alphasekhon said:
I just received my visa a few days ago in Sept and was planning to buy tickets for mid October so i could have ample time to find a suitable accommodation and get a few other basic things like setting up my bank accounts,getting driving license.... etc. and get used to the environment because i don't want to bother myself with these things during my course but my visa consultants have strictly advised me not to book a ticket any sooner than late November because they told me border security officers at POE might think its too early for Jan intake and I might be denied entry but i know some students who moved to Canada even 3-4 months before commencement of their courses....I am very very confused.....what should i do???.....should i wait till late november??....please help
Regards
alpha
Your agent is somewhat true. The POE officer will definitely ask you why you're trying to enter Canada so early when your school starts in Jan, 2017. Your answers (the ones you mentioned) may/ may not satisfy him. But it's unlikely that he will deny your entry.
A month or so before your school begins is usually good enough for int'l students. I don't know where you're coming from and where you're going to, bit I will try to brief little on general grounds:
Accommodation: Student housing where 3 - 6 students share a house isn't hard to find. Students don't impose many conditions except 1) distance to school 2) rent. A week or two should be enough to find such accommodation.
Banking: Takes a day to set up a new account.
Driving License: If you need driving lessons, it's better to come early, I agree on that. Also, you don't want to go for your road test in winter time. Do you plan to buy a car and drive to school? Insurance itself for a new+young driver would be pretty high, let alone parking fees, gas, maintenance etc. on top of it. In GTA, you're looking at $300+ for insurance only.
Weather: Sep-Oct is fall weather although we're still having a summer-alike weather in southern Ontario. The cold weather starts in Nov. Dec-Mar, you can call the winter season among which Jan-Feb is the worst. Yes, it's better to come in fall if you're attending school from winter term. But if you're not from a similar country like Canada, you won't cope to this extreme weather just by coming 2-3 months early. Believe me, it will take few years to adjust. But again, young blood adopt fast.
FYI, I came to Canada on Jan 3 and my classes began on Jan 7. I didn't have much trouble other than weather although I'm not recommending this.
