Hello Everyone,

My wife has just been offered an internal relocation for 12 to 18 months with her company to Mississauga. As you can imagine we are very excited and nervous at the same time.

My wife's company is arranging for the visas to be completed for me and our children (3 and 5 yr olds).

I am currently a Sales and Marketing Director for a energy company near London - my biggest concern is finding a job once we arrive in Mississauga. I would like to know how easy Expats have found it to find jobs and any top tips I should be aware off?

PS. My wife's company are providing a 2 bedroom condo - any suggestions to where we should be in Mississauga.

I really appreciate your help

South of the QEW. Failing that, Streetsville is the least unattractive part of Mississauga north of the QEW.

Thanks we will look onto it. Is Mississauga a popular place?

Believe me you will get varying opinions on Mississauga. As dbd inferred south of the QEW and north of the 401 are more pleasant than the area between the two motorways that run east-west. I think the population of Mississauga is over 700 k and the City Centre is a large shopping mall with the City Hall looming over it all.

Many areas of Mississauga are afflicted with an invasive species of aluminium siding which has sprouted up from the ground and strangled the previous dominant species of various croplands and pastoral fields.

The airport for Toronto is in Mississauga and along the Lakeshore line there are pretty good GO Train connections to downtown Toronto.

It might be worth doing a search of the forums to see what's been said about Mississauga in the past, you should find quite a lot of relevant threads.

Best of luck with the move.

Tuppence was a poster who moved to Mississauga and wrote about the experience.

Mississauga is so big that the experience will be totally different depending on where you are. The areas you mentioned above, I totally agree are the most appealing but not over stocked with 2 bedroom condos (which is what makes them appealing to me). Current choices in the two bedroom condo options in Mississauga range from a Lakefront unit in Port Credit in a two storey property in a residential district (which I personally would consider) to a high rise unit in Mississauga town centre (which makes me shudder with horror, but there are folks out there who love them).
To the OP, you might want to find out if the company already has a condo in mind for you (in which case your choice of location is irrelevant) or if they have a budget in mind - as in areas there is a huge variation in rental costs.

As far as finding work for you is concerned, I would imagine it would be tricky given that you are only staying for a year to 18 months and you have no Canadian experience. Is there any chance of something for you at your wife's firm?

On a bus route within 15 minutes from her office, likely in an area that has some green space as well as on a bus route or walk to shops or supermarket & taking into consideration the Canadian cold snowy winters

That way if you end up working a fair distance away from home that entails either public transit [to from a train station or on the bus] or the need for a vehicle, then its only the one vehicle.

The other part of your OP is being within the company housing allowance budget.

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Err, no. But it's populous.

Although mostly considered by many to be a very large suburb of Toronto, Mississauga is actually the 6th largest city in Canada. So there is a wide range in terms of areas and opinion. Also, you don't have to live in Mississauga. For example, nearby Oakville is another possibility and seems to be popular with Brit expats.

You may find it very difficult to find a job if you are only staying short-term. If you don't have an open work permit, you would also have to convince an employer to obtain a work permit for you.

Thank you for your replies - very helpful.

A question that has come up today is the cost of our children's education. Our son is 5yrs old and has just started primary school here in the UK - my wife's firm is only willing to arrange visas.

Is there a cost for children going to primary of kindergarden?

My wife's office is on the intersection between Huronatario Street and Britannia Rad W

There's no cost for children of work permit holders, your son will be in kindergarten I believe - School Age Categories-Canada : British Expat Wiki

You say the company is only willing to arrange visas, but what about all the other costs? Will they cover them? Moving a family isn't cheap, so a good relocation package should be on offer if they're sending your wife abroad.

HTH.

Thanks Christmasoompa - that is a relief

My wife's company is providing the flights for us all. A fully furnished serviced 2 bed condo. A family car including all fuel costs and a allowance a month to cover all expenses whilst we are away.

I will be completely honest with you my biggest fear is not finding work whilst out there!

Which is why it's important to know if you will have an open work permit. Do you know? Even with one, the short term nature of your stay will likely limit your opportunities. Without one, it's much harder as you would have to persuade a Canadian employer to obtain one for you. That could take a while.