Prior Arrival to Canada

[tauro]

Hi All
Thanks for your time for reading me
I will be in Canada in the 1st of May 2008.
Can you please tell me what most important and basic things I should be prepared for, before my arrival to Canada which can help me for the initial settlement without wasting time and money,
Your help will really avoid me later saying "Oh My God"

Please help me.

thanks

[oddball]

Do you have a place to stay(live)? A job of work ? A friend or two ? What province and city/town ? All these things , plus more , will be relevant to the answers to your questions . Canada is a very large country , over 3,000 miles sea to sea , with many variables . Colin

[tauro]

Thanks for the reply.
I plan to settle for the time being (a year or two) in Edmonton or Calgary.
I know many of my friends have gone but no contact so far.
I have not started hunting for jobs in my IT Profession, which i thought will do after landing.
my wife (staff nurse) also in the same mind.
Is it difficult to get jobs in edmonton.
I want to know
1. what is the procedure for renting a 2 br apts and the rents.
2. whether i need to have a temp medical insurance get done before going
(medical is very expensive it seems without insurance)
3. in edmonton, how long it takes to get registered for medical insurance
4. in edmonton how much time it takes to get the initial PR Card
5. What is the best place to live in edmonton for a new comer considering shopping,schools,church,public transport etc.

I have choosen to go first to edmonton, can you tell me what are the advantages in settling there over toronto.

i do not know what things i must carry ( i am a family of 4 members(2+2)
I know, I need to carry money cad 20,000 min
i heard that initial settlement period will be like getting down to hell, is it true.

thanks for your reply

[Bevdeforges]

Another bit of information that would help in advising you is where are you coming from, and what is your visa situation for Canada?

Your medical insurance will start after you start working - but you probably want some sort of travel or expat policy to tide you over until you start working and the national health insurance kicks in.

The initial settling in period can be heaven or hell - it depends on your resources and your attitude. Job hunting is a stressful experience, particularly when you're a foreigner because it will be up to you to prove yourself to a potential employer. In the meantime, you're also trying to set up housekeeping and probably looking for an apartment at the same time, without a local credit history to fall back on.

Be prepared to have to explain your CV in Canadian terms (your education, especially) - which means you need to understand a bit about how the Canadian educational system works, at least at the university level. Your wife should try to find the Canadian equivalents for her nursing training and experience and explain her background in those terms.
Cheers,
Bev

[tauro]

Thanks for your valuable info.
I am an indian at the moment working in dubai.
i have canadian immigrants visa, which can enable me to settle there permanently, if all go fine.

[Barry C.]

Hi Tauro
The downside of Edmonton is that it is in a boom at this time. It is not far from the oil sands projects and everyone is looking for workers. That has driven wages up but also housing and rentals. "Expensive". A coffee shop employee in Toronto makes nine to ten dollars an hour while one in Edmonton makes twenty. Toronto has a large Indian community, but Edmonton probably does also. Another drawback of Edmonton is the cold. Coming from Dubai will be a real shocker. Fill your bathtub full of ice cubes and lay in it for an evening. That is what it feels like on a WARM winter day in Edmonton. No kidding, but Toronto is fairly cold also. Good luck.
Barry