Deciding on a city to move as a fresh immigrant is a very personalized decision. Or at least it should be. There are a few ways one could think about this and it completely depends on the individual - there is no standard model.
1.
Weather
This is very important to most immigrants simply because they come in from countries in the tropical belts without much exposure to Canadian conditions. Canada is cold everywhere? Yes. Is it unlivable? For the large parts, Yes. Do people still adapt and survive? Yes, all the time. If you're moving with family (or even coming here alone), choose a city that makes you feel
less uncomfortable. That's the best you can do for now. Google historical weather patterns. Find out the average highs and lows over the years - plan your move and come in towards the end of winter so that you have 3-4 months to get acclimatized before it starts getting cold all over again. It's hard enough moving to a new country with no jobs and/or financial security, it sucks all the more if you have to do it in the middle of a snow storm! Historically, immigrants preferred Vancouver and Toronto because the weather is probably the mildest around these places. If you are a PN, you might not have a choice in terms of 'landing' but you can always move once you are here.
The
downside to this strategy is that the place with the mildest temperature might not have the right industry/jobs to match your skills and, more importantly, will already have an abundance of international students, foreign workers, PRs and citizens who you will have to compete with to find your first job.
2.
Local connections
Most immigrants tend to have someone from their family/friends/community already established in Canada and naturally gravitate towards those cities. It gives them a sense of belonging which can be extremely helpful once the honeymoon period is over. Having those local networks in place reduces (or at least guides) your own efforts of establishing yourself in a new country. Such support can be basic in nature (where to find the best deals on groceries/housing/driving instructors and stuff) or, if you are lucky, could extend to helping you find a job as well.
The
downside to this strategy is that your skills might not be the same as those of your local connections so you are still probably stuck with having to wait considerably longer to start networking professionally.
3.
Job markets and unemployment rates (
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/01/13/best-cities-for-work-canada-bmo_n_8970958.html)
For professionals, this is probably the most critical data element. You probably want to be in a city where the unemployment rate is at its lowest because that gives you a fighting chance. Of course, this goes together with identifying the industries in that city or thereabouts as well. Just because the unemployment rates are lower (on average) doesn't really mean that everyone is hiring for all possible NOCs at the same time. Do your research on job sites to identify if you can find job postings matching your skills in some/all of these cities and then take a call.
The
downside to this strategy is that you probably don't know anyone in Guelph, ON (which has the lowest unemployment rate at this point in time). Or more likely, you haven't heard of Guelph at all. (It's pronounced 'Gwelf' in case you were wondering).
4.
Cost of living (
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Canada)
As with other parts of the World, living conditions vary across Canada. You have the more expensive metropolises, the medium priced major cities in each province and the less expensive smaller cities everywhere. For a new immigrant burdened with financial insecurities, this would be a big part of your decision making because this would decide when the taps would run dry assuming you don't get a stable job(s) in the first few months. New immigrants can spend anywhere from 70-80% of their monthly budget on housing, heat, utilities, groceries and essentials. In addition to that, you will have a lot of one-time expenses. Lease advances, driving instructions, drivers license fees, buying your first car, buying appliances and furniture etc. Once you stabilize, this should probably account for 35-50% of your monthly budget because you would learn how to cut corners and get the best deals. Factor in your income and that starts looking better even after paying all the taxes. If you live in a larger city, you will probably spend 25-30% more on average or even higher depending on how often you eat out, shop, spend on non-essentials etc. Factor that into your calculations. Choose a city wisely - the URL above gives you indicative prices and cost of living comparisons of major Canadian cities.
The downside to this strategy is that the cheaper cities might not necessarily be the ones where you have an abundance of job opportunities and/or an abundance of social connections. They are cheaper for a reason. They are invariably self sustained economic units which are also probably supported by the provincial government to a fair degree because they want more people to try and move there. And not enough people who want to do that.
5.
Random
Even though EE makes it appear that it isn't, immigration is still a lottery. You just 'happened' to have the right skills as conceived and required by IRCC at this point in time. This wasn't part of your plan when you were choosing your majors in college, right? So why not stretch that logic ad absurdum and throw a dart at the map to decide your landing? Jokes aside, this could be a viable strategy for young, single immigrants who have a sense of adventure. You're moving to a new country so feel free to explore the place. Don't land in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal or Edmonton just because everyone is doing that. Go to Winnipeg, Regina, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Quebec City, Surrey or any of those other places you might or might not have heard of at all. Of course, employ some method to this madness. Do your research on weather and job markets and choose wisely. Adventures are fun but the mountaineer trains for her climb and packs the right gear before embarking on her expedition.
The
downside to this strategy is that you would probably feel lost and lonely for the first few weeks/months before you start making local connections. This is probably not advisable for families.
What next?
As with almost everything in life, the answer would be some combination of these factors. And it would be personalized to your specific situation. I've probably covered most of the reasoning there but there could be some other elements that one might consider before making their own specific decisions. Choose wisely and choose well. Boldly go where few immigrants have gone before. Live long and prosper! 8)
All the best!
