Well I've been lurking on this forum for so long I thought it was only fair to share my experiences of settling into Canada.
I applied for PR in 2007 as a Skilled Worker. I got it in 2011 and came to Canada to sort out my Landing that year. As anybody who's applied and had to wait years for their application to slowly chug through the system knows, when you do get it you're not necessarily ready to emigrate when you finally get the green light. I wasn't. I'd just started a great new job and I really wasn't sure if I was still the same adventurous person who'd applied four years before. But I'd spent a lot of money so I figured I'd do my landing and see how it went.
By 2013, I'd been in my job for two years and was ready to move on. I figured if I was moving on why not go ahead and move countries.
People emigrate for all kinds of reasons. I grew up in England but after spending a year in Canada as part of a ‘career break’ in 2006 I decided it was a country I’d like to try living in permanently.
Which brings us to the present day. On August 13 2013 I landed at Pearson airport with one suitcase, a laptop and a lot of excitement.
Since I’ve lived here before it was easy to get the shuttle bus to Kipling and then take the subway to Ossington where I’d sublet a room from a guy via Craigslist. He’d left the key for me and the house was clean and well kept so it was easy to settle in.
My housemates were rarely in (busy with work) but the weather was gorgeous so I went out and did some sightseeing and met new people via meetup.ca. I also joined the YMCA gym as it offers resources for newcomers in addition to all the gym stuff.
I already had my SIN card so on day 2 I went downtown to open a chequing account. I use HSBC at home so I (foolishly) assumed HSBC Canada would be as supportive. It’s not. I had to make an appointment for the following week in order to open a chequing account (which I’ve since learned is not usual for banks here). When I went to the appointment I was told I wouldn’t be given a cheque book as I had to work and improve my credit rating first (CIBC and Presidential Choice don’t do this), that I couldn’t apply for a credit card (even though it helps to establish a credit history), that if I needed a cheque I’d have to drop into the branch to get one and pay $7 a time.
I was annoyed but I thought I had no choice but to accept it.
The following week I started hunting for a permanent place to stay. If you see the words: ‘cozy’ or ‘ideal for a student or newcomer’ in an ad, assume it’s not somewhere you want to live. Even if you can pay a large deposit renters are very wary of anyone who doesn’t have a job or a reference from a Canadian landlord. I saw some great places, a lot of terrible places, rooming houses masquerading as regular houses and some ‘you must be kidding’ places. All the best places had scores of people waiting to see them and (like a job interview) it was a case of ‘we’ll call you, don’t call us’.
In the end I found my apartment while chatting to a lovely barista in a coffee shop. She was moving out of her place and offered to let me see it. I don’t love basement apartments because I’m a sun-seeker, plus this place was unfurnished, but it was clean, secure, below the market rate and close to a subway station. She called her landlord and vouched for my good character and I got it.
A few days later I signed the lease and was supposed to do a bank transfer that night for the first and last month’s rent. But it turns out HSBC online banking doesn’t do bank transfers, or eTransfers (which are common here). They only offer wire transfers, the same thing you’d use to transfer money from one country to another. And it costs $40 per transfer. So the next day, when I should have been waiting for the delivery of my bed, I had to race down to the branch, take the money out in cash and arrange for the landlord to come pick it up. I missed the bed delivery guys and had to pay extra for them to redeliver.
I was furious. Such an old-fashioned way for a bank to behave.
That afternoon I found a President’s Choice kiosk (they have them in select No Frills and Loblaws) and opened a chequing account with them. It was so easy, basically walk up, show them your passport and PR card and done! You get points in those supermarkets whenever you use your card and there are other handy joining perks. The great thing is there are no fees (I pay HSBC $4 a month for my account and can only make 10 card transactions after which I get charged each time. Their chequing books are also $35 a pop). With PC you get your cheque book free, unlimited transactions and a credit card if you want one. CIBC also seems to have the same deal.
Next up was furniture. After browsing the second-hand shops and finding them pricey, and being totally terrified by urban legends concerning Toronto’s bed bugs problem, I decided to go to Ikea for the big stuff. There’s a store near Leslie subway, you just exit the station and catch the free shuttle bus to the store. I got a couch and a desk chair. The coffeeshop girl had left me a desk. I got kitchen appliances, plates, lamps etc from Walmarts near Dufferin and little bits from Dollarama. The TO locals are also very good at leaving stuff they don’t need on their doorsteps. I got a fan and table this way.
For my phone I got my iPhone unlocked by my home provider (which they did for free) and went to Fido for a SIM card and plan. For $40 (not inc tax) a month I get 200mb of internet, 200 calling mins (plus unlimited calls after 5pm and on weekends) unlimited texting and free voicemail.
Finally there was my health card. It takes 3 months from application for you to be covered by the provincial health system. The queues are long so get there early.
So I’m pretty much sorted. The weather has been lovely, the people have been friendly and it's bean a really good start to this phase of my life. Now for the job hunt!
