Available funds - trust me, it's not nearly enough. Everyone should read...

[bkuper]

Hello all,

I have been a reader and occasional poster on this forum and would just like to share the following with you.

As we all know, Canadian Govt has set a minimum amount of funds that should be available when immigrating. In my opinion, this amount is completely inadequate in reality.

As an Australian citizen, the cost of living is roughly the same as Canada so BEFORE I applied, I actually sat down and did a few days of research, which included internet searches as well as telephoning some institutes in Canada that were relevant to me. Judging from many posts I have been reading, I would doubt that the majority of applicants on this forum have bothered to do their research, so I'll give you a bit of a breakdown and a reality check:

Assuming a family of 3 only has the minimum available WHEN THEY APPLY - $16500.
Assume average family moves to one of the main cities.

Cost of packing and moving an average family household - $5000-$10,000 (that's right, although it may be less depending on your country)

Rental acommodation: $700-$2000 per month in the average metropolitan area. Look at www.realtor.ca (the lower end stuff looks pretty horrible to me personally)

Groceries: approx $500-700 per month. Look at grocery chain sites such as: www.loblaws.ca and search their weekly online flyer - it will give you a good idea of how much it costs to buy from the big supermarkets.

Heating: up to $2600 JUST for the months of winter (taken from Toronto Star article)

Public transport - $109 for monthly ticket

Car Insurance: at least $2500 per year

Water bill: at least $500 annually

Electricity bill: at least $130 per month

Daycare: at least $1200 per month per child

School supplies and uniforms: at least $200 per child per year at public primary school

For those thinking private school - average annual cost is $9000-$11000 for primary school child (exluding uniforms/supplies)

Other costs such as: telephone, mobiles, insurances, gas, medical/pharmacy costs, entetainment, etc - the list is pretty endless.

So, just how far do you think you are going to get if you arrive with minimum funds? Judging from many of the forum posts here, plenty people are struggling to come up with the money in the first place. Whilst most potential immigrants have the correct expectation that it will be hard work, I would say that many are going to fall into poverty or dire straits very quickly if they don't have a financial cushion to see them through the first 12 months. You could be fortunate and get a position very quickly, but allowing for the worst-case scenario of being unemployed for up to 12 months is a good way to take a good look at your financial situation, analyse it and see if you could actually afford to be umployed for a period of time. Remember, the world is in a recession....

As someone who has immigrated twice in my life, I have been through it all already. Whilst I'm sure that Canada is a great place to live, people need to be realistic about actually being able to afford to go.

Good luck to all of you - and remember, research, research, research everything before you go!

 

[PMM]

Hi

Hello all,

I have been a reader and occasional poster on this forum and would just like to share the following with you.

As we all know, Canadian Govt has set a minimum amount of funds that should be available when immigrating. In my opinion, this amount is completely inadequate in reality.

As an Australian citizen, the cost of living is roughly the same as Canada so BEFORE I applied, I actually sat down and did a few days of research, which included internet searches as well as telephoning some institutes in Canada that were relevant to me. Judging from many posts I have been reading, I would doubt that the majority of applicants on this forum have bothered to do their research, so I'll give you a bit of a breakdown and a reality check:

Assuming a family of 3 only has the minimum available WHEN THEY APPLY - $16500.
Assume average family moves to one of the main cities.

Cost of packing and moving an average family household - $5000-$10,000 (that's right, although it may be less depending on your country)

Rental acommodation: $700-$2000 per month in the average metropolitan area. Look at www.realtor.ca (the lower end stuff looks pretty horrible to me personally)

Groceries: approx $500-700 per month. Look at grocery chain sites such as: www.loblaws.ca and search their weekly online flyer - it will give you a good idea of how much it costs to buy from the big supermarkets.

