Hi Guys,
Having been a PR now for a little over a month, I've realized there are a few things that people don't usually mention to aspiring PRs, and I thought it would be very helpful if we started a thread to provide these 'unusual' bits of advice that aspiring PRs don't always hear, to help them in their plans and preparations.
I have been incredibly lucky in my journey because I had a strong support system available to me as soon as my plane touched down, so it's been easy for me to adapt, regardless of what I knew and didn't know before landing. But some of our fellow aspiring PRs won't necessarily have that same fortune, so I thought it would be nice if we could provide this advice to them, as a community.
The obvious pieces of advice most aspiring PRs hear are things like:
I'll be happy to start!
A few things I wasn't so aware of when I got here (and that affected me (or my other immigrant friends) much more than the cold
):
That's my list so far, and I'll add any others I think of, as I think of them.
What about you, other Landed PRs? Any advice for our aspiring peers?
Having been a PR now for a little over a month, I've realized there are a few things that people don't usually mention to aspiring PRs, and I thought it would be very helpful if we started a thread to provide these 'unusual' bits of advice that aspiring PRs don't always hear, to help them in their plans and preparations.
I have been incredibly lucky in my journey because I had a strong support system available to me as soon as my plane touched down, so it's been easy for me to adapt, regardless of what I knew and didn't know before landing. But some of our fellow aspiring PRs won't necessarily have that same fortune, so I thought it would be nice if we could provide this advice to them, as a community.
The obvious pieces of advice most aspiring PRs hear are things like:
- It gets cold in the Winter (from about mid-November to mid-April, or something like that) so prepare for that (although I haven't found it to be NEARLY as cold as people were telling me, but maybe I've just been very lucky)
- Be patient with your job search and don't get disheartened, and NETWORK because that's the best way to open up opportunities (Full disclosure: I start my new job on Monday , applied to it through a LinkedIn job ad a friend sent me, and I actually got the offer within only 3 weeks of landing, so networking isn't the ONLY way. BUT that's only because the skill-set they were looking for (and that I had) is not typical for my profession, and I started interviewing for the job (via phone and Skype) a month before I actually landed, from my home country. I still highly recommend networking (AND LINKEDIN!)
I'll be happy to start!
A few things I wasn't so aware of when I got here (and that affected me (or my other immigrant friends) much more than the cold
):- The air is DRY (at least in the winter, in Toronto) - I come from a tropical country (although I lived in the Northeastern US for 5 years) and this one hit me hard. You HAVE to wear lotion (face and body), and lip balm will be your best friend. Apparently nose-bleeds are common for new arrivals who aren't used to the dry air in the first few weeks (a pharmacist recommended we NOT use saline solution, and told us to rub Vaseline in our noses instead). And you probably need to drink a lot more water than you may be used to.
- The pace of life here (in Toronto at least) is faster than in many countries - I've always been a 'fast' mover, so this wasn't as much of a problem for me, but I have some friends who moved here at the same time as I did (and again, we're from a tropical country - so very laid-back culture), and it's been affecting them (it even came up in one of their job interviews after they did a walking tour with the interviewer). People here move (fairly) quickly, and if you're used to taking your time or moving more slowly, it might lead to you annoying people (e.g. while you're walking on the sidewalk and slowing down others) or you being viewed as 'lacking a sense of urgency' (which would be problematic in a professional setting). My sister and I took one of those same friends grocery shopping with us, and she nearly 'died' because we 'were going so fast'
- You won't be able to apply for OHIP right away (most likely) - if you're living in Ontario as a PR, you are entitled to be enrolled in the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (which does not cover prescription drugs, vision or dental by the way). You have to physically be in Ontario for 3 months before you're enrolled, but you will have that option available to you. However, one of the required documents you will need to register is proof of physical residency in Ontario. There are specific documents that meet this requirement (Google it) but most of them are not going to be immediately available to most people when they first arrive - the majority will take at least a month to obtain. So plan ahead - I arranged for my chequing account to send me mailed monthly statements instead of the now-standard e-statement, so I could use this as my option but even that will take a month to be mailed to you. Other options include things like an ORIGINAL rental agreement, or the mailed welcome package for your renter's insurance (won't be available until you get a lease); original, mailed utility bills with your name and address on them (again would take a month at least, even if you set up the service the day you land); Ontario driver's licence or photo card (4-6 weeks), etc. AND, IN THAT SAME VEIN, YOU ALSO MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER INDIVIDUAL HEALTH INSURANCE, AT LEAST UNTIL YOUR PROVINCIAL INSURANCE AND/OR EMPLOYER'S INSURANCE KICKS IN FOR YOU.
