Hi all,

So circumstances here have meant that we will probably not get the 2 years of saving time that we had hoped for, instead cutting short to around a year from now. Our latest possible landing date, based on medicals, to actually activate the PR would be next May. Location will highly likely be Calgary.

We are currently in a slight dilemma and would like to know what people think we should do on this one. Bare in mind we are currently waiting on our COPR response to our photo submission, we still hope to have received documents and be done with the process in the following month, bar the landing.

Our original plan was to fly over around November, or over Xmas period, for around 10 days, look around the city we decide on and see if my partner can arrange any kind of meetings with potential employers. We'd both visit job fairs available and see what happens from there. We've put aside £3000 for this visit, basing us using all the money set aside. After this visit, we'd then fly back to UK, save for a year or 2, then fly back permanently with a decent saving amount of around $55,000, allowing us to settle relatively comfortably and seek employment without too much panic.

However, since the saving period probably won't happen, we were thinking of doing the November trip, then doing the proper landing next August. We'd have around $23,000 saved at that point, provided nothing explodes or breaks at our current house.

If we don't do a soft landing though, and we fly over and land in May instead (medical expiry month), we'd have the same amount of money saved, but obviously will be going in blind with no real idea of where to settle and no 'initial' contacts made. I think, for 2 people and 3 cats, that $23,000 should be sufficient to survive a good 3-4 months without too much panic over finances. We'd both likely be going over without a job offer and will look for employment once landed. I'm assuming to secure a rental places will ask for ?4 months rent up front, since no credit history there or initial employment. Our budget is on around $1250-$1500 per month with most utilities provided, so I guess we'd probably have around $17,000 to furnish the property, feed ourselves with, and pay travel around the area and phone bills.

I guess what I'm really asking is for opinions and experiences, in regards to if the May idea is doable and realistic, or would be more wise to find another place to rent in the UK for another year and save only a fraction of what we save now, so we'd probably get around $30,000 to take over instead of $23,000.

Hopefully this makes sense. Thanks in advanced.

I think finance wise you should be ok. Work wise it may take sometime to secure the right job as you are prepared for (Not sure what your field of work is) Have you lived/worked in Canada before?

If not make sure your resume is in a Canadian format. Your budget for a rental should be achievable but it really depends on what you want? You mention 3 cats so I am assuming you want your own place with a garden which may mean you might struggle to find somewhere within that budget (But check Kijiji/Realtor.ca etc etc) My experience rental wise is more Ontario/QC.

I think your time frame is totally doable. Understandable you might want to visit for a week or so to explore and get a feel for the city but realistically it is very hard to make a decision in that time frame. For example I moved to Toronto having never visited the city and for the first few weeks. I really did not like it. I now love it and miss it massively. I visited Ottawa for a week, decided to move and left after 3 weeks. However I have kids to think about now so my move is taking a ot of careful planning. With no kids in tow I would make the move with no looking back!!

Thank you for the reply Sheedy.
I am pretty much unskilled worker so will try and get whatever I can once we have landed. At present I work supporting autistic adults, so I would like to carry on doing that if possible. I can't see anything about that being regulated, so may be a possibility.
My partner works in the geology sector so we are hopeful that she should find work quite quickly all being well.
In any event, we are both prepared to do any job to get an initial income and then look for longer term employment going forward in fields we both enjoy.

At the moment we live in what is essentially a 400 square ft studio/garage, so literally all the rentals over there that we have seen online are double the size to what we have now. Our cats are indoor ones (ragdolls), they occasionally get walked on the leads outside, but ultimately they are mostly impartial to the outside world and prefer looking out the window at birds, so garden wise, we aren't too fussed which certainly helps keep the price down for rentals.

