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Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant Part 2 / Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant / Living In Australia/life As An Australian Immigrant (2) (3) (4)
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Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by Nobody: 5:23pm On May 18, 2017 |
I love this I wiil share oneday 2 Likes |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by 40manlappy: 12:21pm On May 20, 2017 |
Ontario Funding Social Housing Repairs and Retrofits in Torontohttps://news.ontario.ca/mho/en/2017/05/ontario-funding-social-housing-repairs-and-retrofits-in-toronto.html cc: SlowlybtSurely 3 Likes |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by amokemi(m): 5:41pm On May 20, 2017 |
Please who is in Winnipeg? What are the costs of living like in the city ? What are the job prospects like? Which industry is the most active in terms of jobs? Kindly assist with these information and more on Winnipeg. Thank you. |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by salford: 7:11pm On May 20, 2017 |
amokemi:I do not currently live there, but cost of living is definitly cheaper..most likely one of the cheapest popular cities to live in. Job prospect would depend on the industry you are looking at. e.g you would hardly find investment banking jobs or say very high level technology in a place like Winnipeg, but you would find the regular healthcare, IT and /accounting/finance, agriculture, sales e.t.c all popular. Some of these jobs are even more well paying than in bigger cities. You can google to find more info specific to your career of choice. 13 Likes 3 Shares |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by yungreezy: 8:29am On May 21, 2017 |
oohunt: Please can any of the experienced people in the house answer this? In my case I have a first degree in IT but no working experience in IT, I have work experience in banking. Would a diploma course in IT get me back on track and possibly get me a job? Advice is needed on this path 1 Like |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by vcole: 5:37pm On May 21, 2017 |
Hello everyone. I landed last month in Calgary. Its been a struggle trying to post because I've been quite busy but i'll try to share my experience thus far. I have a toddler and I am currently pregnant so we decided not to take a direct flight from Nigeria. We flew medview to London and spent a couple of days there then flew air canada to Calgary. Medview........let's just say that would be the first and last time we would fly them. They were totally disorganized at the Lagos airport in terms of checking in passengers and there was so much uproar which ended up in the flight being delayed by over an hour. However, the aircraft we used was quite large and the leg room in economy was quite spacious and they made up for all the drama with the food which was quite savoury especially if you have a taste for Nigerian cuisine....they had fried and jollof rice (fried rice wasn't great at all, jollof was nice), pounded yam and egusi, amala and ewedu. The pilot more than made up for the delayed departure by landing us in Gatwick only 5 mins later than schedule. Down sides - no in flight entertainment. Air Canada was good. Aircraft was lovely, in flight entertainment, cabin crew and meals were lovely as well. They are also kid friendly and leg room was good. Flight was smooth until landing which became quite turbulent due to the weather. Flight duration was 8.5 hrs. At YYC, it took about 20-30 mins to get from the aircraft, go through immigration and pick up our baggage. Then we headed to the department that handles landing and had to wait for about 2hrs before it got to our turn. We landed on a Sunday so I don't know if that was the reason for the long wait. However, I realized that if one of us went to that department and took a number while the other picked up the bags, it would have accelerated things a bit as that was what some people did. Landing took about 5-10 mins. We had booked a hotel nearby to stay for the first night and they sent us a pick up at the airport. We had found an apartment 2 months earlier on rentfaster.ca and a friend had helped view it and pay a deposit on our behalf and we were to sign the lease which was to start the day after our arrival. We had intended to rent a car the next day, go to meet with the landlord at our apartment, inspect and sign the lease then go get a few necessities since the apartment was unfurnished. However, come morning we realized that we couldn't rent a car because we required a credit card which we did not have. Let's just say things started getting a bit frustrating from that point on..........mostly because moving around is expensive by uber or cabs and although where we live has a good transit system, moving around with a toddler and a bump ism't exactly a glass of wine but oh well, so far so good. Lesson to be learnt - land with a functional credit card and plan to rent a car or buy one as soon as you can especially if you have a family. Then proceed to commence the process for obtaining a drivers license for the province in which you reside. As regards documentation, we got everything done in the first week...health cards, social insurance numbers, etc. It isn't a complicated process at all. My impression of Canada (through the eyes of Calgary) thus far........Its a diverse community and most people are pleasant. They make eye contact with you and converse easily. No one has a problem understanding you if you speak proper English with your Nigerian accent. Everyone we have met or spoken to on the phone always always ask you how to correctly pronounce your name and usually get it on the first or second try. Calgary seems lovely to me, the kind of place I would like to raise my kids in. A few things I have learnt thus far......mobile data plans zap at the speed of light here. Getting a home internet is a huge help in that regard. The weather is actually good this time of year. Child care is expensive so for families with preschoolers, factor that in as a top priority. 138 Likes 28 Shares |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by veleta: 5:43pm On May 21, 2017 |
