Thread by @Dolarpo, So you've landed in Canada, how do you go about getting settled [...]

So you've landed in Canada, how do you go about getting settled - housing, career, family, school, healthcare? Are you a young, middle level or senior professional? How do you bring your funds into Canada? What organizations can help you? Need some helpful tips?

Thread soon!!!

Welcome to the next phase of your life. The more good quality information you have, the better the decisions you can make for yourself, and the better your experience can be in settling down. There's a lot to know and it helps if you get someone to help with some hand-holding...

From the moment you land, you'll probably sign up for your social insurance number (SIN) at the airport during your landing process. If you don't get this done at the airport, then once you've slept off the jet lag, head on up to the Service Canada website/office to get it done

You'll get a printout with your SIN, which is your official ID number as a resident of Canada. 6 to 8 weeks later, you'll get the SIN Card or PR Card in the mail. But with the printout, you can proceed to the next important thing - set up a bank account.

CIBC, RBC, TD, Scotia Bank, BMO and NBC are referred to as the big six. You can open an account with any of them with your passport and SIN. Then you need two things from them - a statement of your account to be sent to your home address the next day and wire information

You need your bank statement as proof of address to get your health card while you need the wire information so you can wire any funds you want to bring into the country to your bank account.

Bank sorted, next you need to get your health card. For this, you need to go to...

...the Registry.

Government is pretty decentralized here and the issuance of licenses, cards, permits etc is done by private agents, called registries. There's one in each major neighbourhood. So find the nearest one, that's where you need to go to get your health card.

Your health card, depending on your province, avails you access to a doctor, emergency care, and to some extent prescription drugs but varies by province. You'll need your proof of address, ID, SIN number etc to get the health card.

Once you get your health card, then forms...

But before you can get the forms, you'll need the services of an immigration counselor, as per being an immigrant, they have to request it for you.
- Canada Child Benefits
- Fair Entry
- GST/HST rebates
If you have kids, you definitely need the CCB, which is a monthly payment

...made to parents/caregivers to enable you to take care of your kids, cover groceries, essentials, drugs, until they are 18. The amount is adjusted after every tax filling and reduces until zero. But when you land, it's a healthy sum of anywhere between $400 or $600 per kid...

Fair Entry allows you to pay a discounted rate on public facilities - gyms, swimming pools, bus and train passes. While a regular monthly bus pass costs $106, you get to pay anywhere between $33 and $65 instead. This can be quite helpful while you're still job-hunting.

Then you should also fill out the GST/HST rebates form so that you get that also.

Forms done, then you can face the task of job-hunting

but no. You realize quickly that moving around can be a challenge if you don't have a car. This country is big and most cities are...

...also so large. There's a very efficient transport system because it works on time but not according to your time. A short trip of 25 mins can take 2 hours using the bus and train network as there are many stops. You can use taxis and uber but they are expensive. Best bet is...

to get a car. This means two things, you need to get a driver's license and you need to buy a car. You need to get the driver's license before you get the car, because you can't register a car without a license.

You need to pass an online test to get an interim license - learners permit. Then you need to do a 15 minutes road test to get a Class 5 GDL license that allows you drive with some restrictions on what you can drive or where you can go. If you go ahead and do the advanced...

road test, which is 2 hour long, then you can get a class 5 license, which allows you drive without restrictions, as long as you're driving your own personal car. You need other classes of license to operate commercial transport, drive other forms of transportation etc.

Starting from the online test. This is actually pretty straightforward, its a 30-question multiple-choice test, you need to answer 25 questions correctly. There are practice tests online that you can use. Guess what? the test questions aren't really different so use it well...

When writing the test, you can skip questions you're not comfortable with, but it's just 30 questions so you still have to answer them.

When you pass this test, you'll get your learner permit, which means you can only drive with another qualified driver beside you and a sign

that says 'Learner Driver' on the back of your car.

