# Moving to BC - HELP



## jengi15 (Nov 4, 2010)

Hello, 
I am Irish but currently living in UK, my temporary work visa has just been approved and i will be arriving into Vancouver within the next couple of weeks. I will be living in the fraser valley area in either Chilliwack or Agassiz. 

I am looking for advice and any tips for settling into Canadian life
I want to buy a car when i arrive so what documents will i need to bring with me for car insurance etc? What is the process for buying a car? 
Should i bring some health insurance cover with me for the first three months?
What documentation will i need for opening bank accounts? Any tips on which bank is better?

Anything else i should be thinking of?
Thank you
J


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

jengi15 said:


> Hello,
> I am Irish but currently living in UK, my temporary work visa has just been approved and i will be arriving into Vancouver within the next couple of weeks. I will be living in the fraser valley area in either Chilliwack or Agassiz.
> 
> I am looking for advice and any tips for settling into Canadian life
> ...


If you plan to finance the car purchase you may find it difficult to get credit unless you plan to put 30-40% down on the vehicle. Even then it could be difficult as you would have no credit record here. For auto insurance you should bring letters from your insurance companies outlining your no-claims records. You will find the insurance very expensive.
Yes, you should arrange health insurance for the first three months unless you have a high-risk tolerance.


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## shbldr (Nov 5, 2010)

To follow-up to earlier reply:

If you can get a letter from your insurance company stating your safe driving record that period can be used here in Canada - I was able to bring 5 years of safe driving with me and that qualified me for a lower insurance rate.
If you are looking at a used car it might not be too difficult to get financing, but you will of course be paying higher interest.

Opening a bank account is not difficult, just time consuming - you will need your Passport, record of landing, address, etc.. You will also probably need to make an appointment as you can't just "walk in". Scotia Bank has been advertising special benefits for new immigrants, but I don't know any one that is using them. VanCity is also quite helpful and easy to work with - however teller service and day-to-day banking with them is painfully slow.

If you need help with currency exchange and/or funds transfer I would highly recommend Vancouver Bullion and Currency Exchange - they give much better rates than banks do. 

Good luck,


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## shbldr (Nov 5, 2010)

Blue Cross Blue Shield offers reasonable cost health insurance for the 3 month period, any insurance agency would be glad to help you and it is not that expensive.


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## telcoman (Feb 11, 2010)

jengi15 said:


> Hello,
> I am Irish but currently living in UK, my temporary work visa has just been approved and i will be arriving into Vancouver within the next couple of weeks. I will be living in the fraser valley area in either Chilliwack or Agassiz.
> 
> I am looking for advice and any tips for settling into Canadian life
> ...



Give me a call when you get here. I live in Abbotsford. 604-852-1342, Paul. I will try to help you out. Yes, buy some travel health insurance to cover you for a month or 2. Get your driving record from your insurance company, going back 10 years if possible. It has to be an official document from them. It could save you a thousand dollars a year on your car insurance if it is clean.


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