Hi Anpudan
Taking the direct flight from Dxb or Adh is a good option if you fly during off peak season i.e. not during 1-2 months before Xmas or during the summer. We are a family of 4 and I had to look at the via option as the direct flight option would have cost be almost CAD$ 1500 additional.
I'm putting down my landing exp again for your benefit - I have also added a ost recently with some important sites you should start looking at
WWW.cic.gc.ca - It has a wealth of info and keeps getting pdated regularly - this should be a must read everyday
www.servicecanada.gc.ca - again great site to help you with information
www.serviceontario.ca - Will help you opening your D/L file
www.nofeebanking.ca - information on the Canadain banking system
In terms of whether you should resign and go the decision is entirely yours - there are pros and cons for both
If you resign you go there early and get into the system faster but if you don't have the financials to suport you and you are not willing to take up odd jobs till you get something in your field it might be a a difficult time before you settle down
If you don't resign yo can come back to your job and save some more for the initil struggele but this means you get a late start compared to others who decide to make the move earlier
Again your decision
We flew Swiss Air from DXB via Zurich. The halt at Zurich was for 6 hours but thanx to to the connecting Air Canada flight ( code share with Swiss) we got delayed by another 2 hours (I heard from friends that Air Canada getting delayed is a normal thing). Both the flights were good.
I landed in Toronto in the last week of June with my wife and 2 daughters.
The lady there actually asked me if I had a job - when I said no she asked me if I planned to look for one. I smiled and said "Yes first thing tomorrow"
We were then sent to a waiting area where we submitted our Passports and COPR.
The "landing" process took only 5 mins but with the wait times made it like 1/2 an hour.
We landed on a Friday so took time on Saturday and Sunday to familiarize ourselves with the TTC. Thats the public transport system which operates Trains,Buses and Streetcars(Trams)
For all those people who are planning to land soon do visit -
www.ttc.ca
- great resource for information on the public transport in Toronto and it also helps you plan your trips
We visited a couple of malls bought groceries and got a general feel of the place.
We stayed at furnished apts at Sheppard and Yonge
The great thing about this location is there was a mini mall across the road with a Tim Hortons - so the days when we were not making Bfast at home we ate there. The basement of the mall had the Sheppard TTC station so all we had to do was cross the road.
First thing on Monday morning we applied for our SIN cards - again the location helped since we were walking distance from a Service Canada - took about 30 mins filled a form and we received our SIN numbers on the spot although the actual cards come in the mail later
We then went across to a Drive Test centre to open our driving files - both my wife and me had our experience letters from Dubai so we were immediately eligible for applying for a roadtest after our written test
I'm sure most of you have the driving experience but you should buy the Drivers handbook and study before you give the G1 written test
Also do practice on
www.apnatoronto.com - great resource again
The moment you pass you should apply for a road test date - I appeared for the G2 and passed - G will e the next time I visit which will be when we move permanently
After this we went to TD bank and opened our various accounts and applied for our credit cards
In case you have missed it earlier in the forum make sure you apply for the credit card even if you need to set aside some money as guarantee as its very important to start building your credit history in canada
This will help in the future when you want to buy a house and get mortgage from the bank
After this we were tourists and saw most of the touristy things - CN Tower, Niagara, Museum,Zoo,Science Centre, Malls etc.
We met a couple of friends and got their feedback on life in Canada as well
Overall it was a wonderful experience
People were friendly
The only drawback of the trip was it was really hot - 35 deg C and it hardly rained while we were there
We started our journey in May 2007 so it was a long time but it was worth the wait.
Hope this experience helps
I'm happy to answer any questions people might have based on our time there to the best of my ability - for the answers I don't know I will always refer you to the seniors
We are back in Dubai and planning for our permanent move
All the best
er2d2g
A Million thanks to God for the favour!