Then they'll request your Nigerian driver's license, and send it back to FRSC to verify that its genuine. They'll also verify your driving record to see if you qualify for a basic test or advanced road test.

When they verify, you'll be notified that you can come do the basic or advanced road test.

Once you get a driver's license - interim, basic or advanced, then you can buy a car.

3 options - auction, private seller or dealership.

Pausing here for today. Next we'll cover housing, schooling and then job hunting

Let's go on with this thread

First a message from the sponsor - Me. There's a lot of helpful information on my youtube page too so feel free to go view it and subscribe. https://www.youtube.com/user/quietwatcher1

Dolapo Oni

The professional page where I give my opinions on career development, relationships and everything I care about

https://www.youtube.com/user/quietwatcher1

We will take off from the driving test again.

We only talked about the online test and i suggested that you use the online practice tests to practice well so that you don't have to write it several times (like some of us) due to 'I too sabi'

Then we move to the road test...

The basic road test is a 15 minutes test that you do at the registry. An inspector will sit beside you and direct you to do certain things, not limited to:
- Parallel parking
- Uphill parking
- Downhill parking
- Merge with busy traffic
- Obey traffic signs and speed limits

Basically, you will be tested on most of the things in the driver's manual. Let me quickly add 3 errors that are an instant fail:
- Speeding over 30km in children play zone
- Rolling stop at a stop sign or stoplight
- Climbing the pavement while parking or turning at a junction

The basic road test is done on neighbourhood roads and less busy streets. You'll get on a major road for a few minutes but that's all. The emphasis is more on mobility within the city.

The advanced road test includes the expressway and highways, merging into high speed traffic

What you do to pass is get a warm-up with a driving instructor before you do the test - basic or advanced. There are driving instructors at most registry offices where the driving test is done. So you approach them and they'll charge you a fee to give you a warm-up session.

This will enable you to be more confident when you eventually go on the actual test with the instructor.

Let's move on to buying your car. We've talked about how important it is to own a car, for mobility. A bus trip of 15 mins can be anywhere from 45 mins to 1.5hrs...

Because there are 50 stops on the route. So the best thing to do is own your car so you can move. The prime reason is that you want to be able to move faster in winter. You don't want to be at the bus-stop in -35 degrees celsius,, waiting 12 minutes for the next bus,, no matter

how many layers of clothing you're wearing.

If your budget for a car is no more than $5k, then i typically recommend you patronize a private seller on facebook marketplace, Kijiji, Auto-trader, Cargurus etc or you buy from an auction place.

However, if you plan to spend more, then approach a dealership and buy from their used inventory. You'll get something with less mileage and possibly able to last longer.

When buying below $5k, if you desire to buy something less than 10 years old, you'll have to trade off...

mileage so it will have more miles on it. The rule of thumb is 10 - 15k kilometres per year for American cars and 20k for Japanese/South Korean cars. So if you're buying a 2011 toyota camry, you'll be looking for something with less than 180,000 kilometres.

Don't worry...

it's mostly highway mileage, because the cities are big and the roads are long to literally anywhere. The cars are mostly well maintained and able to work for a few more years.

But still do your proper diagnostic. Get a diagnostic expert on facebook marketplace to meet you...

at the location where the car is to check and tell you what the issues are if any.

Also request the Carfax report, which will tell you if the car has been in an accident or experienced any other issue requiring an insurance claim. Insurance coys only pay once on hail damage...

so if they've paid before, they won't pay to the same owner again, and you, the new owner, will have to pay a higher premium also so its key to watch for that.

When buying from a dealer, request the AMVIC report, which is the 90-point inspection report by their head mechanic

who has to sign off, basically staking his reputation, to show that the car is good to go with no issues.

Dealers will also offer financing and attempt to persuade you to buying a more expensive car. Do not fall for both. Pay & move on. Finance nothing until you have income...

And even when you have a job, build up your savings first before going into financing. We'll get to why, down the line.