Heating: up to $2600 JUST for the months of winter (taken from Toronto Star article)

Public transport - $109 for monthly ticket

Car Insurance: at least $2500 per year

Water bill: at least $500 annually

Electricity bill: at least $130 per month

Daycare: at least $1200 per month per child

School supplies and uniforms: at least $200 per child per year at public primary school

For those thinking private school - average annual cost is $9000-$11000 for primary school child (exluding uniforms/supplies)

Other costs such as: telephone, mobiles, insurances, gas, medical/pharmacy costs, entetainment, etc - the list is pretty endless.

So, just how far do you think you are going to get if you arrive with minimum funds? Judging from many of the forum posts here, plenty people are struggling to come up with the money in the first place. Whilst most potential immigrants have the correct expectation that it will be hard work, I would say that many are going to fall into poverty or dire straits very quickly if they don't have a financial cushion to see them through the first 12 months. You could be fortunate and get a position very quickly, but allowing for the worst-case scenario of being unemployed for up to 12 months is a good way to take a good look at your financial situation, analyse it and see if you could actually afford to be umployed for a period of time. Remember, the world is in a recession....

As someone who has immigrated twice in my life, I have been through it all already. Whilst I'm sure that Canada is a great place to live, people need to be realistic about actually being able to afford to go.

Good luck to all of you - and remember, research, research, research everything before you go!

1. A family of 3 has to have 16,500 when they "land", that is for about 6 months living expenses.
2. Rental accommodation, probably in most metro areas, $12-1400 for a pretty good apt.
3. Heat and light are usually covered in the rent for apts.
4. Public schools don't wear uniforms.
5. Daycare, costs tax deductible, so if the child is in Daycare, means the parents are working.
6. I think you estimate of food costs are pretty high, once you have the staples, (you only but flour, sugar, spices etc once in a while) it is less.
7. Most Independent Immigrants usually find employment before the first 6 months are up.

PMM

 

[bkuper]

Thanks PMM for adding information and I'm happy to stand corrected on some of the points, although my research appeared to indicate otherwise (You're right about public school uniforms though).

My daycare enquiries indicated that there is a rebate of only $100 per child per month. If there is another rebate, I am not aware of it.
I quote the following from CBC news: "Currently, all parents receive $100 a month for each child under the age of six, which is called the Choice in Child-Care Plan. It is considered income and taxed as such."
I would imagine that even for the average working family requiring daycare in Toronto and paying approx $800-$1000 per month per child, it's hardly going to make a dent.

Also, I had another look at www.realtor.ca website and virtually every rental listing I clicked on said that tenants had to pay for utilities. I only found 1 out of the dozen or so that I checked that included utilities.

You may be right about food - I did quite a bit of enquiring and that's the range that was indicated to me. I'd be delighted to discover that groceries are cheaper than what I'm led to believe

You are absolutely right about having the minimum amount when landing although I've seen postings on this forum that indicate that people can't even meet that obligation whilst their application is in progress.

 

[rishabshanker]

Hi bkuper,

I suggest you also check www.craigslist.ca for the rentals. I have also been researching rentals and found a quite a few good apts below CAD$1000 with utilities included, of course I was looking at 1 bedroom apartments but even they were ostly in the range of CAD$750 - 1000 utilities included.

As for the groceries, I dont know anything about chains in canada but did you try checking sites or information other than the ones provided by loblaws?...maybe its possible that loblaws is by itself lsightly on the expensive side...just a thought

Cheers,
Rishab

 

[rupeshhari]

16500 is definitely not going to give someone a luxurious life but that is part of immigrating too. People should understand that and also understand what they would do if the don't get a job in 6months.

I am single, and i know 10000 is not enough with me but if i am willing to rough it out a bit, its more than enough.

 

[sanjeevindia]

we know that 16500 is not enough for a gr8 life ahead. but then we r ready to work hard in any jo we get. i m a ca profession but i know that i m not going to get a job asa ca there i have to meet their regulations. till then i might have to work as a pizza delivery guy or work at a restaurant. bu i m mentally prepared 4 that. all i care about is a bter and safe future for my kids and my family and nothing else matters. and if we can't work hard at this age then there is no point in spending money and energy on immigrating to canada.