@ Vcole, thanks a million for the heads up. Wishing you all the best as you guys settle down. 3 Likes |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by salford: 6:14pm On May 21, 2017 |
vcole:Good advise, but If one has never driven in US/Canada, then great care should be taken while driving. It takes months to acclimatize to the driving conditions in a big city like Calgary. The merging lane rules, yield on solid green, driving through CT rail tracks, the right of way rules within subdivisions, one way rules e.t.c could be very confusing and lead to some serious accidents. You can also pick up a drivers handout from any registry for free. You would learn alot from it even before going for the knowledge and road test to obtain your operator's license ![]() if you are going to stay within Calgary, freedom mobile/wind would be the cheapest option, but the network roams when you leave big cities. Welcome to Calgary Vcole. 42 Likes 5 Shares |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by salford: 6:43pm On May 21, 2017 |
yungreezy:Yes. it would get you back on track. I worked in a bank for years in the UK, but the amount being offered was very low compared to my previous earnings back in the UK so i returned to my first love i.e Engineering. I had to go back to school though as my engineering degree from Nigeria was hardly recognized. I met a naija bros in University too back then. The bros had lots of SAP professional certificates from nigeria. He has a PMP too, but still returned to school to upgrade. Some very few are lucky though by getting jobs at their level of expertise without upgrading at a college or uni... 9 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by salford: 7:02pm On May 21, 2017 |
egariyi:Accomodation cost would vary accross cities within a province. E.g a condo you might rent for $1200 a month in calgary might go for $950 in lethbridge and $1000 in Saskatoon. I believe the bigger a city is, then the higher the cost of living would be. The best place to research accomodation cost for a particular city or town within a particular province would be on Kijiji. SlowlybtSurely:I would keep them coming soon. 8 Likes |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by amokemi(m): 9:53pm On May 21, 2017 |
salford: Thank you Salford. I appreciate 6 Likes |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by amokemi(m): 9:54pm On May 21, 2017 |
Thank you for sharing your experience Vcole. Best wishes for you and your family as you settle in. Please as much as you are chanced, kindly give us updates on your settling in and we hope to learn a few things from you. God's Blessings. 7 Likes |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by freeradical(m): 10:00pm On May 21, 2017 |
This thread is surely a blessing and as a potential PR I'm sure to follow. 4 Likes |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by nadina: 10:20pm On May 21, 2017 |
Good day everyone. I guess my own landing eexperience in Calgary is similar to that of Vcole. I was 33 weeks pregnant and flew KLM to Calgary. I travelled with my husband and two active toddlers. The immigration / clearing process was stress free and we were cleared in about 30 minutes. My husband's friend picked us from the airport and drove us to the furnished apartment we booked . I had sent money to a friend to help me pay a deposit for a two bedroom apartment close to downtown. The next day we went to Harry's Hay building, registered and got our social insurance number, and also registered for health care and got the health care number. The card was mailed to us few days later. I was able to seek medical care with the health care number and i delivered at foothills hospital few weeks Later. I enjoyed the top-notch services I received. The people in Calgary are warm, polite and nice. Gestures such as opening the door for someone, smiling , eye contact are very common. I love the City and I'm happy I made the decision to relocate at this point in time. There are lots of programs the government put in place to help new immigrants especially women settle. The office administration/ HR program @CIWA for HR professionals, also CCIS offer various programs to assist new immigrants integrate in the Canadian society, YWCA, etc. I had to write the Canadian language benchmark exam to apply for the office administration program. The exam is easy though. Getting the Alberta's driver's license was a challenge. But thank God i passed the knowledge test in one sitting . I took brush up driving lessons for two days and took the class 5 road test. I failed twice..lol. I finally passed on my third attempt. I was very ecstactic. I read the handbook like Cambridge text book..lol. Driving in Calgary is very different in comparison to driving in Nigeria. I had to unlearn my Nigeria driving skills and re- learn a saner way to drive. Lol. I'm still searching for a good Christian day home for my 2years old. I hope to find soon though. 90 Likes 15 Shares |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by jesusbaby01: 3:46am On May 22, 2017 |