- You may need to consider how you're going to handle the lack of a Canadian credit history when you first get here, if you plan to rent, take out a mortgage or any loan, or anything like that - this fortunately didn't mess me up as much as it could have because I have family in Canada with excellent credit scores who were willing to co-sign with me (and I also have a strong US Credit history, which apparently a lot of persons here are willing to consider!). If you're doing anything that requires someone to assess your likelihood of 'reliably making future payments' (e.g. taking out a loan, purchasing a piece of furniture on credit, RENTING AN APARTMENT), it is highly likely that the other party (banker, store rep, landlord, etc.) is going to want a credit score from you. It takes anywhere from 6 - 18 months for you to develop a credit history in Canada. Many of us won't be able to wait this long. It may mean you won't have as many options available to you initially. If you have family or friends willing to co-sign with you, ask them for help. AND MAKE SURE YOU GET A CREDIT CARD AS SOON AS YOU GET HERE (AND USE IT FREQUENTLY AND RESPONSIBLY) SO YOU CAN START BUILDING YOUR CREDIT HISTORY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
- On that note, arrange to get cheques from your bank as soon as you can - even if you open a chequing account when you first arrive, these no longer automatically come with cheques (apparently). But, there may be instances where you will need cheques (e.g. many landlords require you to give them 10 post-dated cheques, for your rent, once your rental lease starts). You likely will also need to give your employer a voided cheque to facilitate direct deposit of your salary when you start working (although many banks will give you a fake 'voided' cheque when you first open your accounts to present in cases like these). In summary though, cheques may be useful. When I tried to order my cheques, I was notified that I had to wait another few weeks before I could, since my account was new which would have been problematic given the start date on my apartment lease, but I called the bank's Contact Centre directly and they happily waived that requirement and ordered my cheques for me right then and there. They arrived in a week and cost me CAD$54. Tell your bank not to include your address on your cheques (just your name and phone number) since you may change addresses soon after.
- If you're going to use Realtors to find somewhere to live, I would recommend you start with just one - I approached my apartment search by just going online and contacting persons for listings I liked, but this resulted in me working with 4 different Realtors. Many Realtors don't like when you do this (in fact, some of them will refuse to work with you if they find out other Realtors are involved). Setting aside how the Realtors feel about it though, working with multiple Realtors can make things a bit complicated - for example, it makes viewings more difficult to organize because you have to be coordinating times and schedules with multiple people. I also found that all the Realtors I worked with, for the most part, had access to all the listings in which I was interested, even if they didn't present them to me initially, so if you work with one Realtor, but then see a listing online that you like but that they didn't give you, you may be able to advise them of it, and they can work with the 'listing Realtor' (whatever the terminology is) to get you access to it. Keep in mind that, if you're renting at least, you won't pay your Realtor(s) anything - the fees are handled by the landlord/leasing agency.
- 'Requiring Deposits' and 'Banning of Pets' is illegal in Ontario for Rental Accommodations - landlords can only ask you for first and last month's rent in Ontario. They shouldn't (and are not legally allowed to) ask you for Deposits. They also can't ban pets. They can choose not to lease to you if they find out you have pets and plan to bring them but, once you sign your lease, they can't evict you for having a pet. If you see clauses about either of these things in your lease, they're null and void.
- No one should be asking you for money if they're 'helping you find a job' - Agencies and the like who ask you for money in your job search (whether that's money to search for jobs for you, place you in a job, even to do things such as review your resume and coach you in interviewing, etc.) are not legitimate and you should run like hell if you encounter situations like this. Employment placement agencies get their money from the employers, not the job seekers, so if someone if asking you to pony up funds to help you find a job, it's probably a scam.
That's my list so far, and I'll add any others I think of, as I think of them.
What about you, other Landed PRs? Any advice for our aspiring peers?
Last edited: