General Queries

[SUDHA UDHAYAN]

Hi All,

Myself and My husband planning to move to Canada with PR visa during month of Feb 2017.

Before coming to Canada, we would like to be prepared in advance

Please suggest and guide us on the following queries

1. We both have Indian Driving License, Do we get permit to drive car till we get a Canadian Driving License for temporary period or what is the procedure ? do we required a NOC from India.

2.Which is the best phone connection in Canada? and how long it will take for us to get a connection

3.Is there any possibility to arrange a House or Room for rent in advance before we board(share if any link available for booking or contact person)

looking for you valuable inputs

Thanks & Regards
Sudha Udhayan

 

[ttrajan]

Get RTO letter for license. Telus, in 2 days. Initially stay in hotel then search for accommodation. Also search through Google.

 

[SUDHA UDHAYAN]

Thanks for your inputs Rajan.

 

[Buletruck]

From our own experience....hope it helps....

1) Drivers License: Get the RTO from India and an International Drivers Permit for both of you (if you both have licenses). That will allow you to drive in Canada initially on arrival. When you apply for a Canadian license, don't both apply at the same time. They will take your Indian license and IDP when you apply and until they determine your experience (it took 2 weeks in Alberta), you won't be able to drive. Expect to fail the written test (they seem to fail about 90% first time), so don't be surprised or disappointed. A lot of the questions on the test require which answer is most correct, so study the handbook (available online, search "Alberta Drivers Handbook or Manitoba Drivers handbook" etc.You can get lessons if you need it. After the test and once you receive confirmation of your previous experience, you can book a driving test. If they can't get confirmation, you may have to start from scratch with a learners permit. If you have the time when you book the drivers test, hang out at the test location. We waited and followed the tester on a few of his tests with other people to learn the route. We then practiced the route and the signs/instructions on the test route. Once one of you gets their license, the other can go through the same process,. A bit of a pain, but you can continue to drive while one goes through the process.

2) Phones: Phone companies here are all pretty much the same (they all use each others services...i.e. Telus provides operator and 911 services for all the companies in Alberta and BC) and expensive compared to Asia. Don't be surprised if you bring an unlocked phone from Asia that isn't "mainstream" in North America, it may not work with the sim cards here. Apple, Samsung, etc seem to be OK. More obscure and regional made phone seem to be the problem, especially if they aren't available in North America.

3) Accomadations: We used AirBnB and booked it for a couple of weeks. Research where you are planning to live in advance to give yourself an idea of how long to book. AirBnB saved us about half what we would have paid for a hotel or motel and was a little more "homey". Check the vacancy rate in the area in advance to get an idea how long and how expensive it will be to find a permanent place to live. Check listings on sites like "Craigslist" or "Kijiji" for available housing before you come. We used the local police service website to identify high crime areas to avoid in our search.

 

[ssoy]

Great reply by Buletruck. Just a few additions

1) They dont take away your license in every province. We kept our licenses in Ontario but the road test was so fully booked we had to wait a long time to take it. Side note, if you wanna avoid being pulled over in traffic, do not exceed the posted speed limits AT ALL. We already got two tickets (minor speeding being the culprid) and it affects auto insurance badly, which is very high to begin with.
2) ditto on phones. My hub had to buy a new phone. We got windmobile, very cheap but reception is bad.
3) Airbnb here as well. We booked for 3 months cos we had a baby along with us. Honestly, we found a permanent place purely by luck, no co-signor, references or paystub. It looked hopeless for a while so I was thinking of extending the airbnb stay. Once you land, you can negotiate with airbnb landlord face to face to extend if the place isnt booked in advance.
Good luck!

 

[SUDHA UDHAYAN]

Thanks for your inputs