Author Topic: Canada: Where to immigrate to?  (Read 5309 times)

urover

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Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« on: July 20, 2015, 02:31:35 AM »
Dear forum members,

We will be moving to Canada (from India) sometime in January next year as permanent residents. We are not sure yet about where to land.

I've been reading up on Canadian cities with good jobs (I'm in IT) and have found Toronto to have the maximum number of vacancies for IT, followed by Calgary.  However, the idea of a crowded city (Toronto) doesn't excite me much, so I wanted to know first hand from you guys what other cities you'd suggest. If Toronto it has to be, then please share your experiences of living in the city and help me choose a good neighborhood. I'm excited about Calgary because of it's moderate weather, lesser crowd and density, and again a lot of vacancies. But reading up on the WWW isn't the same as living there, which is where you guys come in. Please pour in your advise!

Btw, my wife also works (in Biotechnology), but she'd have to re-certify to be able to start working, so the priority right now is to find myself a job first and then support her search and certification.

Your help is much appreciated!

Rightflyer

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #1 on: July 20, 2015, 05:30:13 AM »
Hi vsanjay,

You could try either side of Toronto (as in East and West).

East of TO - Ottawa is no longer Silicon Valley North but there are some new growth stories there (Shopify for one)

West of TO - Waterloo is a hi-tech centre.

Both are cheaper than Toronto and a little quieter.

Welcome et Bienvenue au Canada.

plainjane

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #2 on: July 20, 2015, 06:50:59 AM »
I've been reading up on Canadian cities with good jobs (I'm in IT) and have found Toronto to have the maximum number of vacancies for IT, followed by Calgary.  However, the idea of a crowded city (Toronto) doesn't excite me much, so I wanted to know first hand from you guys what other cities you'd suggest. If Toronto it has to be, then please share your experiences of living in the city and help me choose a good neighborhood. I'm excited about Calgary because of it's moderate weather, lesser crowd and density, and again a lot of vacancies. But reading up on the WWW isn't the same as living there, which is where you guys come in. Please pour in your advise!

Personally, I'd be wary about Calgary right now.  It's still a single industry market.  Also, I don't know if I agree with you about moderate weather.  I've visited there when it was -40C and when it was +30C.  If you want moderate, you should be looking in BC.

For Toronto, it depends on what you mean by crowded.  I was just in NYC, and Toronto has nothing on that. I would expect there are a lot of jobs in the suburbs (Mississauga, Brampton, Markham, Halton) which are much more spread out - there are a number of bigger offices out there taking advantage of lower real estate prices.  Hamilton was starting to look interesting too, but I'm not sure if it got enough traction to survive a slowdown.

The Fake Cheap

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #3 on: July 20, 2015, 08:27:07 PM »
There was a similar thread starting by someone else moving to Canada and getting everyone's opinion on a place to settle.   Here you go:

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/oh-canada/

This is recent from the last month or two.  Hope it helps! 
« Last Edit: July 20, 2015, 08:30:30 PM by The Fake Cheap »

MMMaybe

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #4 on: July 20, 2015, 08:30:42 PM »
I think you need to focus on getting jobs first. Canada is notorious for putting up the "Canadian Experience Required" barrier to new entrants to the market. Get some very real and unvarnished opinions first about how easy it will be to obtain work and how long your job search might take.

urover

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #5 on: July 25, 2015, 05:12:22 AM »
Thanks guys. The other thread has a lot of useful information.

Andrea_R

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #6 on: July 27, 2015, 03:05:53 AM »
Go for Toronto!

urover

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #7 on: July 27, 2015, 03:15:21 AM »
Yes, it looks like that's where we're headed. Again, a lot of confusion persists on trying to choose a neighborhood. Mississauga and Brampton are a couple of areas that are highly recommended, but again, sitting here so far from Canada, I cannot say for sure which location to choose for optimum job opportunities, walkable amenities, and ease of commute via public transit.