We have not actually visited Canada before, so base our choice purely on videos online where people walk around the city, pictures and personal experiences of those online as well. I quite like the youtube videos where people walk around filming everything. It always looks so.... quiet?, compared to where we live in the UK. This was one of the main reasons we wanted to visit and do a soft landing prior to making the move. I think our biggest fear though is that we both now have jobs that we enjoy in the UK, so leaving those for the unknown is quite a step. Regardless, I'd have to leave mine come next next August anyway, as we'd have to relocate to somewhere that is affordable if we stayed here.

You should both hopefully be able to get into your chosen fields. Just may take sometime but as long as you are prepared to take a survival job to keep you going you will be totally fine. I worked many rubbish jobs until I got into my field. But it was all a great learning curve and don't regret any of it for a second!! You will be totally fine!!

We watched a lot of videos of Ottawa but when I soft landed we backed out of it. But I am now focusing on Greater Toronto Area. Its a Big move but I would say just make the leap and go for it!! (As long as it is something you really want)

Calgary seems like a nice place. I have some relatives that moved there from Toronto and said they would never move back.

But the winters can be long and cold (obviously winter is part of the deal in Canada) but as long as you are prepared for it, good winter coat etc you will be ok!!

As I said we backed out of Ottawa, partly due to the longer more severe winter compared to southern Ontario. But then again some people would take an Ottawa winter over a Toronto slushier winter.

Remember that if your EE was processed via FSW you will need to be able to prove the minimum required funds when you do your landing not when you come to permanently settle. Also bear in mind that if you soft land and then return to UK you will need to have either a Canadian address for them to send your PR card to or you will need to obtain a permanent resident travel document before you will be able to return to Canada. CIC do not send PR cards to addresses outside of Canada and your ETA is cancelled when you become a PR on landing.

Thanks all. Very reassuring to know that it is doable with the funds we'll hopefully have available at that stage.

At Engineer_Abroad - We haven't decided on whether to secure a rental prior to landing or not. If I got by the CIC website, it doesn't appear like you 'have' to supply an address immediately, but it also doesn't state an exact timeframe that they will allow you to locate somewhere to live and supply one. At the moment, when we land, we'll land and stay. I cannot see that plan changing unless rent suddenly becomes incredibly affordable here.

@Suzeandmatt - We are also looking at Edmonton, prices seem roughly the same there. In regards to a vehicle, I don't think that will be something we will go for initially as the costs are too high for what we'll have available. Once we have jobs then will probably look towards getting one. I think initially, for the first year at least, we'll aim for public transport usage.

Thanks again for the replies and all the information.

Ummm Yes it most certainly does.

I am a new permanent resident of Canada. Do I need to apply for a permanent resident card?

Thanks Siouxie, page I looked at didn't say that. One of the many instances of varying info at different locations on the website!

Easiest way to get a Canadian mailing address is to rent a UPS mailbox at a UPS store in the area you will be living. You can make arrangements with them to have your mail forwarded to wherever you need it to be sent. That's how I maintain an address in the US after moving to Montreal back in 2015, I also have a Montreal UPS mailbox for convenience.

That might be a bit suspect to give to CBSA Officers for your PR card delivery if you have a return ticket to fly back to the UK a few days or a week later, especially if doing a 'soft landing' and not having a goods-to-follow list etc!

Additionally, PR Cards will only be mailed to post office (PO) boxes if this is your residential mailing address
(some people have a PO box number due to living in a remote location or one not served by regular mail, but the PO Box is part of their normal residential address - the 'collection box' could be located a few yards or hundred yards from their home ).
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...signation.html
and https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...e-30-2014.htmlI have read on other forums that PR cards are sent in an envelope that has 'Do NOT Forward' on the front. I don't know how true this is.

The OP has 180 days to notify them of an address for the PR card to be sent to - or appy for a new one.

I am just pointing out that it is an option. Note that UPS mailboxes are not the same as a PO box. The address format of an UPS box is different, and more flexible.

This is the envelope in which my PR card arrived.




I've looked at the law on this and it isn't clear to me that the statement "Do not forward" has any basis in law. I commented on this in this Post explaining the detail of "Do not forward".