SlowlybtSurely:
OP, thanks alot for creating this thread. Very informative. I'm also awaiting my PR visa.

Looks like most of you are in Alberta. Anyone in Ottawa or Montreal? I'm looking for a city with low standard of living but with a good University where I can obtain a 2-year Nursing degree (after first degree) and has high employment rate for people in the finance sector as hubby will be ACCA certified by the time we will be moving.

Also which province has very subsidised day cares cos we have a toddler.

Which province can I get student loan without having to live there for a long time? I want to start school immediately after landing so I would have to do the processing from Naija. Is this possible?

Is it feasible for one person to work and keep the family afloat while the other goes to school (full time)? Keep in mind that we have two kids with only one being of school age.

Is anyone amongst you doing this Nursing-after-first-degree program or know someone who is? I've some very pressing questions I would love answered.

Justwise please, let's limit this thread to life in Canada for immigrants. Any questions or enquiries not in-line with the subject should be hidden.

maternal:

Hello,

I am new to nairaland. A friend advised me to look for chat rooms as regards migrating to Canada. So I got my ITA after a year n 1 month . My profile expired and I had to create a new one n 2 weeks later here we are.

I have a few questions

1. I have a mortgage facility running with my bank...will that affect my financial status.
2. I am selling a piece of land to get my POF. What supporting documents do I need to submit.
3. At what point do I need to do my medicals?


Thank you


I can’t answer everything, just the things I’m sure about, as it’s been a while.

# Was first in Ontario now Alberta. With Alberta having oil I found there were more jobs, and Alberta has one of the lowest taxes in the country. Sales tax is only 5 percent.

# Live in a middle-class neighborhood. I have no complaints. Choosing a neighborhood depends on you personally, nobody can answer that. Mortgage plans depends on your credit score, the down payment you’ve made, etc. Again this is something personal that nobody can answer.

#It’s not hard to settle in a civilized/developed country. All schools are decent really.

#You can combine work and taking care of the kids, but it’ll be hard and you may not see the kids as much. Welcome to North America.

# Other than the cold which you’ll become climatize, there’s no real culture shock. Everyone from around the world lives here, and western culture is popular and not as foreign as other cultures. Plus you have enough Nigerians here to feel comfortable if you start feeling homesick.

# Just buy warm clothes. As for the cold weather, you have heaters literally everywhere you go. Plus we get a good 6 months of warm weather, so it’s not cold 12 months out of the year like stereotyped.

# A naija dish can go for 10-12 dollars a plate. Jelloff, stew, goat meat, and a can of coke for example.

#You can start any business you want as long as you follow rules/regulations

# How much someone can survive on depends on that family. Again, this is a personal question.

Calgary is a good, clean, and progressive city. I find Alberta to be more progressive than other provinces. Choosing Calgary was a wise choice in my opinion. What made you pick Calgary ? Welcome to Calgary.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpnO1HOmtfE


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9Fhp-XJ6xo&t=9s

ssemire:
Hello and greetings from Alberta Canada.
For oil jobs, your destination should be Fort McMurray which is a town, compared to Calgary.
Living in FortMc is relatively more expensive due to the fact that the wage is usually higher than the average. This because the oil sands is located in FortMc.

It is a lot easier and cheaper to cook at home as u can be sure that the time you get home is pretty predictable.

I landed at Calgary intl airport and i didn't take too long at the immigration desk.

You might have a difficult time spending money here initially because you will be converting to naira. Just breathe.

Don't be afraid to do any form of legal job for starters. It might not be at par with your naija level, but trust me anything to get your canadian experience. Please volunteer if you have to as it also counts as part of your experience.

Make use of YMCA or any other immigrant settling/serving org.

Whew..........i think i've tried. You might not get an immediate answer from me if you have other questions. But if i am able, i will drop further comments.

SlowlybtSurely:
OP, thanks alot for creating this thread. Very informative. I'm also awaiting my PR visa.

Looks like most of you are in Alberta. Anyone in Ottawa or Montreal? I'm looking for a city with low standard of living but with a good University where I can obtain a 2-year Nursing degree (after first degree) and has high employment rate for people in the finance sector as hubby will be ACCA certified by the time we will be moving.

Also which province has very subsidised day cares cos we have a toddler.

Which province can I get student loan without having to live there for a long time? I want to start school immediately after landing so I would have to do the processing from Naija. Is this possible?

Is it feasible for one person to work and keep the family afloat while the other goes to school (full time)? Keep in mind that we have two kids with only one being of school age.