Car sorted; let's get on the topic of renting your first apartment.

There are many house types and depending on your family size, taking something that is affordable for six months if you don't get a job is the best guide.

I don't think it will take you six months to get a job or some source of income but plan for the worst still.

You could rent
- basement apartment
- Condominium/regular apartment
- Townhouse
- Duplex
- Single Lane Family unit
- Front Garage

These are the main housing options you have.

You can check on http://Rentfaster.ca for more information on the rental rates

Apartments & Houses for Rent in Canada - RentFaster.ca

Find apartments and houses for rent near you. Rentfaster.ca has thousands of listings that are constantly updated.

http://Rentfaster.ca

Key things to note when renting:
- Check the house for their stance on pets and kids. Some apartments don't allow both. And some do, meaning your next door neighbour could have a pet St Bernard or Big Dane dog. If you're scared of dogs, you'll have a horrid time.

I love dogs btw even though i don't own one - probably will get one soon.

- Find out if they have underground parking and how much it cost; if it's included in the rent or separate; if you can pay monthly or you have to sign up annually because you might not need it in summer

but you'll need it in winter so that you don't start your day shoveling snow off your car.

- When choosing where to live, schools play a key role in the decision if you have kids. There are three school systems here - public, catholic & private

Public and Catholic are subsidized by the government while private is expensive. Public and Catholic are more or less free, but you'll be required to make some donations and pay for a few things from time to time - school materials, bus rides, field trips, school projects etc

Public school will admit anyone but catholic schools require you to either be of catholic faith or have your kid baptized by a catholic priest to gain entry. More importantly, the schools only admit a certain number per class so ask if they have space,, because you can only...

attend the school in your neighbourhood. If they don't have space, they will refer you to another school, which serves as the spillover school for kids from a few neighbourhoods. But if you move to a place where they have space, your kid can walk/ride their bikes to school

quickly assimilate with kids in the neighbourhood, grow with kids their age, form clubs, learn skills from each other unlike having to only meet their friends in school.

- when renting, your lease agreement tenure matters. You're liable for rents throughout the period

so if you have to move out for any reason, you have to pay a break fee to break the lease, then also keep paying rent if they don't find another tenant.

Read the agreement!!!

Read the agreement!!!

Read the agreement!!!

Once you sign, no jupiter can help you when wahala start

Often times, some apartments do not want to lease to a new immigrant since you have no credit history so you need to find a friend who has a credit history to be your co-applicant. They are just providing a guarantee of sorts for the lease agreement, hence it has to be a friend

It's also a risk for them cos if for some reason, God forbid, you can't pay, their credit score will be affected and they'll be unable to lease anything or get loans until their credit score improves, which takes a bit of time.

Try not to live too far from the main business hub of the city so that your commute time is not too much. Find out the bus/train routes nearest to the area so that peradventure you have to go out or come home without a car during winter, you have a short trip.

For a lot of young single people or couples, i always recommend living right in the middle of downtown or nearby. Downtown is the name for the main business hub in most cities. It may be slightly more expensive but you have less worries about commute and you can take jobs...

that require you to arrive really early with ease.

For a typical young couple with a baby in an apartment, your budgeting for the home should look something like this:

If you squeeze hard enough, you can keep it under $3k a month.

You would have to tweak things like keep the rent low or spending on food outside etc. We haven't included daycare or sending money home to Nigeria. This is why Canada insists on $20k for a family of 3.

So how do you get a job? Let's pick up here tomorrow.

The process for getting a job depends on the profession/career you're in. Very specialized professions like Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers tend to require that you go through the Canadian exams and processes all over again and this could take a couple of years.

I can only talk about a few professions - finance mostly and then general roles in project management, supply chain management, business analysis, HR, Data analysis, accounting, IT etc.

This is based of experiences of friends and mine in these fields.

