Ammar30 said:
Dear All,
Since most of us are recieving and would recieve their PPRs soon, someone should guide us about living in Canada as well. Which place is the best for a newcomer? Where are brighter chances for employment? Where living is affordable? Etc etc. I will appreciate if someone already in Canada answer my questions. These would be helpful for most of us.
Hello everyone.
I think I can contribute a little bit to this question.
I'm in Canada 16 month already and I'll give a quick summary of what I know. This applies mainly to Toronto.
The first thing you need when you get to Canada is to get yourself a Social Insurance Number. Without it you won't be able to get a job (except for under the table one). You can get SIN in any Service Canada branch. Google for it and will find it easily. SIN is your tax ID.
Then you have to open a bank account. Just go to the nearest branch and tell a teller that you need a bank account. Don't forget to bring your papers with you: passport (or other ID) and something that confirms your status in Canada (i.e. landing certificate, work permit, study permit). The procedure will take about an hour. Some branches insist that you book an appointment first so it might take 2-3 days. The most popular banks are RBC, TD, CIBC, Bank of Montreal etc.
Finding a place to live.
For the first week, I would suggest booking a room on AirBNB. It is cheaper that a hotel (they are ridiculously expensive in Canada) and you can get some valuable advice from a host. If you still consider hotels - check hotels.com. It will help you to find a good deal.
Once you've settled for your first week start looking for a permanent place to rent. The best option for it is Kijiji.ca. Approximate prices are:
1 bedroom basement apartment - $900 month (Utilities most likely included, $60 for internet - on top of that)
1 bedroom apartment in condo - starting from $1300 a month.
3 bedroom detached house - about $2000 a month.
I would rent somewhere closer to cheap grocery shops like FoodBasics, No Frills, Walmart. In this way you can save $100-200 for food every month and don't travel for groceries.
Do not rent further north than Steeles avenue. Public transit will cost you extra as it is not considered as the City of Toronto and is serviced by carriers other that TTC.
Stay away from Jane street from Finch avenue to Steeles avenue. It is considered a bad neighborhood with lots of criminal activity.
If you see an add with the room/apartment that you'd like to rent - just call. Don't write messages - nobody will respond you. Landlords are getting so many messages so they can't even read it. They can get 500 messages in 2 hours. The likelihood that exactly your message will be chosen from that pool to respond is extremely small. But if you call they will pay their attention to you.
The majority of apartments and houses comes unfurnished, with the mandatory 1-year lease (you sing and agreement for 1 year) and you'll have to pay for the firs and last month right away.
JOB
Survival job.
It is a good idea to get a survival job first and then look for a real job in your occupation. Survival job will get you money to live, improve your language and will be a good addition to your resume because it is a Canadian experience so valued by local employers.
Where you can find a survival job:
Fast food restaurants like McDonalds, Tim Hortons, Subway etc. Just go to the restaurant, ask for a manager and tell hir or her that you want to work. If they need people they will give you some papers to fill out and you're in. 1-2 weeks of training (they are supposed to pay you for that time) and you're good to go. this job is very fast-paced, in a hot environment. Another word it is not the best job in the world. You'll get about $12 an hour minus 5% tax if you don't work overtime (more than 40 hours a week). With overtime, you'll pay about 20% tax. I don't know the logic - in my case, it was about that.
Construction sites. I know little about that. What I heard is that you can go to any construction site and ask manager is they need workers.
Security. To work as a security guard you'll need a license. To get a license costs $500 in total, and about 2 weeks of your time (maybe less). You'll need to take an online course on security, 2-day in class training on how to provide first aid and pass a ministry test. Everything is easy. Just google "how to get security guard license in ontario"
Once you've got the license you can apply for security guard positions. You can find them on Kijiji or other web resources with jobs. This job will be relatively easy to get. The license cuts off some competition. The work itself is easy too. You'll need to watch cameras, do patrols and maybe some clerical duties like registering visitors and escorting them in the building so they don't get lost. The pay depends on the site you will be working on and varies from $12 to $15 an hour. The worst thing about this job is the night shifts. They are exhausting even though you don't nave to do physical work.
A good job.
This one is not easy to get. Be prepared that it may take you about 6 months. I didn't have much success in it yet so I can't give any really valuable advice.
Try to use recruiting agencies like Robert Half, Michael Page or similar. They are free for you. In my case looks like it works, but I haven't got a permanent position yet. Only temporary but in finance.
Good places to go for "newcomer shopping"
Dalarama - cheap household stuff (dishes, towels, cleaning detergents etc.)
Value Village - used kitchen stuff (pots, pans, plates). The rest is used clothes which if very bad.
IKEA - very cheap new furniture and household stuff.
The approximate monthly budget for 1 person:
rent - $1300 (apartment) + $60 internet
transit - $146 (monthly TTC pass for all kinds of public transport in the City of Toronto)
Basic cell phone - $50 - $60
Food - $100 (if you cook yourself and doing a really good job saving money) - $250 (if you cook yourself and eat well. I mean normal quantity and variety of food)
Don't forget to include other unpredictable expenses about $300 a month.
Hopefully that helps.
