scottyxx

SIN: Work permit, Passport
Drivers Licence: Your UK Photocard. (Passport doesn't hurt, but not needed)

You also need a mailing address for both

UK_Claire

Thanks scotty, you're a star!

scottyxx

I realise your not in Ontario, so double check that where you are has a reciprocal licence agreement, and its a direct swap you only pay the licensing fee of 75 or something.

I renewed my Sin Yesterday, they will ask for your mothers name, and your fathers name..i was so confused!

roberto_the_besto

Yeah that confused me too as my mother's name is different and my father's too. I have different surname than the two of them lol.

Anyway, I waited for about 30 minutes for my SIN.

Bank account wise. The Bank of Montreal are offering a free account with unlimited transactions, free for a year. It is called the "new immigrant" account or something.

I have just got a part time job in restaurant in Toronto.

Anybody who is coming to Toronto I will say this now:
- It is expensive (about $3.50 for a loaf of bread = £2.20)
- Whilst finding somewhere to live, unless you are rich - Subway, KFC and McDonnald's will become your home lol.
- It's not easy to find a job, I've found that they seem to look down on working holiday visas.
- Try and get a contract 2 year mobile phone plan with Fido (sim only) and it will give you 150 minutes, unlimited outgoing and incoming (yes they charge you to receive a call here) calls between 5pm and 7am. Unlimited outgoing and incoming messages. I signed up for a 2 year contract. They said that if I want to cancel I just call up and pay a $12.50 calcelation fee. I have my own phone....for GSM phones and especially HTC only Fido and Rogers work. I tried wind, virgin mobile, public mobile, koodo, bell and tellus etc and they didn't work.

Good luck

scottyxx

You have had the worst luck! Honestly, come to Guelph!

Anyway, I waited for about 30 minutes for my SIN.


Bank account wise. The Bank of Montreal are offering a free account with unlimited transactions, free for a year. It is called the "new immigrant" account or something.

Thats awesome! I wish they had that when I came over!

I have just got a part time job in restaurant in Toronto.
Congrats!!

Anybody who is coming to Toronto I will say this now:
- It is expensive (about $3.50 for a loaf of bread = £2.20)
The bread also tastes sweet, I find it so strange!! Bread is like $2 in Guelph though. Make sure you do not shop in Metro and you go to No Frills / Freshco / Food Basics. But Bread, Chicken and Milk are so expensive here!

- Whilst finding somewhere to live, unless you are rich - Subway, KFC and McDonnald's will become your home lol.
$1.39 for a burger is hard to beat.

- It's not easy to find a job, I've found that they seem to look down on working holiday visas.
No need to say working Holiday Visa. Tell them you are legal to work, thats all they need to know! I think looking in bars / pubs is hard because of the "safe serve" certification they want people to have here. Check out indeed.ca and careerjet.ca there are lots of short term contracts at jobs available, its all about selling yourself right here. I got a 1 year contract as an Analyst at a University on my WHP.

- Try and get a contract 2 year mobile phone plan with Fido (sim only) and it will give you 150 minutes, unlimited outgoing and incoming (yes they charge you to receive a call here) calls between 5pm and 7am. Unlimited outgoing and incoming messages. I signed up for a 2 year contract. They said that if I want to cancel I just call up and pay a $12.50 calcelation fee. I have my own phone....for GSM phones and especially HTC only Fido and Rogers work. I tried wind, virgin mobile, public mobile, koodo, bell and tellus etc and they didn't work.
The cancellation fee is not going to be $12.50 my friend, Rogers tried to charge me $500 for leaving!! So be very careful, and be willing to fight, and stand your ground!

Yes these new companies do their own thing so to speak. For anyone who doesn't have a phone, I recommend Koodo, no contracts, no Long Distance (thank god!)


Good luck[/QUOTE]


I hope things are picking up for you man!

akwinf

Seconding Koodo, I pay $50 a month for my Blackberry, excellent customer service and they are letting me put my plan on hold for $10 a month, for the time that I'll be living in Iceland.

