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Relocation Advice
Begin
with a positive attitude The next most important step to take is to place your immigration landing papers and passport in a very secure location. One Asian family had their belongings stolen a couple of days prior to departure. Imagine your plight if you had already shipped your goods, had sold your home and were unable to fly to Canada! If you have children organize a visit to the Doctor and have them inoculated. Carry the document with you. Make copies of all your educational, financial and work testimonials and save them in a waterproof envelope.
The
ideal time to land in Vancouver would be May/June.
Schools start in September
each year so you could apply for admission in advance and not miss out.
Pack
two suitcases per person, ( most airlines will allow that ) include all
your immediate needs such as utensils, cutlery, thin mattress or
quilts. You Medicare Card will usually take two months to arrive so secure temporary medical cover for the entire family for that period.
Since
most of the shopping facilities close early around 6 to 7pm on most days
arrive here on a Saturday morning. This is very beneficial in mobilization
of resources and will give you a head start. Most apartments that you rent are equipped with a Refrigerator and a cooker. Curtains, carpets and washing machine facilities are mostly provided.
Be
Canadian Buy Canadian! You will find an array of very cheap electronics,
second hand thrift stores, supermarket spices etc that will amaze you.
Since we have a different electrical system it is not advisable to bring
your television set and Hi-fi system with you. Furthermore, the cost of
transportation by sea or air when added will usually allow you to purchase
these brand new at considerable savings.
As soon as you immigrate make it your number one priority to obtain your Health Card and your Social Insurance Number (SIN Card). HRDC Canada will also assist you in your employment needs at no extra charge. If you use our ' landing services' we will pick you up from the airport, arrange for you accommodation in advance, take you for you Medicare Card and SIN Card formalities, accompany your children to the school board for admission, we will also take you to the HRDC Center where you can access jobs available in the labour market, prepare your resume and circulate it prior to your arrival, pay your rental deposit and other deposits required to secure your accommodation in advance. We will also introduce you to our Bankers "The Royal Bank of Canada" and assist you in obtaining Debit Card, Credit Card and Savings/Checking Accounts immediately. Please note these services are usually booked and sold 6 months in advance and are not included in our regular Immigration or normal Visa Consultancy Fee. Please call for rates and availability. Animal skins and Ivory are strictly prohibited along with any seeds you might wish to bring with you. If you are of Asian origin, please note you can get almost all the spices, pickles and curry mixes you can ever imagine. New and Second hand cars are really not worth bringing in as they would have to comply with Canadian Road standards. I have noticed in some cases Canadian motor vehicles are slightly cheaper than the same brand being manufactured in the US. There is a good marked for second hand cars all over Canada and you can get some very good bargains by surfing the internet or reading the local "Buy and Sell" avaliable at most supermarkets.
If
you are buy a second hand car have it passed thru a 180 point check ( See
yellow pages for this service) before you buy and make sure not to buy one
unless you have checked out the ownership and accident record thru ICBC.
This can be done for a very low fee thru ICBC. Visit them by looking them
up thru the Yellow pages.
One Month before your
immigration or upon arrival Inform the local post office of your change of address. Make three copies of all the goods you are planning on bringing into Canada. Make a separate list for jewelry. One copy will be signed by the customs officer and handed back to you to allow you to bring these in if you choose at a later date. Call at least three Removal Companies for estimates. Do not choose the cheapest one. Ask your friends for referrals. You can also contact me as I have worked in Senior Management Positions in the Relocation Industry both in the Middle East for over a decade and in Canada for less than a year! Ask your Relocations company to quote you "door to port" and "door to door". You can then compare prices and decide if you really need the full service all the way to your door. I personally shipped it to Port of Entry Vancouver and then hired a local company " Highland Worldwide" to deliver it to my residence in Vancouver. Insure your goods. Discard bulky furniture as you would be unaware of the layout of your new accommodation in Canada. United Furniture and The Brick are good choices in Vancouver. The local newspaper will also carry special advertisements on some very good deals. A lot of your furniture can also be purchased at bargain prices if you go around your neighborhood on Saturdays and Sundays when it is popular to have "Garage Sales". My "lazy boy reclining chair" "bicycles" a "set of golf clubs for 5 C$ "and our "patio furniture" were bought with a fraction of the original cost and are still in good shape. Arrange to ship your goods much in advance allowing for up to 7 days delay in transit. Demurrage charges can cost you a lot if the goods arrive to early. Try your best to arrive during the day. Also, book your tickets much in advance as the whole of the North American Continent and Europe experience heavy bookings during the summer and fall months. If you have memberships in clubs, organizations make arrangements to transfer or terminate and collect any outstanding amounts to your credit before you leave. Please bring your medical and dental records if you have any. Please check with Citi Bank and HSBC Bank if they will allow you to open an account so that you could wire transfer you money into Canada saving you the need to carry the documents with you. If you do this please carry sufficient proof to show to the Visa Officer that you have this money in your account in Canada prior to your arrival. You could carry a photocopy of your transactions in addition to the actual saving or checking pass book. Ensure that you bring your international drivers license and your normal drivers license to Canada. If you do not do this you will find yourself handicapped and having to use Public Transport. If you are in a country that has no foreign exchange controls purchase 20$ and 10$ bills and small coins. Quarters ( 25cents) can be used to make that urgent or important telephone call when you land at the airport. Finally, before the Relocation Company arrives please video or photograph the goods you are carrying and do make a personal inventory list. it will be very useful for insurance purposes later on. If need be check out the arrangements for your pet with the airlines much in advance with regard to Kennel size, duration of flight and support services enroute. Consume any food that you have that is perishable.