I applied for PR in 2007 as a Skilled Worker. I got it in 2011 and came to Canada to sort out my Landing that year. As anybody who's applied and had to wait years for their application to slowly chug through the system knows, when you do get it you're not necessarily ready to emigrate when you finally get the green light. I wasn't. I'd just started a great new job and I really wasn't sure if I was still the same adventurous person who'd applied four years before. But I'd spent a lot of money so I figured I'd do my landing and see how it went.
By 2013, I'd been in my job for two years and was ready to move on. I figured if I was moving on why not go ahead and move countries.
People emigrate for all kinds of reasons. I grew up in England but after spending a year in Canada as part of a ‘career break’ in 2006 I decided it was a country I’d like to try living in permanently.
Which brings us to the present day. On August 13 2013 I landed at Pearson airport with one suitcase, a laptop and a lot of excitement.
Since I’ve lived here before it was easy to get the shuttle bus to Kipling and then take the subway to Ossington where I’d sublet a room from a guy via Craigslist. He’d left the key for me and the house was clean and well kept so it was easy to settle in.
My housemates were rarely in (busy with work) but the weather was gorgeous so I went out and did some sightseeing and met new people via meetup.ca. I also joined the YMCA gym as it offers resources for newcomers in addition to all the gym stuff.
I already had my SIN card so on day 2 I went downtown to open a chequing account. I use HSBC at home so I (foolishly) assumed HSBC Canada would be as supportive. It’s not. I had to make an appointment for the following week in order to open a chequing account (which I’ve since learned is not usual for banks here). When I went to the appointment I was told I wouldn’t be given a cheque book as I had to work and improve my credit rating first (CIBC and Presidential Choice don’t do this), that I couldn’t apply for a credit card (even though it helps to establish a credit history), that if I needed a cheque I’d have to drop into the branch to get one and pay $7 a time.
I was annoyed but I thought I had no choice but to accept it.
The following week I started hunting for a permanent place to stay. If you see the words: ‘cozy’ or ‘ideal for a student or newcomer’ in an ad, assume it’s not somewhere you want to live. Even if you can pay a large deposit renters are very wary of anyone who doesn’t have a job or a reference from a Canadian landlord. I saw some great places, a lot of terrible places, rooming houses masquerading as regular houses and some ‘you must be kidding’ places. All the best places had scores of people waiting to see them and (like a job interview) it was a case of ‘we’ll call you, don’t call us’.
In the end I found my apartment while chatting to a lovely barista in a coffee shop. She was moving out of her place and offered to let me see it. I don’t love basement apartments because I’m a sun-seeker, plus this place was unfurnished, but it was clean, secure, below the market rate and close to a subway station. She called her landlord and vouched for my good character and I got it.
A few days later I signed the lease and was supposed to do a bank transfer that night for the first and last month’s rent. But it turns out HSBC online banking doesn’t do bank transfers, or eTransfers (which are common here). They only offer wire transfers, the same thing you’d use to transfer money from one country to another. And it costs $40 per transfer. So the next day, when I should have been waiting for the delivery of my bed, I had to race down to the branch, take the money out in cash and arrange for the landlord to come pick it up. I missed the bed delivery guys and had to pay extra for them to redeliver.
I was furious. Such an old-fashioned way for a bank to behave.
That afternoon I found a President’s Choice kiosk (they have them in select No Frills and Loblaws) and opened a chequing account with them. It was so easy, basically walk up, show them your passport and PR card and done! You get points in those supermarkets whenever you use your card and there are other handy joining perks. The great thing is there are no fees (I pay HSBC $4 a month for my account and can only make 10 card transactions after which I get charged each time. Their chequing books are also $35 a pop). With PC you get your cheque book free, unlimited transactions and a credit card if you want one. CIBC also seems to have the same deal.
Next up was furniture. After browsing the second-hand shops and finding them pricey, and being totally terrified by urban legends concerning Toronto’s bed bugs problem, I decided to go to Ikea for the big stuff. There’s a store near Leslie subway, you just exit the station and catch the free shuttle bus to the store. I got a couch and a desk chair. The coffeeshop girl had left me a desk. I got kitchen appliances, plates, lamps etc from Walmarts near Dufferin and little bits from Dollarama. The TO locals are also very good at leaving stuff they don’t need on their doorsteps. I got a fan and table this way.
For my phone I got my iPhone unlocked by my home provider (which they did for free) and went to Fido for a SIM card and plan. For $40 (not inc tax) a month I get 200mb of internet, 200 calling mins (plus unlimited calls after 5pm and on weekends) unlimited texting and free voicemail.
Finally there was my health card. It takes 3 months from application for you to be covered by the provincial health system. The queues are long so get there early.
So I’m pretty much sorted. The weather has been lovely, the people have been friendly and it's bean a really good start to this phase of my life. Now for the job hunt!
. Nor do I go to the branch in the old fashion way (especially if I am not in Canada). Just a phone call to my relationship manager, then he will do the rest.
