6) Initial things we have to do as a new immigrants (SIN,BANK ACCOUNTS,SIM CARD,REAL ESTATES AGENT ) .
7 ) Good location for families to live (Where Indians or Asian community lives )
8) Job market (Which consultancy to approach for jobs) .

I know many things we will learn when we land there but some useful tips we can get from people who are already there .

Seniors and Friends can add many things to this list and share their views as well .

BR
Zakir

Hi, any chances of creating group ,i would be thankful if added...thnx zakir

 

[mdzakir1]

Till now we didnot created any whatsapp group . Lets see if many people are interested then we can create and add .