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #8 on: July 27, 2015, 04:38:52 AM »
Moderate weather in Calgary??? Wait till winter arrives, you will change your statement.

plainjane

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #9 on: July 27, 2015, 04:39:44 AM »
Yes, it looks like that's where we're headed. Again, a lot of confusion persists on trying to choose a neighborhood. Mississauga and Brampton are a couple of areas that are highly recommended, but again, sitting here so far from Canada, I cannot say for sure which location to choose for optimum job opportunities, walkable amenities, and ease of commute via public transit.

Your desire for lower density is going to work against your desire for walkable amenities and general ease of commute.  I'd recommend that you not make a final decision on location until you have a job, because ease of commute will be greatly impacted by where you are trying to get to.  Also, that will help you figure out viable price points.

Rightflyer

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #10 on: July 27, 2015, 07:15:45 AM »
Moderate weather in Calgary??? Wait till winter arrives, you will change your statement.

Moderate...no. Highly changeable...yes. (due to the Chinooks)

Reminds one of the story about the bobsledder who got stuck in the mud 6 feet from the finish line.

urover

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #11 on: July 27, 2015, 07:18:03 AM »
Your desire for lower density is going to work against your desire for walkable amenities and general ease of commute.  I'd recommend that you not make a final decision on location until you have a job, because ease of commute will be greatly impacted by where you are trying to get to.  Also, that will help you figure out viable price points.
Agreed! However, where do I stay until I find a job and decide where I want to live? That's the big question. Should I stay somewhere in or around Toronto, find a job, and then move to that "ideal" place?

Rightflyer

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #12 on: July 27, 2015, 07:23:17 AM »
Yes, it looks like that's where we're headed. Again, a lot of confusion persists on trying to choose a neighborhood. Mississauga and Brampton are a couple of areas that are highly recommended, but again, sitting here so far from Canada, I cannot say for sure which location to choose for optimum job opportunities, walkable amenities, and ease of commute via public transit.

vsanjay

Brampton and Mississauga both have large Indian communities if that is important to you. You could look slightly further afield to Georgetown or Milton.

Probably best to get here, rent a house for a year in the 'burbs, get the lay of the land and then look to settle.

Any other questions just let me know.

urover

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #13 on: July 27, 2015, 07:28:16 AM »
Thanks Rightflye!. I also forgot to thank you for the warm welcome :)

I'll research the areas suggested by you. Do you think they're accessible enough to/from Toronto should the need arise (job) ?

@plainjane, thanks for the Calgary warning. I read up after your comment and decided to skip the place for now.


Rightflyer

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #14 on: July 27, 2015, 08:01:12 AM »
No worries. You're welcome.

Georgetown and Milton are "bedroom communities". Thousands commute each day from both into Toronto.

Both are on the GO train lines so you could possibly commute without a car.

I used to work at Pearson Airport (YYZ) and have lived (for a short time) in both places.

Slightly further away is Oakville but you would really need a car to make that commute work.

Silvie

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #15 on: July 27, 2015, 08:19:25 AM »
The real estate is astronomical and I don't know about the demand in your field, but Vancouver is absolutely lovely. I would move there in a hot minute were it not for my husband's career.

Me too! I did an exchange semester in Vancouver and I loved it sooooo much! The weather is moderate and there's everything you need.... mountains, beaches, city life.... I can't wait to visit again!

nobodyspecial

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #16 on: July 27, 2015, 09:15:29 AM »
The real estate is astronomical and I don't know about the demand in your field, but Vancouver is absolutely lovely. I would move there in a hot minute were it not for my husband's career.
The real estate in Toronto is also astronomical -and by no stretch is Toronto absolutely lovely.


sleepyguy

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #17 on: July 27, 2015, 10:48:08 AM »
If you are set on buying a home in Vancouver or Toronto (in the cities) then look forward to paying about $500-800k for a detached bungalow.