 

[NewYorker]

Some of the expenses are little exaggerated, I don't think that if you have 16500 only, you will get a expensive apartment in the beginning - Also one should start working in whatever job available to keep the income coming in, that will help, you are not suppose to sit and only look for the job you need, I am saying any blue collar job, just take it this will help you in with your funds. Private schools! I will not even think about that until I have a solid job. For groceries, you can always find cheap grocery stores instead of going to Safeway.

 

[bkuper]

Thanks all for your interesting posts.

sanjeevindia, I appreciate what you and some of the others are saying and nobody is denying that we'll all be working our b*tts off. However, for me personally, I have no interest in moving to a country where I can't get a job in my profession straightaway. Canada is apparently luring people with special skills, with the implication that there are jobs just waiting for them, but the reality is that a huge amount of immigrants are going to be disappointed, especially those that need to requalify, which can take years in some cases.

Many people say that they'll drive taxis, deliver pizzas etc, until they find something just to offer their family a better life, but I personally think that its a poor trade off for anyone to be doing menial work at until he or she can requalify, especially work that only pays minimum wage or close to it. As a two-time immigrant myself, I can assure you that life becomes very harsh and disappointment sets in very quickly if you have to settle for second best on a long term basis.

 

[simplesimon]

Its great to hear 2 different perspectives on this issue. It helps people realise that any eventuality is possible - and so be prepared !

It is definitely easier for people who already have extended family living in Canada and who are willing to host you until you find a job.

 

[rizcom123]

Hi All,

Checkout the generic and basic information before you arrive in Canada.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers/before.asp

Regards,

 

[bkuper]

Thanks, rizcom123, that's a very good link.
I think the utilities amount is far too low, compared to other info I have come across, but in general it's a good source of info.

I suppose my thinking behind starting this thread was that I personally feel that the Canadian govt has set the financial benchmark too low. Yes, it's achievable, but won't really go very far. I feel that the amount should be at least double the recommendation only because people should be required to have some DECENT funds before they even start their journey, not this pittance that the govt recommends.

We have a fairly similar cost of living here in Australia, and I can tell you that $16500 would barely last an average family for 3-5 months.

 

[BobbyB]

16500 is definitely not going to give someone a luxurious life but that is part of immigrating too. People should understand that and also understand what they would do if the don't get a job in 6months.

I am single, and i know 10000 is not enough with me but if i am willing to rough it out a bit, its more than enough.

I am single, and i know 10000 is not enough with me but if i am willing to rough it out a bit, its more than enough.
This bit sounds OK for people who are single and looking forward to a better future.
In fact, I did the same about 22 Years ago when I came to Europe as a fresh Graduate and was ready for everything.
I worked in Hotels and Restaurants, had 2 jobs and studied in the evening and worked my way up to being the Technical Director of a company and can say that I am proud of myself, being a self made man.
The issue here, I think, will be for people who are already settled somewhere else and are looking to move because of other reasons and the future of their Kids. These are people in my opinion, who need to be sure of what they are doing. This is a very big step they are and will be taking. They need to have enough on them for any eventuality.
I personally, might not have taken the chance at this stage of my career or life, if I did not have enough relatives, who are more than willing to do everything to help me settle in Canada. The figures on the CIC website are to me a "Guide Figure". People should plan to have more on them than those figures.

Good Luck to everyone.

 

[canadalover]

Hi
Yes it's hard to have 16500 in cash to settle in a new place with no job. This is why we decided as a family that my husband will go firs while I keep my job in my home country. as long as I keep my job, I could send him around 500 every month. i will also keep our son with me. Definitely, it would be very stressful to bring the whole family to canada: parents jobless, Baby 11 month ( jobless, but still needing his milk and diaper). yes It would be very very hard. I suggest young family to keep a back up ( family, small business etc) in home country just in case...