Hey guys,
I've been in Canada for a little over 2 months now, i landed at the start of November 2014. It was a long journey, i applied back in 2010 so it took over 4 years but that's not important. The reason i am posting this topic is to give you guys some encouragement and hope. Like all of you that are waiting right now, i didn't know what to expect and browsing forums was my only option. The more i read the more i got discouraged, to the extent that at one point i was seriously contemplating not going at all. I had a good life back home, i had a family business and some good investments so money was not a concern. The only reason for moving was to give my 3 year old son a better life.
Anyway, i kept on reading the usual stuff, it's impossible to get jobs, it's so expensive, you have to get survival jobs etc etc. What i experienced was completely different. Immigration was a breeze, i was out of the airport in 45 mins with my SIN numbers. Everyone was SUPER friendly and helpful, i was pleasantly surprised. I was lucky to go to my uncle's place in Oakville as soon as i landed, so i was home within 90 mins of landing. Oakville is beautiful, it's the best place to live in G.T.A, expensive but totally worth it.
So next day i went and got a phone, then went to open a bank account, everything was so easy and customer service was excellent. I went for my driving test and got the license on the first attempt. Started looking for a car, found a great deal, dealer got my plates, i got the insurance over the phone, everything was done in a day, i couldn't believe how easy it was.
Anyway so once i'd settled down after a couple of days i started applying for jobs. Within a week i had two interviews and two job offers. After weighing both options i decided to go for the one that offered a better career path. I started off as an Assistant Manager with a 40k salary (not great but certainly not bad for a new immigrant).
Because of my work i had to go to Waterloo for a month of training. I looked for a short term rental and found a beautiful furnished apartment on my first visit there. After a month they asked me to stay a bit longer so i had to look for a new place all over again. This time round i found an even better deal, a 3 bedroom furnished house for the same price.
Now i'm two months down in my job and super happy with how everything has worked out. So i thought i'd post here to give people some hope and tell them that it's not all that bad after all. I believe i have been blessed and must have done something right to deserve all of this. I might be in the minority but if you put your mind to it and believe in yourself you can achieve success here.
As far as negatives are concerned, the weather for one takes some getting used to. It's not that bad in Southern Ontario, anything above -10 is bearable. Sometimes it goes under which can get a little scary with windchill but as long as you're dressed correctly it's not an issue. You can go around in a t-shirt at home, they're so well insulated and heated.
Housing is a little expensive but groceries aren't as bad as i thought they would be. I'm paying 1500 all inclusive (cable, internet, utilities) for my place right now and total expense for last month was around $2200, including housing, car insurance, fuel, phone, groceries, occasional eating out, son's small expenses etc.
Anyway, I hope this post helps some of you out, i definitely could have used something like this before i was coming here. All the best for your Canadian adventure!
