# Words of wisdom from a British expat in Canada.



## chrisjones89 (Feb 5, 2013)

My fiancée and I moved from Wigan to Toronto last year with the IEC visa. It was a rough move but I think moving abroad is possibly one of the most stressful things a person can do. 
No matter how much research I did I could not gain enough knowledge to really prepare myself for what was to come. I was concerned with the big things like finding work and an apartment that I over looked the little things that can bite you in the butt! 
Some of you may be lucky enough to have family or friends already here who can help you out, put you up and direct you on what to do. But we started out with nothing and no one and I think we have done well building ourselves a nice little life here. 
So I’ve taken the time to write down about my experience in a hope that anyone who is thinking of or taking their first steps to moving to Canada finds some helpful information to make their experience a little better. 
As the IEC visa only last for 12 months, it was the easiest way to be granted entry and legally work in Canada. It is an ideal way to ground yourself in Canada and set the foundations for a life here. It’s also a great way for someone to get out of the norm for a while and experience living in another country and at the same time gain valuable life lessons. If you are moving to Canada any other way some of these points may not relate to your situation.
1.	Travel light. People assume that because they are moving their life to another country that they need to take everything. Just take what is necessary. Clothes, laptop/ipad and not much else. Through no fault of our own we had to move 5 times in our first 12 months here. We first came with two suitcases but after the first 6 months or so we found it hard to move as they had turned into at least 4 suitcases of stuff each! So the less stuff you have, the better for any future moves.
2.	House shares. This idea never came to me at first, and we got ourselves our own apartment but because only I had a job (at first) it proved far too expensive and we had to downgrade. You can find house shares all over the city of Toronto and in every other city too. It’s a great starting point to save money for your own place and also a great way to meet new people who are like minded. House mates will most likely be new immigrants too so they will be in the same situation and looking for friends and people to explore their new city with.
3.	Only spend what you need. Probably obvious advice but when we first arrived here we had brought more money than we actually needed and ended up spending quite stupidly. I recommend getting yourself set up in a place to live, keep a few months rent to one side in your bank and put the rest in savings. If you don’t have a job lined up for you when you’re here you will need that extra money to live off, if you find a job quick enough or have one already it’s good to have it saved anyway for emergencies. We brought out about $15,000 with us after getting a flat and some exploring we didn’t have much left. Canada is an expensive country and you will need every penny!
4.	Setting yourself up! You’ll need a bank account, obviously. This is so easy! You can open a bank account without even putting money straight into your account and you can leave the bank that same day with your debit/credit card ready to use. I personally bank with Canada trust (Known as TD) I have never had a problem with them and find them so easy to work with. Personally I’ve always avoided using credit cards but for some reason you can only pay certain bills here with credit card, so you’ll need one of them. Take some money to get yourself set up with a Canadian cell phone, you’ll need one as it will cost an arm and a leg to use your old one from home. If you already have an unlocked phone then you’ll just need a SIM card. Pay as you go tariffs are ok but you might spend more than you want using the internet to keep in touch with people from home so get a monthly tariff, Kodoo are a pretty good provider. 
5.	Jobs. If you’re coming to Canada with a trade like I did then you’ll be fine. There are so many jobs out there and I was lucky enough to walk into a job within my first couple of weeks. If you don’t have a trade get onto local agencies, most of the time they offer temp work which to some is unappealing but it’s better than nothing! Also, my fiancé was offered a temp job in an office and from that was then offered a full time job for the provincial government! So accept anything and look everywhere. There is work, don’t worry. 
6.	Make friends with a Canadian! Not only are Canadians really friendly people they will also show you the true Canadian life. I made friends with a work mate who introduced me to his friends and then I was invited here there and everywhere! Form weekends away in their cottage to backyard cook outs to back alley pubs where you’ll have the night of your life. I must warn you though; North Americans have a reputation for not being able to drink and having crappy beer, THIS IS A MYTH! You will not keep up with them. Don’t even try to! Not only do Canadians make good friends, but they will be someone who you can go to for advice or help if you should ever need it. 
7.	Fight through the homesickness. No matter what, this is the best advice I can give you. When you move to a different country and depend solely on your own for the first time it can be difficult. After the initial excitement of the move has gone you get into a routine of work and you start to feel homesick. You need to fight through it. If you’re miserable and find yourself wanting to go home that is normal, every immigrant goes through it. You just need to solider on and realize that you have the best opportunity in front of you. I just wish someone would have given me this advice as we missed out on renewing our visas as we were too miserable at the time. Now that the time has come for us to move back to the U.K we are kicking ourselves as we know we are missing out on living in the best place for us. Renew your visa and stay in Canada. If you decide that you don’t want to stay then you don’t have to. But if you leave it and have no choice but to move back home you’ll kick yourself. So don’t put yourself in a situation where you can miss out, always think about the future. 
8.	Mostly, Have fun! The IEC visa lasts for 12 months. If you’re not staying in Canada after the 12 months are up then you need to take this opportunity to experience everything you can while you’re here. Throw yourself into the local culture, go see a hockey or baseball game, visit different neighbourhoods, eat anything and everything! Cities here are so big that you will always have something new to do and see! Also, Living close to the U.S boarder makes it very easy to travel, traveling by coach can be relatively cheap, Toronto is within driving distance of major cities such as Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec city, Detroit, Chicago, Niagara Falls, Boston and New York. So get out and see as much as you can! And also go to the country side for a cottage retreat, The Canadian countryside is possibly the most beautiful, calming soundings you’ll ever find yourself in.