One
or two weeks before your departure
Arrange with the utility companies in your area to have them disconnect these services and hand you back any deposits you are entitled to. Ask for help on the day the removal company comes into pack. Have a friend drop you off at the airport at least three hours in advance of your departure. Reconfirm your tickets and seating. It is usually a long flight so pick seats that have room for you to stretch you legs out during the flight. Your travel agent can do this for you. Drink a lot of fluids and use the time you have before take off and during transit to walk around and thereby compensate for when you will be seated. Make sure that if you bring along electrical goods they comply to Canadian standards in terms of voltage. Clean or dry clean carpets, rugs etc, roll them, please do not fold them and ensure that they are dry prior to handing them over to the removals company. Plan for any special need of accompanying children or infants.
Close existing Bank Accounts and have the funds transferred to Canada. Place you jewelry and other precious gems in a safe carrying case in the event you are carrying them with you onboard. Give a close friend your route or schedule and any contact numbers in case of need. Make arrangements for temporary medical coverage as Health Canada will issue you a Medicare Card only after your arrival and it will usually take between two to three months to acquire. Medical attention without adequate cover can cost you dearly.
On the day of departure Verify that all drawers, the attic and garage are empty.
Carry
all your important documents in a waterproof travel pouch for safety along
with any currency or travelers cheques. Make sure that if you are landing in Winter months to be warmly dressed. Vancouver is blessed with the best weather all year round. You might have just a couple of days when it snows in Dec and Jan. Average winter temperatures for Vancouver are -2 to 5C. In other parts of Canada such as Toronto, Ontario, Montreal, Quebec and Edmonton or Calgary in Alberta, average winter temperatures could be far below zero( -20C to - 40C)
After arrival or immigration.... Embrace this wonderful country wholeheartedly. Begin every day with a smile and with gratitude. You will be surprised at the warm and positive response you will get from both Canada and its people. "The world is a reflection of you". Well begun is half done and what you sow you will reap! Complete your Health Card and SIN Card formalities first. Make you make a familiarization tour of the Supermarket, Mall, Doctors clinic, Library, Community center, schools, parks, hospital and the local Human Resource Center as soon as you have the first available opportunity buy a good map. The closest bus stop and a copy of the bus schedule are very important. See your yellow pages for information. Arrange to have the newspapers delivered to your door. Most localities have a free community paper that should arrive unsolicited anyway. At the local mall or supermarket ask for "Employment Newspaper". If you purchase a telephone and fax machine you will find it very easy to float your own resumes. Visit the local HRDC center they will guide you workshops, job search facilities etc.
Second hand cars are very easily obtainable. Being mobile can make a lot of difference in terms of employment opportunities and interviews you are likely to have. You can also use both buses and the sky train to reach most destinations in the lower mainland of Vancouver. They are fairly cheap and very economical. You will also find a lot of thrift shops and second hand stores selling very good merchandise. They can be located in the yellow pages. Occasionally you will find a few disgruntled immigrants, such as these you would find anywhere, even in their own home countries, they are creating a "search" not a "find" in this lifetime. Smile at them and bless them. If you buy their stories you will invariably end up experiencing them. Keep a positive mind set at all times. I can safely attest that Canada is truly a multicultural society and a land of opportunity.
“Highland Worldwide Overseas Moving Service”
If
you wish to get a quote for delivery of your goods from the port of
Vancouver to your door please contact Ms. Beverley, Import Manager
at 1-604-929-2384.
For
those of you who would like to save money on packing your goods visit this
web site for tips
Web Guide
To Household Packing Return to the Canadian Immigration and Canada Immigration Main Page |
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Avatar Immigration employs three fully Certified Canadian Immigration Consultants. Russell Monsurate M041198
Russell Monsurate is on the National Board of Directors of CAPIC and Ryan Monsurate is the Treasurer of the BC Chapter Board of Directors.
Russell Monsurate was the National Treasurer on the National Board of Directors of AICC and the Secretary of the BC Chapter of AICC. AICC was the Association of Immigration Counsel of Canada, which together with OICC have formed CAPIC |
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Questions? Please email us
Avatar Immigration Inc.
British Columbia: 604-925-9326
CSIC Members
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