2 months in Oakville with two baby kids from Cheshire
Aug 28th 2011, 7:29 am
#1
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3
2 months in Oakville with two baby kids from Cheshire
Hi Guys,
I want first to thank you for all the good advices first.You are truly a gold mine.
So in order to give back, I will summarize our move in Oakville from the UK.
We have been living in the UK for more than 11 years now first in Aberdeen, then Ipswich, then Reading and finishing with Goostrey in Cheshire. We are both french. We really like our lives in the UK. But Canada has been always in the radar as a childhood dream. As we are french, it is quite easy to get a PR thanks to the Quebecor. We had our PRs two years ago in 2009. So we have decided to pay a visit for 3 weeks to tour Ontario and Quebec back then. For my wife, it was not great love first. But we really enjoyed Ottawa as it is very bilingual and Oakville as we do like to do lot of family activities.
So the decision was made to move only if we had a job waiting for us. So he took 2 years and a baby girl in the same period to get there and arrive on the 1st of July at Pearson airport.
As we had our PR from our first visit two years that Canadian friends sent to us as you need to have a canadian address to get it and we had our Social Identity Numbers, this time we had to do mainly bank account, renting accommodation and driving license and car.
But before the, we used a removal company called GBliners, they quote us back at the end of April something around 5000 pounds for non sharing container. We did go to move everything as we felt is ie we take nothing meaning just 4 luggages with our 2 baby kids or we take everything. As the halfway solution, we will not be able to take enough to reduce the cost of buying.
GBLiners based in Cheshire were perfect for us. they gave us good advice. They packed and picked up everything on the 19th of June and told us that our stuff could be shipped on the 5th of July or end July. We decided to go as earlier as possible even though it cost a bit more on top for storage as we did not have a place yet. The goods arrived on time in Toronto. From there, Brytor International local rep of GBLiner took us on board. I had to go to central custom office next to Union Station in downtown Toronto to clear my goods. It was very easy as when we stamped our visa two years earlier we had a list of our stuff in a word document that has been signed by customs and asked by the office. Then I just add to send by fax to Brytor the custom stamped clearance from.
Our stuff then arrived in our new home on the 3rd of August on time in our new home in Oakville in one piece.
The new house was more challenging. I have contacted before we landed a realtor Ken WedLake prior our move. He was just great. He came to the HolidayInn at Oakville to pick us up in our first morning to go on tour for all the property short listed. We were looking for renting as it seems the more sensible as we do not know if we like it here. We find two properties which one the landlord was not confident because no canadian credit history, the second one we have been bypass by 200 dollars by the competition. The renting property market was hot as the summer. But Ken tried to help us as much as he can. And we finally find our first canadian home after 3 weeks of search not far from 3rd Line west oak trail.
The bank account was done in one day via HSBC as they have two offices in Oakville and I had a bank account with them in the UK. I would say that the bank here like the paper works and see people which is probably they are less in a mess than in the UK. But for someone like me which travel a lot, it can be a logistic nightmare. I am thinking to gi TD bank as they open on sundays. Tip request bank checks when you open your accounts has they still use it a lot.
Car was a bit more easier as we went direct to the Nissan dealer in Oakville to buy a 3 year old Nissan Rogue SUV. I wanted to get some financing from them so I did not argue too much the price and went for them to finance. They did the work for us and they tried many banks and have been rejected few times. Si finally, the financing went direct with them at 9% for 12000 dollars.
Car insurance a big topic in this forum, yes it is very very expensive. you have to have your Ontario driving license done with a letter of the DVLA to prove your clean records.we had quote as high as 10000 dollars, lot of quote around 5000 dollars. We have been advices by Nissan to check with Desjardins and TD insurance which were in deed the cheapest with 2900 dollars without asking to prove any prove of discount. We went for TD Insurance.
Renting home insurance was asked by the letting agency prior getting the keys. we went for Farm insurance. You can do the shopping online. But you will still have to speak over the phone to them to close the deal.
Preschool was quiet easy to get if you are willing to pay 3 days around 6000 dollars a year. But in Oakville there are plenty of it. We did a tour and pick the one we felt was the best.
Cell phone contract are expensive as well.
Immigration paper was done for everyone PR cards done with us except for the little baby as born in the UK. So she came to the country as a visitor with her french passport. The customs at Pearson did not say anything against her to get in to Canada. We did send already the paper to sponsor her to get the paper work done.
In fine, we like it so far. We try as much as possible to get out lot of parks and family activities. It is true it is subburbia. But when you have two little kids, everything is 5-10 mins drive around us, it is a great place to be.