1) I find that having a globally recognized certification goes a long way in affirming your work experience and expertise. This is where a lot of senior older guys, who come to Canada tend to struggle because you have built your career without any of those global certificates...

and you'll find that your work experience in Nigeria/Africa holds no real currency because there's no common denominator by which they (employers here) can relate to what you've done so far.

This is what often brings up the issue of 'Canadian experience'

Employers will often insist that you have no Canadian experience when they can't find any globally recognized or Canadian equivalent certification on your resume.

What is the workaround? You actually have to go get a Canadian equivalent certification...

or start up on the global one before coming to Canada or as soon as you land.

Often the jobs will require that you show a willingness to complete that certification within a period of time. Some jobs will allow you to start and give you a time to complete the certificate

but if you already have the globally recognized degree, certificate or Canadian equivalent, you've crossed one of the major hurdles.

We can move on to the process now.

First job search - where do you look for jobs? if there are specific companies you want to work in...

you can start from their career pages or better still, start from Linkedin. You'll find more jobs on job boards though

- http://Indeed.ca
- http://glassdoor.ca
- http://eluta.ca
- http://Monster.ca
- http://careerbuilder.ca

there are others...

Glassdoor Job Search | Find the job that fits your life

Search millions of jobs and get the inside scoop on companies with employee reviews, personalised salary tools, and more. Hiring? Post a job for free.

http://Indeed.ca

You need to really know what you're looking for also.

Do you want a contract or permanent role, temporary/part-time or full-time job?

While writing your exams or studying, do you want to do a part-time role or temp job? You could also work a full-time job too.

You can look for professionals in the industry on LinkedIn and see how they describe their roles. Recruiters are also people to meet. If you can find introductions via other Nigerian professionals, ask for a meet.

Don't just ask for referrals because they are a connection

Instead, ask for information about the role or recruitment process. Ask for information about the team or department or company. Referrals are actually really difficult to make in some cases, as the person may not be in a position to do so.

Let's talk about keywords...

Some companies use automated resume scanners, some just use referrals from current employees. Some companies use Linkedin, some use recruiters (especially for contract roles).

quick aside - For contract roles, instead of job boards, try recruitment sites like these

http://Roberthalf.ca
http://Randstad.ca
http://Hays.ca
http://Kellyservices.ca
http://globalhire.ca
http://sisystems.com
http://Roneta.com
http://aboutstaffing.com

And many others

UK jobs and recruitment

Find a new job in the UK with Hays Recruitment. Browse a range of permanent or temporary roles including jobs in IT, Finance, Construction, HR & Marketing.

http://Roberthalf.ca

so back to keywords

Companies who use automated scanners for resumes describe the job roles using specific keywords, which they scan for in resumes.

For instance, a firm looking to hire an investment banking analyst could for instance say valuations instead of modelling

And if your own resume uses modeling to describe your duties instead of valuation, you'll score nothing on valuations.

They subject every resume to these scanners and select only people who match up to 80% or more on keywords and experience and the job description for...

interview or the next stage.

So when you see a job description you want to apply for, pay attention to the key words and description used for the role.

If you have the experience but you've described it in a different way, you need to rephrase to use the keywords.

Another good thing that helps with job hunting here is to talk to many people. Don't keep your job search to yourself. Tell your friends, tell their friends, tell your church members that care to listen. Often times an introduction might be the way you get your first role

Another tip is to sign on to a recruitment agency to get a contract role if you're having issues getting permanent roles. A recruiter only gets paid when you get a job so there's an incentive to ensure you get the job, albeit a contract role.

But you also get something...

the 'Canadian experience' of the workplace.

Is the Canadian workplace culture and experience so different from Nigeria? Yes

It is very very different but you have to experience it to know. This is why your interview phase is really not so much about your knowledge of the job.

It's more about your fit, can they work with you?
are you aggressive/passive?
are you confrontational/collaborative?
What style of work works best for you?
your ability to handle pressure, compromise to get the job done?
there's a lot of emphasis on personality.

