Tips and Suggestions for New Comers to Canada

Having just recently completed my one year being in Canada, I thought I'd recap what my experience has been for all those who have recently made the move, or are planning on moving to Canada in the very near future. Hopefully these would provide some insight into what a new comer to Canada needs to be aware of.

Bring more money:

This cannot be overstated. Whatever approximations you might read on any government website, always assume you'd need more. Though you can get by having the numbers stated, you'll barely be making ends meet. Everything is significantly more expensive here and if some mishap happens, say bye to your initial savings much sooner than you'd expect! I personally recommend people to bring in at least $25,000 for one person and having $7,000 per extra person.

Rent - Varies from $600 for a single room to $1,500 basement with prices being even higher, the closer you are to a location hot spot. If you have friends or family members, crash at their place (bring food though) till you figure out what options you have, if not, just Airbnb and then eventually move out after finding a place on Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace.

Food - Avoid getting into the habit of ordering via Uber Eats - it's super convenient and they constantly bombard you with amazing discounts -_-, but the cost adds up really quickly and cooking your own food is significantly cheaper! I've become a decent cook as a side effect and my wallet thanks me for it.

Do not stick within your cultural hub

This one was big! I have come across numerous people from the subcontinent who have been living here for over 15 years, yet their English language skills are very poor. Not surprisingly, they are usually doing entry level/low paying jobs. One of the biggest reasons for this is they don't integrate with the locals and stick to their own cultural background when it comes to interacting with people.

I purposefully interacted with people not from my locality to ensure I wasn't stuck in this loop and it helped me tremendously. I was exposed to new ideas/opportunities and friendships I would otherwise not have made if I'd stuck to hanging out with people from back home. Not saying you should shun them, but know the purpose of moving to Canada is to interact with people from all sorts of backgrounds, belief systems and ideologies. You need to have a good mix if you want to actually enjoy living here. Once that is done, branch out as you see fit. But hey, you do you!

Do not underestimate the weather

Canada can get cold. Like really really cold. Imagine the coldest winter night in your home country, then multiply that intensity by 10. That is how cold it can get. I went out for a few minutes this morning and could not feel the side of my face and had to come back in. Though everyone assures me you get used to it in a few years, those years cannot come soon enough. Cold weather also negatively impacts your mental state, making you more lethargic, sluggish and overall makes doing what needs to be done, even harder than it is.

Although everyone recommended I don't buy clothes from back home, good quality winter clothes here are pretty expensive and I've been able to easily get by using the couple of $6 dollar jackets I was able to get from back home (they are REALLY thick!). So buy smart and save money! Things you would need to buy here include winter boots, socks, and general face/neck coverings which you can all get for ~$100 from Walmart. Invest in warm clothes because when winter comes, it becomes unbearable. Also, get a decent heater. I got mine from Walmart for $35 and was the best investment for those really cold mornings.

Spending money on irrelevant things

This somewhat ties to my first point, but once here, be careful what course/certification someone says you NEED to get asap. Bridging courses are fine, but if you're tight on money avoid them till you get a sense of the local scene. Just doing an internship won't automatically get you a paying job (I've spoken to numerous people who spent months doing just that, yet are still unemployed and struggling to make ends meet, some have even had to go back because they just ran out of money! I would instead focus on networking with working individuals and trying to build that network as quickly as possible.

Keep a finance tracker, you can use any app, or use a gsheet using pivot tables to categorize expenses like I do, but keep a track of where the money is going and how long it will last. You can easily burn through a few grand within a month if you're not careful!

Be wary of sketchy job posts

When first applying for jobs, most new comers focus on just applying on jobs posted on the two most popular job sites (LinkedIn and Indeed). Though I suppose this isn't the case since COVID, a lot of job postings might seem like one thing, but turn out to be nothing more than an MLM scheme. They'd promise you quick riches if you invest in the right amount of time and money. Do not fall for fancy titles/designations and actually inquire about what it is you'd be expected to do and make up your own mind. Basic principal is, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

You should instead be focusing on building your network. There are other places where jobs are posted (do a google search) and apply to those sites as well. It also doesn't hurt to sign up with the more popular recruitment agencies and maintain a relationship there but nothing beats becoming friends with someone who is local and can easily give you good advice, saving you hours of missed opportunities and money.

Try not to become resentful and learn to let go of your old life/accomplishments

Both before and after making the move, I interacted with people from all sorts of backgrounds. One theme which was persistent in people who were at high level positions at their original country was that they held a subtle grudge for not being offered the same position here. I've spoken to numerous people that held really high paying jobs in their home country and being pretty pissed that their talents were unappreciated in Canada.

I get that that can be frustrating, especially since so many others do end up getting jobs, but just in case you are on the receiving end of the short straw, don't become resentful. Learn to manage your expectations quickly. Being resentful only further reinforces the connotation that you're skills aren’t appreciated and I've spoken with highly qualified individuals who have been struggling here. It's fine if you have to work a few levels lower than you're accustomed to while you build up your local cred and before long you should be seeing things get better for you.

If not, like the snake that eats its own tail, you'll find yourself out of a job for much longer and just make things worse for yourself. So stay positive.

Hopefully these suggestions help you, wherever you are in your personal and professional journey. These are my own personal opinions and by no mean an iron clad ruling, so feel free to disagree.