Because my father was in the military, I spent my childhood in India and moved around a lot. I eventually made my home in Delhi, where I remained for approximately six years before moving to Canada. When we decided to leave India, my wife and I had been married for about a year. Our conversation was funny in a funny way. After work, one of us, whose name I can’t recall, asked, “Hey, do you want to try moving to Canada?” and we were sitting on the balcony. The other person replied, “Yes.” Then we just went along with it!
We were both disillusioned with our home country and had our motivations for wanting to relocate. We also didn’t like Delhi’s excessive industrial pollution. We were certain that Canada would provide us with better opportunities. Between Waterloo and Toronto, there is what is known as the largest hub for jobs in technology and engineering outside of Silicon Valley. I knew there might be opportunities in this market because I have worked in jobs near tech.
A well-organized move requires careful planning and preparation.
Together with my wife, we looked over all of our various immigration options and routes. We decided to use Express Entry to apply. The required documents were clearly laid out, and the application process was straightforward for us. Although we did not feel the need to hire an immigration consultant, I am aware that some Indian immigrants to other countries do so. We received an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence a month after submitting our application. The following two months saw us gather the necessary documents and submit our PR application.
After that, we had to figure out how to sort and get rid of everything that we didn’t need to bring to Canada. She led this because my wife is much more organized than I am. We had a spreadsheet in Excel that divided our tasks into months, such as the paperwork, application documents, items we needed to sell, and any other businesses we needed to close before the move. To ensure that you don’t miss anything, I would suggest organizing all of your moving-related tasks. We had a clear strategy for our move when we received our Confirmation of Permanent Residence (CoPR), and we were able to arrive in Canada in less than three months.
On January 30, 2020, my wife and I arrived in Toronto. We were picked up by one of my college friends and taken to the booked North York Airbnb. When we got there, it snowed. I had seen snow once before, but that was when I was a kid. It was magical, something I hadn’t seen since I was older. I felt like I was in a Christmas movie when we got to our neighborhood.
I saw various animals over the next few days, including rabbits, a skunk, and a raccoon. This was one-of-a-kind for me because Delhi has a very high population density and almost no wildlife in or around the city. It was a memorable moment; We both had a lot of excitement about our move. The fact that the cold didn’t bother us as much as we had feared was another pleasant surprise. Early on, I discovered that properly layering in the winter isn’t that difficult.
With a job, moving to Canada increases financial security
It was fortunate for me that the Indian company I worked for decided to keep me employed in Canada. I am grateful that it served as our emergency parachute. My recommendation to somebody moving to Canada is to attempt to get an inner work move before moving here, as opposed to leaving your place of employment and attempting to regard one as here. That is the most straightforward approach. If possible, finalizing your income strategy before your move is helpful.
Despite this, we were concerned about our finances for the first six months as my wife looked for work. Even though we had prepared for that and brought some of our savings with us, we still had to be frugal because the cost of living in Canada is much higher than it is in India. I began my search for a job that suited my skills after Sugandha started working, and I was hired by a Canadian company in the same industry as Sugandha.
When I started working in a Canadian workplace, one of my concerns was whether I would fit in culturally and in terms of communication. Anyone moving from a different culture or country is concerned about that. However, the people I work with have been extremely welcoming.
Finding a place to live without credit
Our initial strategy was to rent a shared Airbnb for a few months, but our landlord decided to sell his house shortly after we moved in. He gave us two weeks to move out and refunded a portion of the upfront payment. Renting our place was always our plan, but that sped up our timeline.
We settled on an apartment in downtown Toronto near Liberty Village. It was amazing that the streetcar stop was right in front of our building. Since we did not own a car, public transportation was essential. We encountered a problem as we completed the necessary paperwork to secure the location. We didn’t yet have a credit history because we were so new to Canada. I substituted bank statements and income statements to demonstrate that we had sufficient savings to pay our rent. We obtained the location a few hours after submitting all of the financial documents.
During the pandemic, we lived there for about a year, so most places in the city were closed. When we would exit, I recall seeing how empty the roads were. However, we thoroughly enjoyed our daily walks to the Liberty Village market and the nearby Tim Horton’s for coffee. We also frequently went to the lake, which was nearby.
achieving an important milestone
We wanted to buy our place, which was one of our financial goals. We started looking at condos in various Toronto neighborhoods after spending about a year in downtown Toronto. We found a condo unit in North York that fit our budget and was close to public transportation.
We were delighted to return to North York because it shaped our earliest Canadian experiences. A little over two years after we arrived in Canada, we purchased the condo. Since this is our first home as a couple or as individuals, it is a significant milestone for us.
It seems like we are now fully ingrained in Canadian culture. We recently celebrated a second milestone by adopting a puppy. It has been a good move all around. There is no doubt that our lives have improved and have generally been smooth. The fact that we speak English fluently probably helped.
We’ve driven the Trans-Canada highway from Jasper to Banff in Alberta since we moved here. Additionally, we’ve been to Prince Edward Island. We intend to continue touring various regions of the country when our puppy reaches a certain age. There is still so much to see and do in Canada, which is so big and full of natural beauty.