@Vcole i'm in calgary too o... To buttress vcole's point, i also landed in calgary via Lufthansa-air Canada, did all landing ish at Toronto, entered calgary 3am the following day, the first thing that hit me was the cold OMG it was crazy and i witnessed snow in April. i also got an apartment through rentfaster, a friend helped with deposit and i signed the lease after landing. Moved in a week after, my apartment was furnished so i just moved all my stuffs in. been here 2 months nothing to complain about and my friend made settling in easy for e. Calgary's transit system is a life saver cos i can move without worries.but then i don't want to rely on the transit system by winter. Getting a job is kinda dicey without the canadian experience but people do get jobs so don't let thtat deter you. but i love the system shaa 35 Likes 4 Shares |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by Ekpekus(m): 4:43am On May 22, 2017 |
vcole:Welcome to Calgary... 9 Likes |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by Ekpekus(m): 4:46am On May 22, 2017 |
salford:Good advice on driving. But freedom/wind is wack.. go for chatr or kodo. Fido is also good 5 Likes 2 Shares |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by Ekpekus(m): 5:28am On May 22, 2017 |
One of the first things recommended in terms of employment is VOLUNTEERING. This can actually be the gateway to networking with the right set of people and even getting employed. Another thing is, As much as possible hang out with positive minded people cos negative minded people will so discourage you that you will almost regret coming to Canada. Manage your credit very well cos this might hunt you in the future if ruined. This is a credit society but wisdom is needed. Calgary peeps you can holla 24 Likes 3 Shares |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by Nobody: 5:36am On May 22, 2017 |
jesusbaby01: What is the cost of rent in Calgary? |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by Ekpekus(m): 6:41am On May 22, 2017 |
WellEndowed:It depends on variety of factors? How many bedrooms, number of washroom, area of the city, condo, basement or townhouse, furnished or not furnished? Utilities included or not? Like earlier said kijiji dot ca will give you clues. Also rentfaster dot ca is another good site 8 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by salford: 2:34pm On May 22, 2017 |
On my last trip to Estevan, Saskatchewan. Estevan is a vet small city..circa 10,000 people. It is well known as one of the last major city one encounters before entering the US via saskatchewan. I think the US border is about 50km drive away from Estevan and Minot in North Dakota is about 2hrs away. Estevan is known for its Oil industry (Balkan Oil fields) and wheat/canola Farms. Alot of the residents are rich. Royalties from oil and large scale farming. I think about 12 out of the 18 doctors in this small city are Nigerians. I also witnessed the dirt race with a colleague last time i was here. Its basically a sport where rich kids from Saskatchewan and North Dakota put some very loud modefied engines v6, v8 or v12 engines in cars they built themselves. Hence they have different categories of dirt race. The under 10's are not left out too. Their parents build similar smaller cars fitted with lawn mower engines. Some pics from the dirt race. 21 Likes 2 Shares
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Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by salford: 2:41pm On May 22, 2017 |
The winner of the highest category being interviewed. He is donating is cash reward of $50k to the local hospital. 6 Likes 2 Shares
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Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by salford: 4:30pm On May 22, 2017 |
I would upload more pics when i reach my destination. currently driving from Calgary to Regina. 12 Likes |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by Ekpekus(m): 6:37pm On May 22, 2017 |
salford:Safe journey sir... Hope to meet you soon on your return.. Enjoy Regina ![]() |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by Nievel: 7:57pm On May 22, 2017 |
Wow nice contributions from you all. Thank you. I am seriously considering choosing Calgary but people are discouraging us because of the oil sutuation, they claim there are no jobs and a lot of people are even moving to other provinces. What do you guys think please? |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by vcole: 10:18pm On May 22, 2017 |
Thanks y'all. - 1 Like |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by yungreezy: 11:41pm On May 22, 2017 |
salford: Thanks for the response. It's quite encouraging. I'm already looking at a pgd in IT/Information systems business analysis. How well does it thrive in Canada? In terms of job prospects |
Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by salford: 12:07am On May 23, 2017 |
Set out from Calgary around 9am after topping up at the local gas station. ...the Journey from Calgary to Regina is about 720km and takes just over 7hrs to drive if one drives the speed limit. Gas cost about $1 per litre... 14 Likes 2 Shares
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Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by salford: 12:15am On May 23, 2017 |
yungreezy:IT is very good. Aslong as you keep updating yourself. Nievel:Calgary, the heartbeat of the West. The jobs are not as much as it used to be. Ekpekus:Hopefully bro. 4 Likes 2 Shares |
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