Hi
As a new immigrant I would like to share some things which you would want to know when moving to Canada.
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As a new immigrant to Canada, I have gone through the whole process and I understand that it can be very stressful when moving to a different country. There are a lot of questions which needs to be considered and I have tried to answer some of the questions which I had and which most people have. These are purely based on my experience as a new resident and it may vary to some extent with different people depending on their financial circumstances and expectations.
Best time of the year to relocate/move to Canada
Trust me this is a very important question as the normal rules don't apply when it comes to Canadian weather specially winters. In winters you would just want to stay at home as it would be freezing outside and as a new resident you have a lot to do.
So the ideal time I would have to say would be Summers but late spring or early winter would also do. The best would be between April - October. This is a great time because the days are longer and warmer and it is easier to move around and take the bus or TTC while you get your documents done or give interviews for a new job or go hunting for a place to live.
Documentation to be done as soon as you land in Canada
There are a lot of documentation which needs to be done when you move to Canada as an immigrant like your Health Card, SIN number, Bank Accounts etc
SIN (Social Insurance Number): This is the first thing you should get done. If you get an early flight into Canada, then you can get it done at the airport. You will get a paper with your details and you should guard it with your life as it is your first identity as a new Canadian resident. It is advised not to share it with anyone unless necessary like employers, bankers etc. You can check for additional details and places you can apply here
Health Card : This is 2nd most important document for you. It depends on the province you want to live in. For some provinces, you are immediately covered when you enter Canada while for some like Ontario your coverage starts 3 months after you have landed in Canada. For more details visit the Service Canada site here
Driver's License: It depends on when you want to get this done. My advise is to get started when you have time and before winter would be best. Even though the public transport is great here but it takes a lot of time and also sometimes the waiting time between connections could be long.
If you are a license holder in your home country, then I would advise you to get a summary for your license.You can find information on Driver's license here
Jobs
First you should evaluate what industry you are working in and the job grade you are at. Do your research and go thru the Job Descriptions for similar jobs. Create a brilliant LinkedIn profile or update it if you have one already to reflect your achievements in your career. Create profiles on job portals which are prominent in Canada. It would not harm to contact recruitment consultants related to your industry. It is ideal to start the interview process before you land or at least have some lined up to get started immediately.
Some great websites your Job Search which definitely helped me are:
LinkedIn
Workopolis
Indeed
Monster
Housing
This is a tricky one because it is more of a personal choice and the size of the family but here's what we did. You have to consider things like location, proximity to school/colleges, transit system etc.
When we initially landed we stayed at our aunt's place and started looking at basement apartments as they cost lesser (between CAD 700-1000) as compared to a regular apartment. Since it was just the two of us so basement apartment was a good idea. Also since none of us had any jobs at that time so we were essentially using our savings. Once we got a job we moved to an apartment. A good 2 bedroom apartment in central Mississauga where I live is (between CAD 1200- 2000 ) depending on how old or new the building/apartment is. You can rent or lease houses as well.
Some great resources are:
Kijiji
Remax
Century 21
Another advise would be live in an area which is more central to the city as it is more alive with things happening as when you are new to a place you might get depressed in a slow moving area. Again just my personal opinion. You should stay where you feel most comfortable.
Lastly something I am asked a lot "Is it a good idea?"
Well it depends. If you are very happy in your current life situation and your financial circumstances, then you might want to look at the pros and cons. Pros being great schools, infrastructure, less pollution, less population , definitely better standard of living. Cons and please understand I come from India where we had household help so the biggest con is that you have to do all the household work yourself. If you have a lot of money then ofcourse you can go ahead and hire people to do that as well.
Thank you so much for your time and patience.
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
canadadiaries.com/home/2016/3/23/things-to-remember-when-immigrating-to-canada
Thanks
