To New Immigrants-What to do After Landing

July 21, 2010

Before we came to Canada I researched on the internet about what we would be doing soon after landing. Here are some of the things a new immigrant should do

First of all, some of the important things:

• If you don’t have somewhere already, find a place to live! In our case, I have my sister Bambi who generously opened her home to us;
• You should apply for your Social Insurance Number as soon as possible. The legalities of asking for the SIN seem to be a grey area, but banks will demand your SIN to open a bank account.
• You will also need a Medicare card to take advantage of the Canadian health care system.Be sure you have proof of address in Canada like a bank statement before applying for this card
• Open a bank account. This is the most important thing since if you dont open an account you will have a hard time getting credit. You can also try getting a line of credit, to start a Canadian credit history which is needed if you apply for home mortgage; In our case we have stumbled into a miracle, we got a good housing agent who was able to get a mortgage for us even though we didnt have a credit history in Canada.
• Get a driver’s licence. 
• Look for your childrens school;If you enroll your children in a catholic school you will have to attend an orientation and your children will be asked to attend an English as a Second language course;
• And some more other things:

• Take some time to settle in and enjoy your new environment. Don’t jump straight into work, unless you really can’t afford not to.
• Explore whatever city you are in, get to know the public transportation system and start learning your way around. 
• Do some sight-seeing, and some of the touristy things. You will probably have family and friends visiting at some point, so it’s good to know where to take them.Specially know where to get free tourist attractions visits.

Some people have reported PIDS (Post-Immigration Depression Syndrome), but we can’t say we ever felt that. I expect if you’re emigrating on your own , it could be a bit depressing. My family and my sisters family are like having a reunion of sorts thats why my kids are enjoying our new life in Canada. 

Canadian Life

July 16, 2010

We have been in Canada for almost two months now, so far we have completed almost everything we need to do:

1) Apply for our SIN(Security Information Number)

2) Look for housing and be approved for mortgage, we are moving to our new home by first week of AUgust

3) Find a school for our two boys

We are still on vacation mode(since I am not working) but hubby will be travelling to Asia by next week for his work and on August 9, we will be going to Quebec with him for a work assignment.