Is anyone amongst you doing this Nursing-after-first-degree program or know someone who is? I've some very pressing questions I would love answered.

Justwise please, let's limit this thread to life in Canada for immigrants. Any questions or enquiries not in-line with the subject should be hidden.

oohunt:


Hello, now I know you are a fellow woman.

I am in the same dilemma. One child of school age and the other a toddler. Hoping to get more advice here.

olandofire:
Thank you for this post. I think I will start considering Alberta now. My PR application was approved 5 days ago. Please do you have any advice as to which province a young medical doctor should settle in? I have had no clinical experience but I have a masters degree in Physiology. I am interested in Research and Academics and hope to get a masters in public health or biotechnology

vcole:
Thanks for opening this thread. Thanks to shinarambo and others for valuable info.

I got my PR this month and intend to land in April. I'm currently trying to weigh my options between Calgary and Winnipeg. Its getting quite confusing by the day and would appreciate any input as to the pros and cons of both areas.

My earlier research had shown Winnipeg to have lower cost of living......however, searching for apartments recently have shown Calgary with pretty affordable rent, about the same price and in a few instances lower than Winnipeg.
I also have a toddler. Thus far I have found Preschool in Winnipeg to be about $400-500/month. Its usually 3 hrs a day about 3 days/week but a few preschools run 8-4 Monday-Friday. Child care could be as low as $600 or as high as $1500. However, the waiting list could be quite long.
I had earlier applied for a MSc prog at university of Alberta but I may not be able to go to school this fall anymore. However, lots of schools offer funding for research progs, I don't know about Nursing degrees.

Does anyone know of short stay apartments I could get for about a week or two to stay on arrival? Most places on kijiji are either a years' lease or month to month.

shinarambo1:

Your question on studying in canada would be best answered here.

I dont visit Nigerian restaurant..i havent seem one in Saskatchewan or Alberta. I am sure there are lots in Ontario. You can always get nigerian food easily anyway from African or east indian shops.

shinarambo1:

for short stay. Try airbnb.
Winnipeg and calgary are both good cities. It all depends on where you think jobs in your career field are easily available.

Alot of people move between the two cities. A church member just left with his family to resume for a goverment job at winnipeg after living in calgary for over 10 years working in a private firm. He lost his in calgary after the economic downturn and could get another one for more than a year.

My wife's friend and his family also moved to edmonton from winnipeg last month. You would also find people moving to calgary for employment especially when the economy becomes strong again. House rental cost in calgary became lower since the economy wahala. i heard some landlords even give incentives like one month free if one signs a year contract. Winnipeg usually has lower rental cost if Calgary wasnt affected by the oil glut.

Since you have a family too. You would also want to take your wife's career path into consideration. Your kid(s) have no problem. They will fit in anywhere.

SlowlybtSurely:
Vcole; good to have you here.

Will you be doing a shortlanding?

How much for the preschools that run 8-4 mondays-Fridaysmondays-Fridays?

I've also noticed Calgary seems to affordable.

vcole:
No. I'll most likely be staying for the better part of this year. I'll come back after about 4-6 months if I am unable to get a good support system (expecting my mom to come help out by late summer/fall while my husband comes back to Nigeria for a bit). However, if I do get a job, I will stay. I am just not sure of what kinda jobs are open to me.
I found a preschool for 8-4 at $420/month.

SlowlybtSurely:


@Bolded; I'm wondering too.

$420/month is good. I'm sure it's subsidized by government abi? With long queue.

vcole:
Well, I hear the waiting list isn't quite as long for preschoolers as it is for daycare. The province sets the daily fee and currently its at $20.80/day. I guess for some other centres, dependent on the additional services available, it may go higher.

vcole:
Thanks for opening this thread. Thanks to shinarambo and others for valuable info.

I got my PR this month and intend to land in April. I'm currently trying to weigh my options between Calgary and Winnipeg. Its getting quite confusing by the day and would appreciate any input as to the pros and cons of both areas.

My earlier research had shown Winnipeg to have lower cost of living......however, searching for apartments recently have shown Calgary with pretty affordable rent, about the same price and in a few instances lower than Winnipeg.
I also have a toddler. Thus far I have found Preschool in Winnipeg to be about $400-500/month. Its usually 3 hrs a day about 3 days/week but a few preschools run 8-4 Monday-Friday. Child care could be as low as $600 or as high as $1500. However, the waiting list could be quite long.
I had earlier applied for a MSc prog at university of Alberta but I may not be able to go to school this fall anymore. However, lots of schools offer funding for research progs, I don't know about Nursing degrees.

