Trish_Harmon

Hey everyone,

I got my CoPR earlier this year and will move to Canada soon. However there's something that confuses me a lot: I have a remote job therefore I was not after any city specifically. I found a place in Quebec which was quite affordable. After I've paid the deposit, I came to realize (through many posts) that it might be a problem as I only have a Federal PR but not the CSQ.

According to the forum, it would be OK to land in Toronto or anywhere non-Quebec, and then move to Quebec upon completing the landing interview. Still, I'm worried the fact that I found a place in Quebec PRIOR TO arrival could indicate "intention to live in Quebec" despite that I didn't originally really have any. Will they look into this at some point (for example, when reviewing my citizenship application)? I'll do the landing in Toronto late July and the rental starts Aug 01.

My concerns are:
1). Is landing in Toronto and moving to Quebec 2-3 days after safe as everyone says?
2). Do the officers go through rental records when reviewing documents for citizenship applications? Will my rental period in Quebec (and in this case, immediately after landing) become a potential problem?

Could you please let me know? Thanks for your information.

Trish

Siouxie

Welcome to BE!



On what basis did you obtain Permanent Residency (COPR) on? Are you an Express Entry candidate, a family member who has been sponsored, an accompanying dependent of a Principal Applicant or Provincial Nominee?

I would suggest that you defer moving until such time as you have your Permanent Residence card at minimum - they won't want to send one to Quebec if you didn't obtain your CSQ and apply through Quebec and they didn't select you.. http://www.immigration-quebec.gouv.q...s-answers.html

Under the regulations, once you become a PR you are able to live anywhere in Canada, but landing and moving to Quebec 3 days later may cause questions to be asked as to why you did not apply through the correct channels for Quebec Permanent Residency. The other concern may be in obtaining medical cover in Quebec initially.

Citizenship is a long way down the road before you will be able to apply - at least 2 years presuming you have worked in Canada for a year or two already - if not, then 3 years before you can apply - and processing takes around 12 months.

Trish_Harmon

Thank you for the informative reply!

Regarding address in Quebec: I will not use one in Quebec during landing. Instead, a friend from Toronto says I can use hers to receive the card (she won't be able to offer me a place to live though as she's in a private room). On the other hand, it would be a bit tricky for me to go for a short rental for weeks then move to Quebec as I'm moving from Europe with a cat, and the moving company simply can't put my cartons on hold for weeks before the pick up date (i.e., I have to be at the destination to receive them shortly after).

I'm aware of the citizenship eligibility and I will have to wait for 3 years or 1095 days. Will the rental record in Quebec be a problem, assuming I will move somewhere non-Quebec after this 1-year rental (Aug 01 2019 to July 31 2020)?

Thanks again!

Siouxie

I would be more concerned with your Landing Interview and then going to live in Quebec as a new PR within days without an invitation from Quebec / CSQ - if they believe you intended to live in Quebec but didn't apply through there then there may be questions or even an accusation of misrepresentation either now or in years to come - There are plenty of towns with reasonable rentals throughout Canada, the ' reasonable place to rent in Quebec' isn't going to be a mitigating factor - I would suggest you read this: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/protect-fraud/document-misrepresentation.html What route are you entering under? Express Entry/ Family sponsorship / Dependent of Principal Applicant / Provincial Nominee? - That may have influence on what issues you could incur.

(The moving company can store your shipment for a fee and the cat will be with you anyway).

I'm hoping Former Lancastrian / Snowy / Christmasoompa / PMM can chime in with their advice to you..

Trish_Harmon

I‘m under express entry (FSW) and not nominated by a province. I've never been in Canada before.

I didn't think too deeply about Quebec-specific situations as I naturally regarded it as a part of Canada, then a friend who has previously lived in Quebec warned me, I looked up on forums then.....ouch. This was after I signed a 1-year contract for housing.

Former Lancastrian

If under the FSW then it will be a problem with no CSQ issued by Quebec. Who is your employer and where are they located? Where will you actually be working? There are allowances for people to live in a different province than what they work in but these are not the normal. Lloydminster is a typical example as it straddles the Alberta/Saskatchewan border and we could also include Flin Flon which almost straddles the Manitoba/Saskatchewan border. The fact that rent is cheaper in one province over another would be a tough sell just based on that. I would seriously think hard and long about what it is you intend to do.

Trish_Harmon

Thanks for the reply! I'll be working remotely for a company based in the Nordic area. I could work from anywhere of my choice according to the employer and I will pay my tax once I have landed, just as other people who work from home. Quebec was basically a result of "choosing by the lowest possible rent".

I don't drive (yet) so my only choice was to stay in a city of great transportation system or the center of a relatively big town. Quebec would cost me 500-700 mo for a 1-room apt (not in Montreal though) while Winnipeg or Saskatoon would cost 800-1200.

scilly

Listen to what Former Lancastrian says ............ he is the resident expert on how things might appear to CBS, and how they might react.

