Starting a New Life in Canada

To our delight, the day we arrived in the country was also the first day of snow in Langley.  Having never experienced it before, Hubby and our girls were so excited, they headed out immediately after breakfast the next day without wearing their jackets. Talk about "The cold never bothered me anyway." Hahaha!

 

Anyway, Hubby was told to report for work on Wednesday (January 15), giving him a few days to adjust from jet lag and take care of a few things.  One of this was to apply for his Social Insurance Number (also known as SIN).  This is important because without it, a person cannot work in Canada.  It also allows access to government programs and benefits.

All he had to do was go to the nearest Service Canada Centre, fill up a form, and show the required documents (original passport and Work Permit). That's it! He was immediately issued a SIN. No long waits nor was he asked to return another day. 

Once he had his SIN, he was able to open a bank account and apply for the public health insurance known as the MSP or Medical Services Plan.  These are essential for workers and eligible residents.

Hubby also needed a local SIM number. My brother agreed to extend the service of his existing package to Hubby, and we would just pay him the corresponding bill every month.

Since he would be commuting to and from work, Hubby was advised to buy and load a Compass card (similar to the NOL card in Dubai) and download the TransLink app so that he could check the bus schedule and routes.

Next thing to be done was look for a place to live.  Our priority was an apartment or basement suite that was in a safe neighborhood and within walking distance to schools.  We searched through Craigslist, Kijiji, Zumper, and FB Marketplace, sent queries to a number of owners, and visited various properties.  It took a while, but we finally found one that we could call home.  We moved in on the 17th of February.

Upon the advice of my brother and seeing that it was essential and cheaper for our family of five to get around easily, we bought a car.  Not brand new though, since we couldn't afford one yet.  Just a second hand compact SUV that was within our budget. Vehicle insurance is mandatory which we are paying monthly. 

Our personal items that we sent via cargo from Dubai arrived on the first week of May.  We should have received them a month earlier, but B.C. was on a state of emergency, thus the delay. Thankfully, our things were complete and in the same condition we packed them. All 24 boxes had been kept properly sealed and didn't show any signs of being tampered with or opened; nothing was missing, nothing was broken. Kudos to Zuhal Shipping & Logistic LLC, the company we used.

Because we were no longer staying at my brother's place, Hubby had to update all his government records with our new address.  His SIN, bank account and MSP all had to state the updated address so that he could do the next things that needed to be taken care of for me and our kids. 

Our children and I had entered Canada on visit visa, so we had to apply for my Open Work Permit and the kids' Temporary Residence Permits.   These were done through the same agency Hubby's company used to process his Work Permit.  I'm not sure if the processing time was affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it took around 3 months before we received them. 

Once these were issued, he immediately applied for our MSPs, the cards of which we received after 3 months.

The process to register our girls in the school district took a while to do. Since Hubby was a Temporary Foreign Worker (not a permanent resident or citizen), there were a lot of documents he had to submit.  One of these was the Interim B.C. Driver's Licence. To get this, he had to take and pass the Knowledge Test, which he did at the nearest ICBC Driver Licensing office. This is also where he applied to get a B.C. ID which is a township identification card. Once he had gathered all the requirements, he had to schedule an appointment with the School District Administration. Unfortunately, partly because of the global health crisis and partly because it was the school spring break, they were closed, so we had to wait a while until they reopened.

Two weeks after his appointment with the School District, the approval documentations for Caila and Sophie were sent to the school near our place. Hubby then had to register our girls at the school and show their passports and proof of our address.  

Finally on the 27th of April, our daughters started school in Canada. Because of COVID-19, they couldn't go to school physically. Classes and lessons were online via Microsoft Teams, so they didn't get to meet their teachers or classmates up close and personal. 

I'm sure it wasn't easy for Caila and Sophie to adjust to a new curriculum through distance learning after more than 4 months of "vacation." Fortunately, they were enthusiastic in learning and completing their assignments, waking up early to take advantage of the free books they could read online through the site they were given access to. Plus they managed to make a few friends in their respective classes, chatting with them and getting to know each other outside "class hours." 

Before starting school, one of the things our eldest was worried about was not being able to fit in (because it was the middle/end of the school year and she kept missing her friends and school in Dubai), so it was a relief to see her making new friends in class, albeit online.

The school year ended on the 25th of June. Grades were accessed through a website portal. Now, it's summer. Like the other parents, we're waiting for the School District's announcement on whether online/distance learning will continue in September when the new academic year begins, or if students will go back to school physically, or it will be a mix of both by alternating days of the week.  We'll see.

Anyway, in summary, here are the things we (mostly Hubby) needed to do so we could settle in:

• Apply for a SIN (Social Insurance Number)

• Open a bank account

• Apply for MSP (Medical Services Plan)

• Get a local SIM

• Purchase a Compass Card and download the TransLink app

• Find a home and move in

• Buy a car and get vehicle insurance

• Update government records with the new address

• Apply for the kids' Temporary Residence Permits and my Open Work Permit

• Apply for MSPs for me and the kids

• Take Knowledge Test and get Interim B.C. Driver's Licence

• Apply for a B.C. ID

• Schedule and pass driving test to get Driver's Licence

• Register kids in School District

• Receive and unpack our personal items that were shipped from Dubai

Whew!  I admit it was a bit overwhelming at first to start a new life in another country, especially considering there were so many things to do.  But slowly and surely, we've managed to settle in and adapt to this place we've now called home.