I too did not have a family in Montreal and knew very little French when I moved to Montreal. But it all worked out
It's the immigrant story everywhere, so it too will work out fine for you.
I can't advise you about finding jobs, since I assume you've done your homework before simply arriving in Canada without any employment prospects. It can get pretty tough for a new immigrant if they don't have a job and the bills keep adding up. There are plenty of low-skilled jobs available but it makes for a tough life. Not sure if thats's what you want.
Let's instead talk about housing.
kijiji is an ok resource, but since it's usually listed by the owner directly, there can be variance among the quality of the landlords.
My strategy was:
- Stay in an airbnb for a few weeks after arrival.
- Look for apartments on centris.ca and padmapper.com. They are usually listed by rental agents, so there are more guarantees but maybe slightly more expensive.
Some tricky things that landlords usually ask for:
- Credit check (which is non-existent for immigrants)
Explain to them that you are a new immigrant and are building credit. They are usually understanding. Lacking this you may want to show proof of funds, perhaps a bank statement.
- Proof of employment
A letter of employment really helps. If not, you might have to manage with showing bank statements.
- Previous rental history
If you've been renting in Mauritius try to get a letter of good conduct from your current landlord. Or if you're a homeowner, try to get proof of homeownership, taxes and bills paid etc.
Neighborhoods in Montreal.
I'll assume that you don't want to stay in the trendiest and chic neighborhoods, but are looking for something affordable, practical and good for a family. Regardless of which neighborhood you pick, you want to prioritize living near one of the metro stops (
http://www.stm.info/fr/infos/reseaux/plans-des-reseaux). The metro is very convenient and you can zip around the city really fast. Some neighborhoods popular with new immigrants - Cotes De Neiges, Laval, Verdun, Jean-Talon. Some neighborhoods that are unnecessarily pricy - Griffintown, Centre-Ville, Le Plateau, Mont-Royal. Also, if you are fluent in French, most neighborhoods will be just fine.
Most leases in Montreal are from Jul1 - Jun 30. So a lot of the rental properties are appearing on the market around this time.