Hi,

We have finally made the move across to Canada (wife and kids Canadian - my permanent residency activated in late 2018) so I thought I would share our experience of the actual move during these strange times...……

So we got a taxi (van) down to Gatwick the day prior as we didn't want the stress of travelling down the morning of the flight. It was about 4 hours, including a stop, with adults needing to wear masks.

We stayed at Premier Inn across the road from the North Terminal and on the morning of the flight took our 9 checked bags, 4 hand luggage and 3 personal bags across to the West Jet bit of the terminal - wearing masks again of course. The airport was very quiet and looking at the boards there was perhaps only 10 flights that day.

The plane was about two thirds full (which was good as it meant that the kids had some space) and although we took off about 10 minutes late we landed pretty much an hour before we should have. This was good as it meant we were off the plane sooner (masks the whole way apart from when eating or drinking) but did mean that our layover in Toronto was now almost 6 hours. The flight was fine and comfortable although the masks were a bit of a pain. Whilst there is clearly not many flights going into Toronto there was still long lines to get through the border with you needing to show the code from the ArriveCan app as you went through one of the various stations (you could fill in a long form if you had not done this).

We have flown in and out of Toronto Pearson numerous times and like Gatwick - it was very quiet. Only a handful of shops and food places were open and again it was masks on apart from when eating or drinking. Our connecting flight (West Jet again) to London, Ontario was about 45 mins late by the time we were up in the air but it took about 30 mins rather than the 50 it should have. This was a much smaller plane and only had about 13 passengers including the 4 of us.

Getting through at London was quick and easy and apart from our booked taxis not being there (yes we were late but surely they should have been tracking our flight number) it was easy enough to get from there to our new house...…...where we are currently spending our 2 weeks of quarantine / isolation.

We were lucky that our lease started about a week before we arrived and had the in-laws to sort numerous things in that time. We are now just counting down the days until we can actually go outside and explore the new city that we live in!!

If you are in the process of making the move then hopefully this has been useful and thank you to all of those on here who have helped us to get to this point

Congratulations and welcome to London. Surprised you didnt drive from Toronto to London (only 3 hours max).

Congrats and 'Welcome to Canada'


Hopefully you had your 'goods to follow' lists stamped at the airport so that you can bring in your shipment without having to pay taxes and duty..

Hope your quarantine goes smoothly and you are able to enjoy Christmas in your new home!

It's nice to read about someone who has completed while we are just beginning the process! Hope you enjoy Canada!

Thank you! We did look at driving but with the 4 of us and all the bags it was easier and cheaper (a lot cheaper) to get the connecting flight

Thank you - we are counting down the days!

I did the Goods to Follow list when I 'landed' previously and the shipping company that we used seemed happy enough so hopefully we are OK on that front

There are some great resources on here but feel free to ask if you have any questions

Congratulations!!

I still remember my landing experience like it was yesterday.

Most welcome! Exciting times ahead - being in a Red Tier 3 zone you might want to start ordering any Christmas stuff you need in case of lockdown.
Be prepared to potentially have to attend the local CBSA Office/sufferance / bonded warehouse with your copy of the GTF list to clear your belonging through customs.

Yes, although London has only yesterday gone into 'red', the daily case count in London is currently above the level necessary for a return to 'grey' (the full lockdown with only essential grocery stores and pharmacies open). It may not be long until London is forced into lockdown.