I hope that this has been helpful so some of you, and if I have missed anything out please feel free to ask!


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

Good post. Glad you're having a good time here. Are you planning for a second WHV?


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## Rst.irfa (Aug 19, 2014)

Great!!! Very thoughtful and concerning post. Its really inspiring and indeed helpful for people like me who are struggling to move in such places to secure our future. I have tried asking responses for Australia, US and UK but seems to me that Canada is the best option for my kids and me. I guess you are the first person to say that ''there is work-don't worry''-which really motivates me to move on and finally decide to look into it. 
Thanks, thanks a lot for sharing your experience.
One question - is this IEV visa available for selective citizens or can anyone apply? 
As u mentioned that you went on for trade- i.e business I feel -will it be ok to hold that option and lookout for jobs??


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## Rst.irfa (Aug 19, 2014)

So, I googled about IEC visa which is a very good opportunity to land in Canada. its processing is far easy and better than other visas but to my dismay we have crossed the age limit required by the visa-its for youth-18-35 aged applicants.
But I guess we can try for FSW visa- federal skilled workers. but the estimated processing time is 22 months :-(


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## Oggy (Jan 25, 2009)

Cheers for taking the time to share your experiences! Very informative post that I'm sure will be helpful to others here. 

Canada is such a huge country and although what happens in Toronto or Ontario may not be applicable in other provinces (jobs), it really helps those researching to have feedback such as this. 

All the best to you!


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## chrisjones89 (Feb 5, 2013)

I'm not sure what WHV means. But if it means are we planning to come back then yes, we are. 
We hope to return in a few years.


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

WHV = Working Holiday Visa (IEC).


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## mellawn (May 4, 2013)

what a great post. We are ( hopefully) going to be landing in Toronto just after Christmas on a student visa. We will have our 3 young children too. The part about pushing through the homesickness will be something I hope I remember in about 6 months from now as we will be a very long way from home.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

mellawn said:


> what a great post. We are ( hopefully) going to be landing in Toronto just after Christmas on a student visa. We will have our 3 young children too. The part about pushing through the homesickness will be something I hope I remember in about 6 months from now as we will be a very long way from home.



Your first winter likely won't be easy, but they do get easier.


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