Move to Canada tips

[Arsen258]

Hi guys

 

I know that the society here is multicultural and multinational but i guess there are some Canadians here as well

 

I am moving to Canada in 3 months and I am wondering if you guys can give me any tips about the people there etc. I've read all the articles on the internet but I'd like to get some information from regular people that are not trying to sell me a trip or something like this.

 

I already have a visa, work permit and all the legal documents i need to enter Canada and work there. I'll be living near Vancouver. 

 

I'll appreciate any kind of tips, advice etc. What do i need? What should i do? Where should i go first? Something like that.

 

I am from Poland by the way, I spent some time in UK, Holland and Germany but i guess things are a bit different on the other side of the ocean.

 

Thanks in advance

[byalexandr]

It's cold. I live in Texas though so anything is cold for me.

[Philcat101]

You should come to America instead and see how screwed we are.

[LeapFrogMasterRace]

be sure to say okay and ayyy a lot 

[GlassBomb]

Practice your Sorry's, 'eh? and all of that kind of stuff.

[iamdarkyoshi]

It's cold. I live in Texas though so anything is cold for me.

I used to live in south dakota, everything is too hot for me. I am the one who goes to school in the winter in nevada with shorts.

[mikat]

I used to live in south dakota, everything is too hot for me. I am the one who goes to school in the winter in nevada with shorts.

[Joiner48]

Learn to stay away from Tim Hortons, bring gloves/mittens and jump on/off the Canucks bandwagon.

 

P.s. Bring your sense of humor

 

But seriously, mass transportation sucks outside of Vancouver so expect to get a car or bus pass right away

[dizmo]

In three months? How long are you staying for?

There are a few things you'll probably want to invest in:

• A good waterproof coat
• An umbrella
• Water resistant footwear
• Compass pass? It's used for travel on the bus and skytrain
• Gloves, if you're not used to colder weather

Summer's a little different:

• Fan for your room
• Hiking shoes
• Tee shirts, shorts, etc

The people in Vancouver are generally rather cold. They're polite, but won't go out of their way to talk to you and if you approach them might seem off-put.

Of course, this is a generalization and there always exceptions, though I usually find that those that are more talkative aren't Vancouver natives.

 

You might want to learn the transit system, depending on where you're living and on whether or not you have a car. This depends on where you're living though.

Generally Google Maps does an excellent job of sending you around.

 

As for what should you do and where should you go first...you'd have to give us more info!

What you like to do, what you don't, where exactly you'll be staying. Do you mean Abbotsford "close to Vancouver" or somewhere in the tri cities?

 

If you have any specific questions you can post them here or if you want you can always PM me!

 

 

Practice your Sorry's, 'eh? and all of that kind of stuff.

The 'eh' thing is more central and eastern Canada

 

Learn to stay away from Tim Hortons, bring gloves/mittens and jump on/off the Canucks bandwagon.

 

P.s. Bring your sense of humor

 

But seriously, mass transportation sucks outside of Vancouver so expect to get a car or bus pass right away

Tim Hortons isn't that bad

[dizmo]

@Arsen258 you might want to follow your posts

[ShiftHitTheFan]

Dont move to vancover. Its terrible there. Way too much rain, and way too much snow. Some places get like 6ft overnight. Terrible place. Full of homelesss too. Ontario is much better. Less snow and rain, and beautiful landscape. And its not underwater like holland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Im moving there in 3 years ;P

[Arsen258]

Damn, thanks guys i did not expect so many answers. To be honest after reading them I'm not sure if i want to move anymore

 

 

You should come to America instead and see how screwed we are.

 Well yeah but i got a job in Canada so And the process of getting American Visa is simply screwed up. For Canada it is almost like:
A: Hey, i want a visa
B: Ok, here you go

 

 

It's cold. I live in Texas though so anything is cold for me.

Here in Poland the climat is similar i think. Lots of rain. Around -10/-20 in the winter and + 25/30 in the summer. I'm used to it and the colder the better

 

 

In three months? How long are you staying for?

To be honest i have no idea. If i like it there I think i will stay for good but hey, I have to get there first to think about it I'll probably be living in Burnaby (which I heard is pretty peaceful) but my workplace is somewhere near the center of Vancouver (i don't have the exact adress yet). I have no idea if I'll be getting myself a car. I guess it depends, In the city where i live i can take a train and be home in 20 min or sit in the car for 1,5h. (traffic...)

I have never lived so close to the water so that's a new thing for me as well. I love mountain biking and cycling as a whole so I'm hoping that I'll find a place to do that.

 

One thing that shocked me is the prices. I mean you guys pay 4x as much as i do in here for food etc. But on the other hand electronic stuff costs like 4x less. Too bad i can't eat cables and flashdrives for dinner

[KirbyTech]

Learn to stay away from Tim Hortons, bring gloves/mittens and jump on/off the Canucks bandwagon.

