Moving to Canada
So you have decided to move to Canada, and will soon board the plane that will take you to the country where ice hockey is the number one sport. Do you have an idea of what is waiting for you there, except maybe a tough winter at some point? Do you know what you need to do once the plane lands in Toronto or Montréal? For the next few weeks, I will write about things you, as a new immigrant, should know or do. Before writing anything, I would like to point out that I am by no means an expert in Canadian immigration and I am not forcing anyone to follow my suggestions. Everything I’ll write here is based on my own experience. Anybody who disagree with my suggestions is welcome to send his or her comments.
Now that we have set the records straight, let’s begin with what I personally think is very important. Prior to landing in Canada, you will be given a Custom form to fill. I would strongly suggest you answer all the questions honestly. If you don’t and are later found to have a product that is not allowed in Canada, you will be fined and your passport will be stamped. It’s not rocket science to guess that your suitcases will be thoroughly checked each time you return from a foreign trip.
Once the plane lands in Canada, you will go through security, and then to the immigration counter. There you will be asked to show your immigration documents and may be asked a few questions as well. The immigration agent will then stamp your immigrant visa. Always keep this document in a safe place. You will definitely need it when you apply for your citizenship test a few years down the road. After you leave the immigration counter, you can go pickup your suitcases. One of the airport baggage handler may offer you his or her service. It’s up to you to accept it or not, but keep in mind this is not a free service. It can even be a relatively expensive service. If you decide not to use the service of a baggage handler, you can use a suitcase cart, provided you have the exact change. If you don’t, you can always use one of the change machines where you can insert say a $5 bill and get 5 one dollar coins in return. At this point, two things can happen. Depending on what the security agent wrote on your custom form (which you filled in the plane), your suitcases will either be checked or not. If not, you can head straight to the exit. If you are being met at the airport by relatives, they will take care of getting you to their place. If you are staying at hotel, you can take a taxi. In any case, I can guarantee you will not have any problem falling asleep that night.
The next day a new chapter of your life begins. Your next move is to open a bank account. You can open either a saving account or a chequing account (equivalent to the current account in Mauritius). Nothing prevents you from opening both a saving and a chequing account. However, if you are planning to open only one account, make it a chequing account for there will be many situations where you will be required to use a cheque. While you are at the bank, ask if you can apply for a secured credit card because not every bank offer this type of credit card. If the bank does not, the bank employee will be able to tell you where you can apply for that type of credit card. A secured credit card is the easiest way to obtain a credit card, especially if you are new in Canada. Typically, the bank will freeze a portion of your bank account as collateral. After you have used your secured credit card and make regular payments on time for a few months, you can cancel it and apply for a regular credit card.
You may be asking yourself why you should apply for a secured credit card. First of all, credit cards are a very important method of payments in Canada. For example, it is almost impossible to rent a car if you don’t have a credit card. When you apply for a credit card (or a loan), the bank will check with various credit bureaus to see if you have a good credit rating. It will not find any record of you at these institutions, which is normal since you are still new in Canada, and therefore reject your application. By now, you should have a feeling that this is a chicken-and-egg dilemma. You need a good credit rating to be able to successfully apply for a credit card, but you also need to make credit transactions to have a record at the credit bureaus. This is where the secured credit card comes to the rescue.
After you have setup a bank account and apply for a secured credit card, you should apply for your Social Insurance Number (SIN) card. You cannot work in Canada if you don’t have this card. You will have to visit a Human Resources and Social Development Canada office to submit your application. It will take about 4 weeks to receive the SIN card in the mail. In the meantime, I would suggest you buy a map of your area (available in any convenience store) as well as a map of the bus routes (if you don’t plan to buy a car immediately after your arrival). They will serve you well when the time to apply for jobs and attend interviews comes. Trust me on this one.
In the above paragraphs, I talk about a few things you, as a new immigrant, should know or do, but have not necessarily thought about until now. There are multiple reasons why I think the things mentioned above are important. For one, if you are coming to Canada accompanied with your wife and children, you may want to leave the airport as soon as possible. Knowing what you need to do and in what order at the airport can save you some time. Secondly, if you are coming with limited budget (mainly because of the highly depreciated rupee against the Canadian dollar) you may want to save some money by not using the service of a baggage handler or not paying a fine (by filling your Custom form honestly).