We still have to build our networks but the key thing in any immigration is to be PATIENT.
Thanks for your help.
Abid&Beatrice
I want first to thank you for all the good advices first.You are truly a gold mine.
So in order to give back, I will summarize our move in Oakville from the UK.
We have been living in the UK for more than 11 years now first in Aberdeen, then Ipswich, then Reading and finishing with Goostrey in Cheshire. We are both french. We really like our lives in the UK. But Canada has been always in the radar as a childhood dream. As we are french, it is quite easy to get a PR thanks to the Quebecor. We had our PRs two years ago in 2009. So we have decided to pay a visit for 3 weeks to tour Ontario and Quebec back then. For my wife, it was not great love first. But we really enjoyed Ottawa as it is very bilingual and Oakville as we do like to do lot of family activities.
So the decision was made to move only if we had a job waiting for us. So he took 2 years and a baby girl in the same period to get there and arrive on the 1st of July at Pearson airport.
As we had our PR from our first visit two years that Canadian friends sent to us as you need to have a canadian address to get it and we had our Social Identity Numbers, this time we had to do mainly bank account, renting accommodation and driving license and car.
But before the, we used a removal company called GBliners, they quote us back at the end of April something around 5000 pounds for non sharing container. We did go to move everything as we felt is ie we take nothing meaning just 4 luggages with our 2 baby kids or we take everything. As the halfway solution, we will not be able to take enough to reduce the cost of buying.
GBLiners based in Cheshire were perfect for us. they gave us good advice. They packed and picked up everything on the 19th of June and told us that our stuff could be shipped on the 5th of July or end July. We decided to go as earlier as possible even though it cost a bit more on top for storage as we did not have a place yet. The goods arrived on time in Toronto. From there, Brytor International local rep of GBLiner took us on board. I had to go to central custom office next to Union Station in downtown Toronto to clear my goods. It was very easy as when we stamped our visa two years earlier we had a list of our stuff in a word document that has been signed by customs and asked by the office. Then I just add to send by fax to Brytor the custom stamped clearance from.
Our stuff then arrived in our new home on the 3rd of August on time in our new home in Oakville in one piece.
The new house was more challenging. I have contacted before we landed a realtor Ken WedLake prior our move. He was just great. He came to the HolidayInn at Oakville to pick us up in our first morning to go on tour for all the property short listed. We were looking for renting as it seems the more sensible as we do not know if we like it here. We find two properties which one the landlord was not confident because no canadian credit history, the second one we have been bypass by 200 dollars by the competition. The renting property market was hot as the summer. But Ken tried to help us as much as he can. And we finally find our first canadian home after 3 weeks of search not far from 3rd Line west oak trail.
The bank account was done in one day via HSBC as they have two offices in Oakville and I had a bank account with them in the UK. I would say that the bank here like the paper works and see people which is probably they are less in a mess than in the UK. But for someone like me which travel a lot, it can be a logistic nightmare. I am thinking to gi TD bank as they open on sundays. Tip request bank checks when you open your accounts has they still use it a lot.
Car was a bit more easier as we went direct to the Nissan dealer in Oakville to buy a 3 year old Nissan Rogue SUV. I wanted to get some financing from them so I did not argue too much the price and went for them to finance. They did the work for us and they tried many banks and have been rejected few times. Si finally, the financing went direct with them at 9% for 12000 dollars.
Car insurance a big topic in this forum, yes it is very very expensive. you have to have your Ontario driving license done with a letter of the DVLA to prove your clean records.we had quote as high as 10000 dollars, lot of quote around 5000 dollars. We have been advices by Nissan to check with Desjardins and TD insurance which were in deed the cheapest with 2900 dollars without asking to prove any prove of discount. We went for TD Insurance.
Renting home insurance was asked by the letting agency prior getting the keys. we went for Farm insurance. You can do the shopping online. But you will still have to speak over the phone to them to close the deal.
Preschool was quiet easy to get if you are willing to pay 3 days around 6000 dollars a year. But in Oakville there are plenty of it. We did a tour and pick the one we felt was the best.
Cell phone contract are expensive as well.
Immigration paper was done for everyone PR cards done with us except for the little baby as born in the UK. So she came to the country as a visitor with her french passport. The customs at Pearson did not say anything against her to get in to Canada. We did send already the paper to sponsor her to get the paper work done.
In fine, we like it so far. We try as much as possible to get out lot of parks and family activities. It is true it is subburbia. But when you have two little kids, everything is 5-10 mins drive around us, it is a great place to be.
We still have to build our networks but the key thing in any immigration is to be PATIENT.
Thanks for your help.
