Shesdressingup

I've been in Vancouver almost a week now so thought I'd post about it incase other people are coming to Vancouver soon .

Getting our SIN number took about 45 minutes, though I don't know whether that is the usual waiting time or if we arrived just as it got busy! It was easy enough once we were seen though & the woman who served us was very friendly!

Jobwise, my boyfriend got a job in a coffee shop straight away through being recommended by someone he knows who already lives here, so that was great. I guess it shows that contacts and who you know definitely helps, but thats the same everywhere. I spoke to a woman who deals with careers placements at Simon Fraser university here, who helped me change my CV to suit Canadian employers, so I recommend "Canadianising" your CV before/when you get here! I've been busy dealing with getting an apartment so haven't hardcore started jobhunting yet... That starts today!

There seems to be a lot of accomodation available; we just traweled through Craigslist every day for apartments advertised within our price range and the area we wanted to be in and after viewing 5 or 6 chose the one we liked best. It is a one year lease, but we plan to stay in Vancouver so that is fine. You can seem to get a decent sized one bedroom with lounge/kitchen area and balcony for between $950-1050 per month in the West end/ English bay area (which seems to be a really great area)!

I haven't figured out phone contracts yet (brought my own HTC from home with me and I'm hoping to get a Canadian sim for it) but for now my boyfriend and I are just sharing a prepaid pay as you go phone from 7-eleven, which has been fine! I'd recommend getting something like that at first if you're planning to be calling up for apartments/jobs.

Groceries seem quite expensive, but then I have been shopping in Urban Fare, which isn't exactly Tesco, so it is my own fault I think! There are so many fantastic bars and restaurants here too. I recommend the Yaletown Brewing Company on Sunday nights for amazing $9 pizza and $4 beer (the raspberry beer is awesome).

Anyway, sorry about the rambling! Just thought it might be interesting/useful to someone . Let me know if you're coming to (or are in) Vancouver!

scottyxx

Yes, health card is dependant on work permit, if your on IEC you need proof of employment to renew.

akwinf

Thanks, thats what I thought. Weighing up whether I'm actually going to go through the hassle of getting it now, as this permit is up August 25th, then I'm back in the UK for a while before Iceland (where I can use my EHIC card for up to 12 months) - insurance will cover me for anything major, and I've coped so far without having to see a doctor for minor complaints, a month more probably won't hurt!


Just weighing in on the PR debate - I'm sceptical over the rumoured change to only 1 year of experience needed. That'd surely be making the criteria too wide and there would be a glut of people attempting to gain PR? I'm thinking they'd be tightening up other aspects of the criteria, maybe being stricter on the type of experience needed.
I'm lucky that my current profession of choice is one that is in major short supply in Canada, so once my second IEC year is finished I'll hopefully be applying under the Live-In Caregiver Programme (needing 12 months full-time work experience in a related field, so my au pairing will be perfect). 2 years as a live-in nanny then I'll be able to apply for PR and an open work permit - a long slog but it will be worth it in the end.

catpea33

I'm in Québec on IEC and no, you don't need a separate IEC visa for this place.

Cat

UK_Claire

akwinf - I'm hoping to find au pair work too, where did you find your job? I was a nanny back home. Any advice you can give would be great.

akwinf

I'll send you a PM with the details, as not to clog up here!

af1987

Hey guys, arrived in Vancouver yesterday, really liking it so far apart from one issue.

I went into Scotiabank this morning to set up an account, and they told me I'd need proof of address which can be either a bill or a letter from the landlord. As I'm staying in a hostel, I clearly wouldn't be able to get either. Is there other banks that might not need this or would I need to find a flat before opening an account. Really don't want to be carrying all my money around with me too much longer...

Thanks

Keid

Hey af,

I went to TD Canada Trust and they made me the bank account then and there without the proof of address. You'll have to provide your hostel address and mobile number with them but it's only for registration purposes and you can change them any time on their website.

Just make sure you bring your passport and work permit.

scottyxx

Yeah I had no problem with TD, I used a friends address, as they need to Mail you our important information, such as your bank card.

poline54

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum and was wondering if those of you who have received your LOI for this year could help me with a question I have.

I sent off my application for IEC in early May and it was forwarded to the CIC on June 20th. They advised me that I required a medical earlier this month which I had today. Basically I wanted to know if the CIC grant a LOI once they have received these medical results (providing everything is ok) or whether they grant one anyway and then it's a case of you proving you passed the medical at the port of entry?

It's been a while waiting for this LOI almost at the 6 weeks mark and wanted to know whether this was because of the medical.

Many thanks in advance!

Paul

Jennika

I'm not entirely sure but I'd assume they'd grant the LOI once they got the medical results?

I was just reading some earlier posts about Toronto... for me visiting downtown TO is what made me fall in love with Canada and made me want to apply for this IEC.... hope I'm not disappointed when I get there....

UK_Claire

Anyone already here had any experience with buying a car and car insurance? I'm trying but it seems you have to completely start from scratch with insurance, they assume you're a new driver because they don't take your UK history into consideration!!

markstimson

Hopefully you won't be disappointed, but it does depend what you are looking for! I have been in Toronto for 9 months, and my distinct impression is that Toronto is not representative of Canada at all. My girlfriend is Canadian and has also confirmed this. Toronto is definitely the 'most American' of Canadian cities and I do like it here.

Roberto is spot on about the drivers being terrible, living costs, and poor public transport, but it's by and large a cool place to live. There are lots of interesting neighbourhoods, awesome restaurants and nightlife, and generally lots of things going on since it's a big city.

However the naturey, outdoorsy side of Canada really isn't catered for too well here so it's well worth bearing that in mind. Of course you can drive to the country and to the parks but it's not the same. All in all, there are much much worse places to be than here and Toronto is repeatedly in the top 10 world cities to live in.

.c.s.o.

I'm on my girlfriends insurance and they calculate the number of years experience from when I got my UK licence. I think we are with CornerStone http://www.cornerstoneinsurance.ca/

I'm not sure how it would work with no claims bonuses though as I have never had my own policy in the UK.

UK_Claire

Thanks c.s.o I'll give them a try. Did you do drivers ed here or just a straight license swap?