I'm gonna share my story, maybe it will help..
first of all, people, Canada is a HUGE country and I don't see why most of you should settle in Toronto or GTA. It's true there are more jobs in larger cities, but consider one important thing, too: your direct competition is bigger! and, lets face it, employers will always prefer someone with Canadian experience.. If you don't have relatives or close friends or any other strong connection, why don't you consider other parts of Canada? parts that are cheaper?
we live in a small city in Manitoba. (Morden)
we rent WHOLE house for 750$ (now compare that to 650$ just for one room in Toronto..). when you're renting, here they ask only half for deposit, while in bigger cities your deposit is the same as monthly cost (so for the first month you need to pay double price).
we both got our jobs in a matter of days since we started to send out applications and e mails. I personally got a job in my expertise, I work as an ECE in a daycare (but I was well prepared and had all my documents ready for Canadian certification, I started that process from Croatia).
Wages are a bit lower than in bigger, popular cities; but our cost of living is waaaaaaaaay lower, too. We have steady and permanent income of approx 900$ every week (because our paydays happened to be that way, every two weeks we get our paycheck) and we lack absolutely nothing. and we have a 4 year old in a full time daycare (a bit over 400$).
I know, you'll pull "winter argument" on me
just keep in mind that last couple of winters were really ruff and cold in Toronto area as well.. Air is humid because of the great lakes and that makes it even colder. Here in prairies we do have cold winters, bud the air is dry so it's not that awful. this year temperatures started to dip in minuses a week ago. -15 here is not that colder than 0 in Croatia. Trust me, my kid and I are walking to the daycare so we know
I'm not trying to coax you somewhere you wouldn't be happy, we live in a small city (a bit over 9000 people) and I'm aware lot of people prefer big cities. But if you have children and prefer cozy, family life - don't concentrate only on big cities, take a peek on small communities.
a year ago there was an article on cic news about a community in Ontario that's open for newcomers and helps a lot!
http://www.cicnews.com/2014/09/small-canadian-towns-hoping-attract-immigrants-canada-093763.html
I truly do believe smaller communities and cities are better for us newcomers, because they are more open to help.
do your research, people. try to find out about local employment possibilities, find local web pages that advertise jobs (not everything is on job bank or kijiji; kijiji is totally unpopular in my area for example), find housing prices etc. chose carefully, chose smart.
Keep in mind that you can always relocate if you're not happy.
English is important, so keep working on it. my trick was to read: I like chick lit, fantasy and romance, so I've been reading books in english. At first it was frustrating and I often clicked on google translate. but I've kept pushing and pushing and soon difference was astonishing. that really helps a lot. pick up something you like and enjoy to read, and just dig in.
We're here for 6 months (it will be 6 months in a week), but often it feels like we're here way longer. we prepared a lot, we knew a lot about the city and our possibilities, we actively engaged in everything we could. internet and social media are blessing of modern immigration, so use it, people! everything is just a click away.
our life here is million times better then life in Croatia. considering we both had permanent and well paid jobs (for Croatian standard, at least), that says a lot.
Canada is so full of possibilities and opportunities, but you have to do your homework well and you have to google and read a lot. nothing comes here on its own, money does not fall from the sky (or grow in the trees, popular saying back in Balkan
), but every effort here pays off.
Good luck, people. be smart, and remember, never stop learning, never stop reading, never stop exploring. it will benefit you tremendously!
