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I'm a British citizen currently living/working in South America, and I have plans to move to Toronto in late 2015. I will, of course, check out all the paperwork and other legal issues. I'm an IT engineer (focused on multimedia and video games) and would love to work in Toronto or anywhere in that area. Maybe learn french and later move to Quebec.
But first, I would like to know any personal tips or recommendations you have about this transition. Maybe on finding a room to rent and job hunting within Canada (if I don't get one before moving). How long in advance should I start looking for these things? Any recs on cheap areas that aren't in the middle of nowhere? Oh and did you have to validate your degree or was it not worth the trouble? As a bonus, which would be the best time to travel there?
If you want to tell your personal story of how you (or someone you know) got to Canada then it would be amazing to read, since drawing lessons from other people's personal experiences is always a good starting point.
I moved to Toronto 6/7 years ago in early May and it is a good timing as you don't get shocked by the endless snow which make your lonely initial days even more miserable.
Of course it will be ideal if you can arrange a job before arriving but that's not always possible. I used workapolis.ca to find jobs and landed one two months later.
I was renting a room in a house for $450 a month at the Yonge/Eglinton area midtown. Rent is not that crazy high in Toronto in general. You can have a one bedroom flat for $1200 in a very nice area, or $1500 downtown. Of course further away it is cheaper, but remember public transit in Toronto is pretty bad (esp in European standards) so it is better to rent near the subway lines (there are pretty much 2 lines here). Areas along the Yonge line is more expensive and you could try the University-Spadina branch, which can bring you downtown quickly as well. Or somewhere along the Bloor-Danforth line outside the core but not too far from it but it will require a transfer to get downtown.
I don't think you need to validate your UK degree. Chances are that they won't even look at it (they didn't check mine at all).
Source: born and raised (since 1975). Yes, this winter was unspeakably horrible. But most winters are pretty decent. Snow isn't like traffic in this city, which is by far the most (a) consistent and (b) problematic.
Source: born and raised (since 1975). Yes, this winter was unspeakably horrible. But most winters are pretty decent. Snow isn't like traffic in this city, which is by far the most (a) consistent and (b) problematic.
maybe because you are Canadian and are used to the snow.
For someone who is not from Canada, 4 or 5 snow storms in a winter, that's quite snowy (hardly "decent"). If the ground is covered with snow for a good 4 months, I call that endless snow. If it snows in Nov/March, that's very bad, but that's normal in Toronto. Winter 2009/2010, with only 52cm of snow (compared with 121cm average), is what I call "decent". Last year was simply atrocious.
You should remember most people don't see much snow in their lives. The city I came from normally has half the snow Vancouver normally receives (with similar winter temperature and much warmer summers).
Over the last few years the U.S Eastern Seaboard has probably fared much worse than Toronto for snow storms, but yeah moving to Toronto is not moving to Hawaii - we do get a few snowstorms in a winter season by and large and you'll get used to it!
Moving to Canada and complaining about the snow is like moving to Kuwait and complaining about the heat.
there is nothing wrong with disliking the snow, most people don't. People move here for other reasons, despite the snow.
Most Canadians I know don't like the snow and would prefer less snow if that's an option.
No matter how you put it, the snow causes more trouble than whatever benefit you claim. Accidents, traffic, cost of removal, fast aging infrastructure, loss of business. In the big picture, having a lot of a snow is definitely a negative for any city. But I am not saying the snow will make a city unlivable, but definitely less livable than without.
I'm in Colombia, if you want to move here I would highly recommend Medellin, it's better off in terms of transport, culture and technology.
On another note, is it possible to just go to Canada and apply for a residence card or is it better to do that from here? With my UK passport I can be there for 6 months (without work though)
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