It really looks as though you have done the wrong thing in renting in Quebec.

Siouxie

Will you be employed by them (as in as an employee) or will you be a freelance (self employed) worker? You can work remotely as either an employee or self employed/contractor. If you are employed by a Quebec company then that is likely to add to the issue of no CSQ and moving to Quebec (I'm not sure where they are based.. ) Taxes are paid both Provincially and Federally - so that too could have an impact on your future and the potential misrepresentation issue as on the Citizenship application you will have to list all the places you have lived for the previous 5 years, show tax returns etc.There are many towns / smaller cities with great transportation that have reasonable housing costs. Working remotely you have the ideal scenario for living anywhere in Canada. A 1 room apartment - i.e. a bachelor / studio apartment can be had in most places for under $800 a month (apart from perhaps Toronto and Vancouver). Here's just one in the City I live in, for instance https://www.rentseeker.ca/rent/apart...n-street-south

I strongly suggest you listen to Former Lancastrian. and think about what is more important to you - living in Quebec or potentially losing your PR status. If I were in your position I think I would contact the company that you obtained the lease through, explain the circumstances and ask them to release you from it. You may have to lose a month rental but this is a small price to pay in the big picture. It's never a good idea to rent 'sight unseen' in any case - what you see in an advert isn't necessarily what it actually is (and there are lots of scams around) - hopefully you obtained the lease through a reputable company and not just an advert on Craigslist or something similar.
Hope you can get something sorted out ..

Trish_Harmon

Thank you for the suggestions! I'm seriously reconsidering it now.
I'm working as an employee for a non-Quebec company, the company is based in Europe.
Could any of you suggest some towns with local supermarkets etc, and ideally a rent around 700-800 for a 1-room apt (I'm looking for something furnished because I can't move my furnitures from Europe to Canada)?

Siouxie

Do be aware of your tax liabilities if you are an employee for a company overseas.

Furnished apartments are rare and usually only for executive rentals and are very expensive. If you were quoted $500 a month for a furnished studio I would suspect that it's a scam or was actually a room in a shared house for students for example or a sublet or short term let by owner. Most people buy basic furniture when they get here if they haven't shipped it over. A 1 room apartment is called a studio or bachelor.

All towns/cities will have supermarkets and there are such things as taxi's (and Ubers). No point in moving to a place you aren't really interested in just because it's cheap (there's usually a reason it's cheap - it could be that the area is run down / crime ridden or that there is limited employment.

Do have a read of our renting section in the Wiki.. lots of good information and links to sites where you can look for rentals.
https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Renting-Canada. Perhaps a sublet or short term let would work for you temporarily until you can work out where you really want to live and find something more permanent. Having a cat may be an issue for some landlords, so do remember to check if the accommodation is 'pet friendly'.

Have you considered New Brunswick / Nova Scotia / PEI (i.e. the Atlantic Provinces)? Rentals seem to be cheaper there. Moncton for instance has good transit, according to posts I have read here. https://www.moncton.ca

What is it you like to do - what are your interests? Do you like restaurants, bars, live music, walking by water, historical buildings - think about that and then think about an area that might have those things. You are in an ideal position, working remotely - although I would suggest that you find an area that has employment potential in your line of work, remote working isn't always reliable (I'm a remote worker too, for a company in Europe).

Trish_Harmon

Thank you for the information!

I've done some intensive apartment hunting on Kijiji and there's where I got the offer. The town was actually one of the cheapest towns in Quebec and top 10 cheapest in the country I think. As I'm not particularly interested in outdoor activities, I spend most of my time at home to work and read. Therefore I don't have any specific needs for a nice surrounding etc, a safe one is good enough.

I've looked at Moncton but there are not a lot of offers popping up at the moment: mostly 2 or 3 bedroom apts. I have also looked at Saskatoon and Edmonton, a bit more expensive and less offers. I'll keep looking.

I'm working on the intersection of neuroscience and machine learning (that's another reason why Quebec would be an interesting option). People or companies in this very small field are pretty much based in Edmonton or Greater Montreal area.

Regarding furnished apt: I agree it's really hard to find one. The ratio is about 1 in 10 based on my experience on Kijiji.

I'll go through the links and see if there's anything interesting

scilly

Isn't Kijiji just as likely to scams as Craig's List????

Siouxie

Toronto also has neuroscience and machine learning opportunities.

Scams are unfortunately frequent on Craigs List and Kijiji. If it seems incredibly cheap or too good to be true, it's usually because it's dodgy. Photos are often taken from other websites and used in adverts, so do be very careful and never send money. Whilst these are aimed at students they contain good info Ottawa: https://www.canada.ca/en/competition...for-error.html
https://www.studentlife.utoronto.ca/hs/housing-scams