Hello all,
I and my wife finally landed in Canada a few weeks back. We want to share a few details about our landing and Canadian experience so far. Hope it's of use to our members.
1) Immigration process
Was pretty much straightforward. The immigration officer did ask us for proof of funds. SO, MAKE SURE YOU BRING LIQUID ASSETS (CASH, TRAVELLER'S CHEQUES, BANK DRAFT, ETC) THAT ARE AT LEAST EQUAL OR ABOVE WHAT'S REQUIRED BY CANADIAN IMMIGRATION. I've seen a few questions on this forum asking whether bank statements will work. Here's the link from CIC regarding proof of funds:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/funds.asp
There's no mention of bank statements in there. Hence, it is best if you bring assets in the forms described in the link.
2) Customs
The customs experience can be a 10-minute experience or a 2 –hour experience. It depends on HOW ORGANIZED YOU ARE. When you come to Canada make sure you bring TWO LISTS OF ITEMS THAT YOU'RE BRINGING IN WITH YOU AND ANOTHER TWO LISTS OF ITEMS TO FOLLOW. There was a migrant in front us who didn't bring the list and it was a very long process for her.
IT IS BEST IF YOU TYPE THE LISTS. CANADIAN CUSTOMS INSTRUCTS THAT YOU PROVIDE AS MUCH DETAIL AS POSSIBLE ABOUT THE ITEMS THAT YOU BRING IN. These include:
1) Quantity
2) Item description: a) make b) model (example Sony Vaio computer)
3) Serial number if it has one
4) Value in CDN dollars
See following link for further details:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers/before-border.asp
The relevant custom document is B 4:
http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/publications/forms-formulaires/b4-eng.pdf
On top of creating these lists, we also colour coded a separate list - the colour coded list was for our use. For example, items were coloured in 8 different colours. Why? Because, if the customs officer wanted to check a particular item, we knew which exact bag to open. For example, if the customs officer wanted to see the camera that we were bringing, then just by looking at the colour code of that item – light blue- we would know that it's in my wife's third bag.
3) Health Card
Don't know about other provinces, but Ontario's health coverage doesn't begin for three months after you arrive. SO YOU NEED HEALTH INSURANCE IN THE INTERMEDIATE TIME. PLEASE BUY YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE BEFORE YOU MOVE TO CANADA. SOME INSURANCE COMPANIES HAVE A 48-HR WAITING PERIOD IF YOU BUY INSURANCE AFTER YOU LAND IN CANADA. Google to find health insurance companies. There are plenty of them. It's best if you use an online insurance comparison shopper site, as it'll give you an easy one-stop comparison of the different plans that are available and their costs.
Also note that when you go to apply for provincial insurance, they ask for proof of residence. Proof of residence cannot be any document. It has to be mailed in document with your name (telephone bill, bank statement, etc) or something like a lease document or a driver's license
See list number 2:
http://www.forms.ssb.gov.on.ca/mbs/ssb/forms/ssbforms.nsf/GetFileAttach/014-9998E-82~1/$File/9998-82E.pdf
4) WINTERS IN CANADA ARE BRUTALLY COLD
Nothing can prepare you for how cold it can get in Canada. Trust us, if you don't have the proper winter clothing, even a 5-minute walk can cause frost bite. I think we were really smart not to buy winter clothes locally. We shopped for winter clothes in US Amazon and Ebay. We specifically bought clothes, gloves, boots, etc that were manufactured in Canada and the US for extreme winters. These clothes have helped us a lot!
BEST OF LUCK TO EVERYONE WITH EVERYTHING!