 

P.s. Bring your sense of humor

 

But seriously, mass transportation sucks outside of Vancouver so expect to get a car or bus pass right away

You mean go to tims every day at least 3x per day?

[Joiner48]

You mean go to tims every day at least 3x per day?

So your the one who's always in the drive through ordering panini sandwiches, 1 coffee and paying with debit.   :lol:  

[Arsen258]

Tim Horton's in UK was ok, nothing amazing but it might be different in Canada

[KirbyTech]

So your the one who's always in the drive through ordering panini sandwiches, 1 coffee and paying with debit.   :lol:  

Nah just the one who has developed a caffeine addiction over the years.

[Deletive]

Turn everything you own into USD  and sit on it. Have some basic cash in CAD because our dollar is terrible and is getting worse so convert money to USD and turn into CAD when needed it'll go a lot further. 
 

 

Dont move to vancover. Its terrible there. Way too much rain, and way too much snow. Some places get like 6ft overnight. Terrible place. Full of homelesss too. Ontario is much better. Less snow and rain, and beautiful landscape. And its not underwater like holland.

 

 

Im moving there in 3 years ;P

 

It hasn't snowed here much at all since 2012 unless you go to cypress or Grouse mountain. It hasn't gone into the Negatives at all this year. Also Vancouver has an amazing landscape, in and around the city. 

[dizmo]

Dont move to vancover. Its terrible there. Way too much rain, and way too much snow. Some places get like 6ft overnight. Terrible place. Full of homelesss too. Ontario is much better. Less snow and rain, and beautiful landscape. And its not underwater like holland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Im moving there in 3 years ;P

Haha, I assume that's sarcasm seeing as you seem to have the two reversed

 

To be honest i have no idea. If i like it there I think i will stay for good but hey, I have to get there first to think about it I'll probably be living in Burnaby (which I heard is pretty peaceful) but my workplace is somewhere near the center of Vancouver (i don't have the exact adress yet). I have no idea if I'll be getting myself a car. I guess it depends, In the city where i live i can take a train and be home in 20 min or sit in the car for 1,5h. (traffic...)

I have never lived so close to the water so that's a new thing for me as well. I love mountain biking and cycling as a whole so I'm hoping that I'll find a place to do that.

 

One thing that shocked me is the prices. I mean you guys pay 4x as much as i do in here for food etc. But on the other hand electronic stuff costs like 4x less. Too bad i can't eat cables and flashdrives for dinner

Yeah Burnaby isn't bad. Still close, much lower rent, lower taxes, etc. Though I doubt the taxes will affect you, unless you're owning the place you're moving into.

Public transportation in metro Vancouver is pretty top notch, you can get from Burnaby to Vancouver in approx 15 - 25 minutes depending on where you live.

Vancouver is loaded with bike lanes so you could likely bike to work. Many do. It's also considered to be one of the best mountain biking places on the planet!

 

That might be true, but it shouldn't be too surprising. With minimum wage here, a person would make $1,672. In Poland that person would be making $621.

Vancouver's also one of the most expensive places in North America to live.

If you shop smart it's quite cheap.

[byalexandr]

Damn, thanks guys i did not expect so many answers. To be honest after reading them I'm not sure if i want to move anymore

Well yeah but i got a job in Canada so And the process of getting American Visa is simply screwed up. For Canada it is almost like:

A: Hey, i want a visa

B: Ok, here you go

Here in Poland the climat is similar i think. Lots of rain. Around -10/-20 in the winter and + 25/30 in the summer. I'm used to it and the colder the better

To be honest i have no idea. If i like it there I think i will stay for good but hey, I have to get there first to think about it I'll probably be living in Burnaby (which I heard is pretty peaceful) but my workplace is somewhere near the center of Vancouver (i don't have the exact adress yet). I have no idea if I'll be getting myself a car. I guess it depends, In the city where i live i can take a train and be home in 20 min or sit in the car for 1,5h. (traffic...)

I have never lived so close to the water so that's a new thing for me as well. I love mountain biking and cycling as a whole so I'm hoping that I'll find a place to do that.

One thing that shocked me is the prices. I mean you guys pay 4x as much as i do in here for food etc. But on the other hand electronic stuff costs like 4x less. Too bad i can't eat cables and flashdrives for dinner

No, not similar at all, on Christmas day it was around 80F which is around 27C. Then today it was 80F again but in less than ten minutes it went to 45F.

[Yoinkerman]

Don't be a dick. Hold doors and stuff

[Nexxus]

tip, we dont say aboot

 

aside from maybe newfoundland