I often tell people I advise to try and smile more, be more jovial, and try not to be too desperate. Relate, chat, and have fun.

Try not to fall into the trap of being too eager to get a job that you settle for the first one you get, make sure its the right fit for you also...

Even after doing all of the above, you could still get a rejection letter...

I have tons of those

Everyone I know who has made Canada home, has tons of those

At some point, it will look like some companies have stored your name as "Reject Immediately"

Dont get anxious...

Next up, we'll talk about how to set your RESP, RRSP, TFSA and start prepping for your mortgage.

Before i go on to talk about RESP, RRSP and TFSA, let's finish up on jobs for senior professionals.

It's a lot more difficult when you relocate to Canada as a senior professional without any global qualifications so you need to work on that if you want...

to be gainfully employed at a level close to where you were in Nigeria.

If you're over 15 years of experience, then you might want to consider two additional options:
- Do an MBA here
- Buy a franchise in an area of expertise - pharmacy, fast food, accounting, consulting...

This will only be an option if you can afford it in the first place and if you don't want to go through the hassles of rejections and having to settle for jobs that will be several years behind your level of experience

ok...let me also add a bit about driving too

Most cities here have really tough laws on driving but you won't see any police man on the street enforcing anything.

There are speed cameras at most high traffic neighbourhoods. If you speed or violate traffic laws, your fine will be sent to your address easily.

Its worse...

when a cop stops you for a traffic violation, they'll likely deduct points off your license and also issue you a fine.

So here's a tip from me: When driving, give it full concentration and look out for road signs.

If its a long road, set your cruise control below the limit

Better to be safe than sorry.

Ok so what are all these acronyms?

Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP)
Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP)
Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA)

You need them. This is how they work.

The RRSP is your retirement funds. Any money you contribute to it is tax-deductible so govt sets a limit for the year ($26k this year) but it accumulates. So if you haven't saved anything into it from when you landed, you have the limits from those years too. Your employer may...

set up one under the group benefit and retirement program and contribute into it but you can also have one and contribute to it if you have spare funds.

Having pension funds in Nigeria doesn't mean you can rest on your oars, What rate will NGN/CAD be when you retire? your PSA

in Nigeria may be worth less than $2k by the time you retire. So the way i see it, increasing the portion of contributions that go into your RRSP is one key way to start prepping for retirement in Canada

and you have less time too than the average canadian so yara dide...

the RESP is where you save funds for college for your kid. School is mostly free up until Grade 12 (end of secondary school as we call it). Anything after that, you'll be paying close to $5k a term for university. This means you need to prep for your kids.

Govt will pay 20%...

on any money you put in the RESP up to $6k in all provinces. Some provinces such as British Columbia will add an extra $1k also so there's reason to open this account and put even if its $100 a month in it.

As you stabilize and make more money, you can increase the amount.

Then there's the TFSA, which allows you to save money and earn capital gains, interest without any tax, until you take the money out. So you can compound your interests and returns even more and grow it till you're in a lower tax bracket in retirement for instance, then take it

Due to this feature, it is also highly regulated and govt sets a limit each year - $6k this year - that the max you can put in your TFSA. But it accumulates also so you have all the years since you landed in Canada. The money you put here therefore, ideally is for investments

Not money you will be spending regularly from or run to on a rainy day so you can take full advantage of its benefits.

For TFSA and RRSP, if you exceed your limit, you'll get a fine. For RESP, no fine, but you don't earn any 20% interest from govt.

So here's an idea:

the money you came with, you probably need it to stabilize and cover rents etc. The moment you get a job and start earning, then its time to divide it up into 4

- 1 part for RRSP
- 1 part for RESP (if you have kids)
- 1 part for TFSA/Mortgage
- the rest

Mortgage? Yes

We'll talk about this next weekend. You can get a mortgage to buy your house for just 2% - basically free money.

but this is the largest gbese you've ever carried in your life so it requires prep work

You can follow @Dolarpo.

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