Abid&Beatrice
Aug 29th 2011, 10:54 am
#2
Slob
Joined: Sep 2009
Location: Ottineau
Posts: 6,342
Re: 2 months in Oakville with two baby kids from Cheshire
Hi Guys,
I want first to thank you for all the good advices first.You are truly a gold mine.
So in order to give back, I will summarize our move in Oakville from the UK.
We have been living in the UK for more than 11 years now first in Aberdeen, then Ipswich, then Reading and finishing with Goostrey in Cheshire. We are both french. We really like our lives in the UK. But Canada has been always in the radar as a childhood dream. As we are french, it is quite easy to get a PR thanks to the Quebecor. We had our PRs two years ago in 2009. So we have decided to pay a visit for 3 weeks to tour Ontario and Quebec back then. For my wife, it was not great love first. But we really enjoyed Ottawa as it is very bilingual and Oakville as we do like to do lot of family activities.
So the decision was made to move only if we had a job waiting for us. So he took 2 years and a baby girl in the same period to get there and arrive on the 1st of July at Pearson airport.
As we had our PR from our first visit two years that Canadian friends sent to us as you need to have a canadian address to get it and we had our Social Identity Numbers, this time we had to do mainly bank account, renting accommodation and driving license and car.
But before the, we used a removal company called GBliners, they quote us back at the end of April something around 5000 pounds for non sharing container. We did go to move everything as we felt is ie we take nothing meaning just 4 luggages with our 2 baby kids or we take everything. As the halfway solution, we will not be able to take enough to reduce the cost of buying.
GBLiners based in Cheshire were perfect for us. they gave us good advice. They packed and picked up everything on the 19th of June and told us that our stuff could be shipped on the 5th of July or end July. We decided to go as earlier as possible even though it cost a bit more on top for storage as we did not have a place yet. The goods arrived on time in Toronto. From there, Brytor International local rep of GBLiner took us on board. I had to go to central custom office next to Union Station in downtown Toronto to clear my goods. It was very easy as when we stamped our visa two years earlier we had a list of our stuff in a word document that has been signed by customs and asked by the office. Then I just add to send by fax to Brytor the custom stamped clearance from.
Our stuff then arrived in our new home on the 3rd of August on time in our new home in Oakville in one piece.
The new house was more challenging. I have contacted before we landed a realtor Ken WedLake prior our move. He was just great. He came to the HolidayInn at Oakville to pick us up in our first morning to go on tour for all the property short listed. We were looking for renting as it seems the more sensible as we do not know if we like it here. We find two properties which one the landlord was not confident because no canadian credit history, the second one we have been bypass by 200 dollars by the competition. The renting property market was hot as the summer. But Ken tried to help us as much as he can. And we finally find our first canadian home after 3 weeks of search not far from 3rd Line west oak trail.
The bank account was done in one day via HSBC as they have two offices in Oakville and I had a bank account with them in the UK. I would say that the bank here like the paper works and see people which is probably they are less in a mess than in the UK. But for someone like me which travel a lot, it can be a logistic nightmare. I am thinking to gi TD bank as they open on sundays. Tip request bank checks when you open your accounts has they still use it a lot.
Car was a bit more easier as we went direct to the Nissan dealer in Oakville to buy a 3 year old Nissan Rogue SUV. I wanted to get some financing from them so I did not argue too much the price and went for them to finance. They did the work for us and they tried many banks and have been rejected few times. Si finally, the financing went direct with them at 9% for 12000 dollars.
Car insurance a big topic in this forum, yes it is very very expensive. you have to have your Ontario driving license done with a letter of the DVLA to prove your clean records.we had quote as high as 10000 dollars, lot of quote around 5000 dollars. We have been advices by Nissan to check with Desjardins and TD insurance which were in deed the cheapest with 2900 dollars without asking to prove any prove of discount. We went for TD Insurance.
Renting home insurance was asked by the letting agency prior getting the keys. we went for Farm insurance. You can do the shopping online. But you will still have to speak over the phone to them to close the deal.
Preschool was quiet easy to get if you are willing to pay 3 days around 6000 dollars a year. But in Oakville there are plenty of it. We did a tour and pick the one we felt was the best.
Cell phone contract are expensive as well.
Immigration paper was done for everyone PR cards done with us except for the little baby as born in the UK. So she came to the country as a visitor with her french passport. The customs at Pearson did not say anything against her to get in to Canada. We did send already the paper to sponsor her to get the paper work done.
In fine, we like it so far. We try as much as possible to get out lot of parks and family activities. It is true it is subburbia. But when you have two little kids, everything is 5-10 mins drive around us, it is a great place to be.
