Rs85 said:
1. Getting started.
2. A place to live.
3. Cost of living.
4. Salary scales.
5. Weather.
6. Finding a work.
7. Hardships to overcome.
8. Scope in Canada.
9. General benefits.
10. Minimum wage rate.
11. The environment.
12. Years to settle.
Thanks for sharing!!!
Here are some of my thoughts based on my experience.
It will take a minimum of 6 months before you settle down in Canada. You may start enjoying it well before then, but it will take that long to get your daily routine going. There are some significant up-front costs that you have to be prepared for, as there are in any country you would move to.
Finding a place to live will not be difficult, and you can start your search in advance of arriving using websites like mls.ca and kijiji.ca. The cost of living will vary based upon what your requirements are and where in Canada you want to live, and I think detailed examples have been provided by other members in the past.
No matter how prepared you are for it, the first winter will be rough. But, it's important to make the most of it, and I encourage you to get out and enjoy all of the winter activities. The summers are beautiful and make enduring winter worthwhile.
Finding employment has always been difficult for new immigrants, and is even more so in this challenging economic environment. You can start looking for jobs using search engines such as indeed.com, but your search will really begin in earnest when you land. I would advise leveraging your network of relationships as much as possible as this has proven to be more effective than relying on Internet job postings and/or headhunters. Salaries and wages vary based upon where in the country you are and what type of profession you are in. There is plenty of room for professional growth in Canada, and from my perspective, the professional experience is the best of my life so far.
Other hardships may entail getting accustomed to the public transportation (which is severely overburdened in metropolitan areas), getting used to the elevated taxes and trying to find reasonably priced places to get your basic services (laundry, groceries, etc.).
As for the environment, I'm not sure what you mean. I live in Toronto and while it's one of the greenest major metropolitan areas in North America, the environment largely consists of buildings, highways and lots and lots of traffic!
If you come in with an open mind, you will soon see that Canada is rich with diversity and multi-culturalism and the people are some of the nicest in the world. From the day you arrive, you are made to feel like you belong and that Canada is your home. That to me is priceless.
Good luck!
