FLYING TO CANADA IN JAN 2014, LET'S CONNECT AND SHARE IDEAS.

[emamabd]

hello
welcome aboard. good choice of city to land-vancouver. the climate there is the most moderate and bearable all across canada.
yes, just believe in the almighty and you will be fine.

hi all,

I'll be flying to toronto in february 2014 (second landing), i've seen that most people in this thread will be flying to edmonton/alberta ...just wondering what are your reasons for selecting edmonton? Is it because you have friends there who managed to settle well over there? Or you have other reasons?

 

[edmonta]

@emamabd,
reason for selecting Edmonton definitely is a bigger job basket which it holds.Its developing very fast because of Oil,Gas & other aligned mfg industries.For technical guys it provides the max job opportunity therefore.
Also it has got no PST so tax saving will be an advantage.Alberta gives medical insurance from the day you land there which is the another big advantage..
Vancouver ,Toronto is also much more costlier than Edmonton and hold less opportunities to fetch early jobs as most of the newcomers do tend to land there.Considering all these points ,In my understanding Edmonton is the better choice.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Edmonta

 

[ferdzmigz]

Thank you bro for starting this thread..very good initiative...this will help us new settlers prepare ourselves to our New country...our new home.Please let us also share our job preparations/job hunting when we land there..Seniors please share your experiences...

 

[hiteshdand]

@ emamabd,
reason for selecting Edmonton definitely is a bigger job basket which it holds.Its developing very fast because of Oil,Gas & other aligned mfg industries.For technical guys it provides the max job opportunity therefore.
Also it has got no PST so tax saving will be an advantage.Alberta gives medical insurance from the day you land there which is the another big advantage..
Vancouver ,Toronto is also much more costlier than Edmonton and hold less opportunities to fetch early jobs as most of the newcomers do tend to land there.Considering all these points ,In my understanding Edmonton is the better choice.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Edmonta

i totally agree with you. edmonton is the northerly most inhabited city of canada, apart from being capital of alberta.
it has ample job oppurtunities for IT, Finance, Nursing, oil and gas technicians as well as Hospitality professionals.
recent immigrants who landed in edmonton reported astonishingly less time to find a job in their field.
edmonton truly rocks for fresh immigrants to maple land.

 

[hiteshdand]

Thank you bro for starting this thread..very good initiative...this will help us new settlers prepare ourselves to our New country...our new home.Please let us also share our job preparations/job hunting when we land there..Seniors please share your experiences...

you are welcome.
yes, its a great idea to share our experiences of applying for jobs, approaching various employment agencies in edmonton, preparing our resumes as per canadian standards with the help of Service Canada, opening a bank account in edmonton, getting alberta health card, getting alberta driving licence etc.

 

[edmonta]

Dears,
Already there are few more threads for Alberta & Edmonton also in the same forum,
You may want to read and get some info. from it:

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/-t122247.0.html
A similar thread for Calgary is also there.
Regards,
Edmonta

 

[emamabd]

@ emamabd,
reason for selecting Edmonton definitely is a bigger job basket which it holds.Its developing very fast because of Oil,Gas & other aligned mfg industries.For technical guys it provides the max job opportunity therefore.
Also it has got no PST so tax saving will be an advantage.Alberta gives medical insurance from the day you land there which is the another big advantage..
Vancouver ,Toronto is also much more costlier than Edmonton and hold less opportunities to fetch early jobs as most of the newcomers do tend to land there.Considering all these points ,In my understanding Edmonton is the better choice.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Edmonta

Hi edmonta,

thanks for your reply, sure i understand that edmonton offers good job prospects for people with experience in the oil and gas sector
(i see that matches with your NOC code 9212) , however i have searched online many times for jobs in the IT/Telecom sector (my field)
and i can't see that many jobs, while Toronto has a much larger share - hence decided to do my second landing there as well. But thanks for the useful info about edmonton - i'll keep it in mind too and will continue searching.

I also heard from a few people that employers in alberta are more open to hiring immigrants with no canadian experience - than ontario...
but i'm not sure if that's really true or just an individual's perception.

 

[NN74]

IT/Telecom sector is far established in Toronto than entire Alberta except you have Oil & Gas industry experience.

Canadian experience is a reality though not much significant for IT sector; after all Programming , or Project Management, or LAN/WAN expertise are identical across the globe so as Alberta employers think!

Hi edmonta,

thanks for your reply, sure i understand that edmonton offers good job prospects for people with experience in the oil and gas sector
(i see that matches with your NOC code 9212) , however i have searched online many times for jobs in the IT/Telecom sector (my field)
and i can't see that many jobs, while Toronto has a much larger share - hence decided to do my second landing there as well. But thanks for the useful info about edmonton - i'll keep it in mind too and will continue searching.

I also heard from a few people that employers in alberta are more open to hiring immigrants with no canadian experience - than ontario...
but i'm not sure if that's really true or just an individual's perception.

 

[anil_india]

guys,
i am yet to finalize an accommodation for myself. have any one of you started to look for an accommodation and finalized it?
i am flying on 20th jan. so by what date should i start looking and booking for a place to stay?
i am more keen to go for a basement suite for the initial 3 months after my landing, which are spacious, offer privacy and could provide warmth during the harsh winter of edmonton.
i have looked at quite a few basement suites on kijiji.com

all rooms, anywhere, have heating, set temp. as per ur need.

basement i feel shud be avoided.
u feel stuck and u hv nothing to view out.

living in a condo apartment is the best thing to do, as u ll be alone, at least u can view out, see cars, buildings, people, sky, planes, and get refreshed.

PM for any query!

hv u finalised the date and city?

land, stay in a motel or a short term, 2-4 weeks accomo.

then look for rental ads , visit and if u like, pay token amount to stay.

wen we dont buy anything without a demo, how can we live in a house, without viewing?

stay and LIVE
closer to
downtown, or immigrant service offices, centres for the 'bridging courses',,,,,,,or short term course centres.

 

[hiteshdand]

all rooms, anywhere, have heating, set temp. as per ur need.

basement i feel shud be avoided.
u feel stuck and u hv nothing to view out.

living in a condo apartment is the best thing to do, as u ll be alone, at least u can view out, see cars, buildings, people, sky, planes, and get refreshed.

PM for any query!

hv u finalised the date and city?

land, stay in a motel or a short term, 2-4 weeks accomo.

then look for rental ads , visit and if u like, pay token amount to stay.

wen we dont buy anything without a demo, how can we live in a house, without viewing?

stay and LIVE
closer to
downtown, or immigrant service offices, centres for the 'bridging courses',,,,,,,or short term course centres.

hi anil,

how u doing? my ticket is confirmed for 20th jan 2014, landing at Calgary.
thanks for your priceless tips regarding accommodation and settlement issues.

 

[emamabd]

IT/Telecom sector is far established in Toronto than entire Alberta except you have Oil & Gas industry experience.

Canadian experience is a reality though not much significant for IT sector; after all Programming , or Project Management, or LAN/WAN expertise are identical across the globe so as Alberta employers think!

I totally agree with you, i do feel that Canadian experience is not crucial in IT/Telecom fields as the technology standards are the same worldwide, i believe the differences would mostly be in the soft-skills part - i.e. interacting with managers,colleagues and customers - but any experienced person would be able to pick that up and align/adapt within a short time.

 

[hiteshdand]

well, if we upgrade our skills upon landing by enrolling in a course which is in demand, maybe then we might be armed with the "much needed" canadian experience.
also I have heard that for PR holders, study fees are at a subsidized rate.

 

[emamabd]

well, if we upgrade our skills upon landing by enrolling in a course which is in demand, maybe then we might be armed with the "much needed" canadian experience.
also I have heard that for PR holders, study fees are at a subsidized rate.

If you are considering Bridge courses - the fees are usually cheap since they are partially/mostly government funded - but if you are considering university studies (Masters/or MBA) then it would be quite expensive

 

[hiteshdand]

how much would it cost to get an MBA in Finance from Univ of Alberta? roughly?

 

[emamabd]

how much would it cost to get an MBA in Finance from Univ of Alberta? roughly?

Below is the fee for a general MBA at university of Alberta, the full time studies fee is around $23,388 for a PR, if you also
consider the living expenses for 12 months or 18 months (assuming that during full time studies you will not be employed)
the total would be a huge amount.

http://www.business.ualberta.ca/en/Programs/TheAlbertaMBA/FullTime/FinancialInvestment.aspx

There's a possibility to get student loans ofcourse - but i guess there are conditions, you can find out more on:

http://alis.alberta.ca/ec/fo/pay/loans-grants.html