Does anyone know of short stay apartments I could get for about a week or two to stay on arrival? Most places on kijiji are either a years' lease or month to month.

Afam4eva:

How is a place like Saskatoon compared to Ontario and Alberta. I'm asking because i've noticed that a lot of immigrants prefer to go to the Totonto or Vancouver area for some reason. I understand that these are some of the biggest cities but is the life that different economically and weather wise. Whenever i think of Saskatchewan, i think of incomparable cold.

Btw, i'm considering a masters at Uni Sask.

oohunt:


Glad to have you hear @vcole! Wow! You have found schools already! I love your drive o!

I honestly do not like the sound of the 3-hours for 3-days in a week preschool. My toddler is already used to 7:30am-4pm schedule. Plus, I won't be able to achieve much in the short time: can't go to work & I have not researched schools yet to know what it will be like.

I am an IT professional. I am either going to continue my business online or get some degree/diploma. I have an IT Masters degree from the UK and I wonder if that would fetch me employment in Canada.

vcole:
Thanks for replying. I am female though lol!
Well, I am not exactly taking my career field into consideration at this particular time because i'm a doctor and licensing would take me a while seeing as I haven't written any of the exams and don't intend to do so this year. So, we are pretty much looking for a place where our cost of living will be "affordable" as my husband would most likely shuttle between Nigeria and Canada in the initial phase.

SlowlybtSurely:
OP, thanks alot for creating this thread. Very informative. I'm also awaiting my PR visa.

Looks like most of you are in Alberta. Anyone in Ottawa or Montreal? I'm looking for a city with low standard of living but with a good University where I can obtain a 2-year Nursing degree (after first degree) and has high employment rate for people in the finance sector as hubby will be ACCA certified by the time we will be moving.

Also which province has very subsidised day cares cos we have a toddler.

Which province can I get student loan without having to live there for a long time? I want to start school immediately after landing so I would have to do the processing from Naija. Is this possible?

Is it feasible for one person to work and keep the family afloat while the other goes to school (full time)? Keep in mind that we have two kids with only one being of school age.

Is anyone amongst you doing this Nursing-after-first-degree program or know someone who is? I've some very pressing questions I would love answered.

Justwise please, let's limit this thread to life in Canada for immigrants. Any questions or enquiries not in-line with the subject should be hidden.

oohunt:


Glad to have you here @vcole! Wow! You have found schools already! I love your drive o!

I honestly do not like the sound of the 3-hours for 3-days in a week preschool. My toddler is already used to 7:30am-4pm schedule. Plus, I won't be able to achieve much in the short time: can't go to work & I have not researched schools yet to know what it will be like.

I am an IT professional. I am either going to continue my business online or get some degree/diploma. I have an IT Masters degree from the UK and I wonder if that would fetch me employment in Canada.

shinarambo1:

My son attends a 3hrs pre school for 5 days a week. its not convenient, but that is all my wife could find in our area in calgary. We wanted morning, but we were even lucky to get an afternoon slot.

If you have experience in your field of IT, your UK masters would be a plus as experience+certifications matters more than the academic certificates in a non-regulated profession.

oohunt:
Thank you for your response @maternal.

We chose Calgary because my husband is in the oil and gas sector. I know a lot of jobs have been lost worldwide due to the oil price. But I believe it will pick up in years to come.

Thanks, you have really put my mind at rest. I was dreading the COLD!

I am also looking forward to continuing my business there. I have a toddler and I know it would be difficult to get a full time job and afford a minder for her. I also do not want to be idle. I won't worry much about those technicalities now.

The first video is very very inspiring. This is a society that is truly concerned about its citizens.

lagosrd:


How much do you think one needs for a family of 4 if am going on education visa and what consultant I mean travelling are reliable do you know

shinarambo1:
Lovely Calgary.. Moved out when I lost my jobcos of thr oil wahala...I now work in Regina. Family still lives in Calgary though. I might be moving them to Sask soon as no one really knows for how long this oil glut would continue.

sundaydammy:


YES I USED AN AGENT
I HE FUND MY ACCOUNT WITH 5M BUT THE EMPLOYMENT LETTER AND LETTER OF INTRODUCTION HE GAVE ME
THANKS

GboyegaD:


I guess I am the only one who doesn't like Calgary. Perhaps, my mindset is the issue cos I never liked the city immediately I stepped out of its airport and till date I still feel that way.

Ekpekus:

Calgary is not bad though expensive.. Which area you dey dia?