Personally I would move out of the Toronto in a second if our careers and family weren't rooted here.

If you managed to land something that allows 100% flexible work, and are set to be close to Toronto.  Some 'affordable' places close by that are nice and family oriented are... west would be Burlington... not as expensive as Oakville but a very nice quiet city.  East would be Pickering (expensive), or further out... Ajax and Whitby... stay away for Oshawa imho... too many bad areas.  We're still talking detached houses over $400k though at least.

urover

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #18 on: July 27, 2015, 11:12:00 AM »
@sleepyguy. We're not looking to buy a home anytime soon. And when we do, we'll be staying miles away from large cities.

nobodyspecial

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #19 on: July 27, 2015, 11:25:16 AM »
You are looking at paying 2-3x that for a detached bungalow within 1hour of vancouver.
Remember outside the big cities there aren't many jobs - except for mining and oil sites.

urover

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #20 on: July 27, 2015, 11:39:24 AM »
^ No, no. Buying a house is not the intent of this thread. The intent is to find a place to immigrate to with job opportunities, amenities, etc.

YK-Phil

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #21 on: July 27, 2015, 11:39:48 AM »
If I were you, I would not limit my job search to big cities, especially in your field, and instead would look at smaller places like on Vancouver Island, or in the North like Yellowknife and Whitehorse, to settle with my family. Especially in the north, there are opportunities that do not exist elsewhere, and the quality of life and the sense of community can be much better for those who can land a good job.

nobodyspecial

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #22 on: July 27, 2015, 12:37:49 PM »
Realistically job opportunities in IT are Toronto / Missagua / Vancouver - unless you have some very specific on-site skill for oil/gas/mining.
Even in the big cities it is surprisingly hard to find a job - especially ironic given how hard it is to hire anybody !
There are a lot of low skill/low experience people in the IT job market, and very few "rockstars" that everyone is chasing.

Settling in; there are big Indian communities in all these cities, this doesn't just mean you can find food/social/religous etc - but also that employers are used to foreign workers. Small town life in Canada can be very good but I don't think it would be easy to find an IT job in one. They are also a lot less cosmopolitan, I don't know how easy it is for a family to integrate if you don't hunt / snowmobile / go to the same church.

The "Canadian experience" can be an issue, less so if you are working for a large corporation with a formal process. But we get 100s of resumes from candidates in India/china with no special skills experience who think we can give them a job and get them visas. You need to make sure you stand out from these.

« Last Edit: August 27, 2015, 06:48:34 AM by nobodyspecial »

urover

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #23 on: August 26, 2015, 09:02:21 PM »
Thanks ykphill and esp. nobodyspecial: Lots of valuable ground-level information there!

ahoy

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #24 on: August 27, 2015, 01:03:47 AM »
We lived in Alberta for approx 8 years (until 2006).   We ended up going back to our home country.   Those winters are VERY tough and long.  This is something you will never get use to.  The weather was about 90% of our decision to leave.

However, in saying this I spent the winter of 2013/14 in The Okanaghan, BC.  BC is fantastic and we do love it.  BC is considered to have way better weather, but lets be honest, its still VERY cold in winter (spring, summer and fall are really lovely there).  At least in  this part of BC they don't get copious amounts of snow.  Then we ended up driving across Canada though Toronto to New Brunswick.  We really enjoyed Montreal and Quebec City. 

Good luck with your decision making!

okonumiyaki

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Re: Canada: Where to immigrate to?
« Reply #25 on: August 27, 2015, 01:41:55 AM »
If (1) you don't mind working in the games industry and (2) are OK learning French then Montreal has number of games studios, with the local govt giving tax breaks.  Housing is a lot cheaper than Toronto as well, both buying and selling.  Note that if you have children, then they have to go to french medium school, unless you pay for private school

(games studios have a mixed reputation as places to work for IT, as they tend to rely on people being passionate, aka working crazy crunches)

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!