Well Lord has a different story for everyone!
I found that starting life in Canada is no different than when I started my life as an independent person back home approx. 15 years ago. The only thing that frighten most people is leaving their comfort zone and going to uncertainty from certain and stable patterns and taking risks.
Getting Canadian certification and Canadian experience are just an entry barriers which we always advocate if someone else would enter in our home country job market. Getting job depends on many factors e.g. one's attitude, one's positivism, one's past experiences, job needs, one's availability, one's adaptability, one confidence on oneself, one's readiness to accept all tasks, one's responses to job requirements and people around one and one's approach-ability.
Bankers/Insurance brokers/Housing finances/medical practitioners/Educationist/Realtors/marketers etc. imply same techniques and strategies as we have faced in past outside of Canada, after all they are humans and lives in the same world and environment where everybody wants to have more than the most.
For accommodation, for 1st 10 days, I rented a 2 + 1 Bedroom hotel apartment from Booking.com, since my financials do not allow me to continue for longer, I was looking for something where I could take my family with school going children. I met one guy (from my home country) who knows me from past, he offered me his 2 Bed + 1 Bath basement for very reasonable rental amount. I am living in his basement for past 7 months and I have not a single complain from him (I hope he also doesn't have any from me & my family). I am really indebted to him and his family because at that time I had no job, no credit history, no reference, minimum funds, and not even Driving License.
I would say I was extra lucky to have Lord's blessing as my transition (still in process) is smooth, my first in-person interview with Recruiter from Robert Half was on the 2nd day of my landing and I got offer from my 2nd in person interview at a very large MNC (Recruiter was Randstad). I work in same profession but 1 step below from my last employment.
Immediately after passing G1 Driving License (Passing theory tests) I applied for G (Full no-restriction license) and passed the road test in first attempt after approx. 4-5 hours of training from professional trainer. Next thing I did is buying a 2nd hand minivan as for public transport I am habitual to the huge number of public buses, numerous and complex routes and their minute by minute arrival frequency while here you have to walk at least 15-30 minutes to change from one route bus to another and usually next bus come after 30-45 minutes. During my interviews phase I had to be on first bus stop at least 90-120 minutes before my interview time which I later found that is actually 15-20 minutes drive away and usually I had to take minimum of two buses or one bus and one train.
Apart from above tangible things in life, I would say one should also think, plan and focus on intangibles as well like spouse, children, parents and siblings. Life would become hell if they are not like minded or doesn't understand and support on one's biggest/riskiest move. One's productivity will be negative because of continuous nagging. One's confidence would be in drain, one's approach-ability diminishes, one's responses to given tasks ridicule the objectives, etc. if intangibles are ignored. Unfortunately, people absorb and react on negative information much faster while information on positive and long-term sustainability takes longer and is slowly digested. Therefore, enlighten, elaborate, discuss and get agreement on changes in one's budget, standard of living, shopping habits, cultural differences, clocked movement and punctuality, let going of many luxuries and conveniences (one take for granted) in home country.
Thus one should look into total picture with frame and estimate the true cost of one's decision,
otherwise one will fall like house of cards.
Being happy is more important than being anything and anywhere.
Sorry if I sound bit philosophical.