I got my shiny new bank card today - instead of going to my appointment next week the lovely lady at TD gave me one when I went to deposit my paycheck. Visa Debit and Interac Flash (contactless purchasing!), doesn't get much better than that.


On the bread issue, the sweetness of the bread made me switch to wholegrain. I basically live off 12 grain bagels and bread, only having white bread when it comes to PB&J sandwiches! Chicken is massively expensive everywhere, buying in bulk when it comes on special and freezing was my strategy when I was here on my exchange year in 09/10. I thought milk in the bag was the thing ever (and by far the cheapest way to buy milk) until I discovered chocolate milk in a bag. Mind = blown.

Food Basics is your best friend, and shop at farmers markets if you can. You get ridiculous deals on locally grown veg and can track down some actual decent cheese, rather than the Cracker Barrel rubbish you get at the grocery store.

Scotty - I live about 1 1/2 hours north-west of Guelph in Hanover (a small town only known for its horse racing and slot machines), and try to get down to K-W as often as I can to see my friends there. Moving to Toronto can't come soon enough for me!

markstimson

Finally got my LOI on Friday...man what a stress it was at times! Toronto for another year woop woop.

Planty21

Hey,

Just booked my Flight to Vancouver(25th August, just incase anyone else is getting that flight) .

The only thing i want to query really is what I will do with my Iphone, Do i cancel the contract before i go and just buy one out there or do i just take it out and get a canadian sim? How does it work? I know it is talked about a few posts up but just wondering what i do with my provider here?

Thanks

scottyxx

You wont be able to get an Iphone without a contract, or without paying like $500 for the phone. You could either Take it over, get it unlocked and get a Sim with Rogers, or just leave it at home, and pick up a Koodo phone on the tab.

I would probably suggest the 2nd option as i would be cheaper / easier on the long run.

ggreenwo

Hey,

Can I ask what your timeline was? I am still waiting for mine. I was sent to CIC on 14th of June?
Anyone else still waiting for theirs???
I kinda want to email them but technically I am only on 4 weeks and it said to wait for 6 weeks from passed to CIC stage.....
Thanks

.c.s.o.

I brought my iPhone with me. I downgraded my UK contact to the cheapest and I'm just going to wait till it ends.

Over here I got a month-to-month sim only contract on Rogers. It's about 60 bucks a month with data, 200 minutes and unlimited texts.

Coledeschanel

Thats my plan too. Getting to Vancouver on 7th Aug and have bben told to get exactly 12 months work experience in order to apply for PR status at a later date so I was going to get off the plane and say im coming as a tourist and then flagpole later for my visa. What about if I get a flight or train to Seattle/LA or Vegas? Will they let me in as a tourist then?

scottyxx

12 months work experience wont get you PR. You need at least 2 years, and 3900 hours of work, over the last 3 years, on the current Canadian Experience Class.

All depends on the guy at the border, honestly, you can read back a few posts and see some people were not allowed to enter as a visitor when they had the IEC.

Former Lancastrian

Any person arriving in the US or Canada that has no right of entry ie citizen or PR can be refused entry into either country if they cannot satisfy the examining officer they will be leaving.
I see numerous threads by IEC applicants wanting to do this and that and IMO they are potentially setting themselves up for problems.
Sure you may have the IEC LOI for Canada but that means nothing to a US CBP officer if arriving in the USA prior to coming to Canada.
What happens if the CBP officer in the USA refuses you then you are on a plane back to the UK.
Even arriving in Canada with the LOI is no guarantee of entry.
I know some want to do the tourist thing before arriving but it can complicate things at times.
The more you complicate things can lead to problems down the road.
Sure many have done it with no problems but others havent.

Coledeschanel

Thanks for the help, I had better get a job which starts on my day of arrival then.

I went to see an immigration specialist last week and apparantly the general feeling is that they may change it down to one year from January. I certainly hope this will be the case.