We still have to build our networks but the key thing in any immigration is to be PATIENT.
Thanks for your help.
Abid&Beatrice
I want first to thank you for all the good advices first.You are truly a gold mine.
So in order to give back, I will summarize our move in Oakville from the UK.
We have been living in the UK for more than 11 years now first in Aberdeen, then Ipswich, then Reading and finishing with Goostrey in Cheshire. We are both french. We really like our lives in the UK. But Canada has been always in the radar as a childhood dream. As we are french, it is quite easy to get a PR thanks to the Quebecor. We had our PRs two years ago in 2009. So we have decided to pay a visit for 3 weeks to tour Ontario and Quebec back then. For my wife, it was not great love first. But we really enjoyed Ottawa as it is very bilingual and Oakville as we do like to do lot of family activities.
So the decision was made to move only if we had a job waiting for us. So he took 2 years and a baby girl in the same period to get there and arrive on the 1st of July at Pearson airport.
As we had our PR from our first visit two years that Canadian friends sent to us as you need to have a canadian address to get it and we had our Social Identity Numbers, this time we had to do mainly bank account, renting accommodation and driving license and car.
But before the, we used a removal company called GBliners, they quote us back at the end of April something around 5000 pounds for non sharing container. We did go to move everything as we felt is ie we take nothing meaning just 4 luggages with our 2 baby kids or we take everything. As the halfway solution, we will not be able to take enough to reduce the cost of buying.
GBLiners based in Cheshire were perfect for us. they gave us good advice. They packed and picked up everything on the 19th of June and told us that our stuff could be shipped on the 5th of July or end July. We decided to go as earlier as possible even though it cost a bit more on top for storage as we did not have a place yet. The goods arrived on time in Toronto. From there, Brytor International local rep of GBLiner took us on board. I had to go to central custom office next to Union Station in downtown Toronto to clear my goods. It was very easy as when we stamped our visa two years earlier we had a list of our stuff in a word document that has been signed by customs and asked by the office. Then I just add to send by fax to Brytor the custom stamped clearance from.
Our stuff then arrived in our new home on the 3rd of August on time in our new home in Oakville in one piece.
The new house was more challenging. I have contacted before we landed a realtor Ken WedLake prior our move. He was just great. He came to the HolidayInn at Oakville to pick us up in our first morning to go on tour for all the property short listed. We were looking for renting as it seems the more sensible as we do not know if we like it here. We find two properties which one the landlord was not confident because no canadian credit history, the second one we have been bypass by 200 dollars by the competition. The renting property market was hot as the summer. But Ken tried to help us as much as he can. And we finally find our first canadian home after 3 weeks of search not far from 3rd Line west oak trail.
The bank account was done in one day via HSBC as they have two offices in Oakville and I had a bank account with them in the UK. I would say that the bank here like the paper works and see people which is probably they are less in a mess than in the UK. But for someone like me which travel a lot, it can be a logistic nightmare. I am thinking to gi TD bank as they open on sundays. Tip request bank checks when you open your accounts has they still use it a lot.
Car was a bit more easier as we went direct to the Nissan dealer in Oakville to buy a 3 year old Nissan Rogue SUV. I wanted to get some financing from them so I did not argue too much the price and went for them to finance. They did the work for us and they tried many banks and have been rejected few times. Si finally, the financing went direct with them at 9% for 12000 dollars.
Car insurance a big topic in this forum, yes it is very very expensive. you have to have your Ontario driving license done with a letter of the DVLA to prove your clean records.we had quote as high as 10000 dollars, lot of quote around 5000 dollars. We have been advices by Nissan to check with Desjardins and TD insurance which were in deed the cheapest with 2900 dollars without asking to prove any prove of discount. We went for TD Insurance.
Renting home insurance was asked by the letting agency prior getting the keys. we went for Farm insurance. You can do the shopping online. But you will still have to speak over the phone to them to close the deal.
Preschool was quiet easy to get if you are willing to pay 3 days around 6000 dollars a year. But in Oakville there are plenty of it. We did a tour and pick the one we felt was the best.
Cell phone contract are expensive as well.
Immigration paper was done for everyone PR cards done with us except for the little baby as born in the UK. So she came to the country as a visitor with her french passport. The customs at Pearson did not say anything against her to get in to Canada. We did send already the paper to sponsor her to get the paper work done.
In fine, we like it so far. We try as much as possible to get out lot of parks and family activities. It is true it is subburbia. But when you have two little kids, everything is 5-10 mins drive around us, it is a great place to be.
We still have to build our networks but the key thing in any immigration is to be PATIENT.
Thanks for your help.
Abid&Beatrice
