Dear Brothers and sisters, AOA!
I landed in Edmonton - Alberta in Feb 2013. I used to work in UAE so took a flight through Qatar airways via Heathrow Airport to Edmonton. It was a cheaper option available.
We carried stuff esp. lot of clothes with us to combat the weather here that is still on average -10 'C. But it's quite useful to carry with you the necessary layers of clothing that helps a lot in getting oneself warm. You can find overcoats and jackets here as well but the new ones are really costly ranging at least $30 and up.
At airport we first passed through the customs counter where they ask us to declare any fund that is in excess of CAD 10000. They asked me how much cash I'm carrying and I gave them the figure and they recorded without any physical count. Then we went onwards to immigration where the officer filled the landing papers and stapled one copy in our passports. Later at other counter we provided the goods declaration. I didn't had much time so I prepared a note on piece of paper with goods and their values and total. That served the purpose.
Weather is really different here and you have to take extra care when commuting to any place. I stayed initial days with my spouse cousin and then started finding our own rental accommodation. Normally for one child and more, rental owners here ask for atleast 2 bedroom apartments but you can get one bedroom as well but it depends. We are family of three but wasn't able find a single bedroom apartment so have to take a 2 bed and its rental is cad 1100 plus a damage deposit of the same amount. This is the biggest immediate expense we need to incur. Rental adds shown on the website are some time old and most of them is occupied but not removed from the add, so be cautious and start looking for a rental immediately. you also need to take care that your residence must be at walking distance to your kids school.
Don't forget to bring your driving license with you otherwise you have to wait one year to become eligible to drive.
I started sending out the resumes and all, attended one or two interview, but since i'm in finance, employer know that we are new and it will take us some time in understanding the Canadian environment, currency and culture. I got a survival job that will start in coming days and you have to be ready for that.
During initial days, we applied for our SIN at service Canada location, health card, bank account, phone number. On the 4th day we admitted our child to school. Here it's a good thing that you don't have to pay for education and health services.
Despite the cold weather, I wandered to explore the city using public transport. The weather is really harsh but still you can enjoy by taking proper care and went to an immigrant serving organization: Mennonite Centre for career counselling and resume building.
Take with you some spices and garam masaly as they are expensive here.
I tried to explain as much as I can but if you have any questions for me, please feel free to ask.
Best Regards, William
