I tried to be as accurate as possible for providing the below
information. Use it at your own risk.
Before the trip
Proper planning is very important. We did a lot of research before
our trips. We searched the webs and read misc.immigration.canada
regularly. And we subscribed to [email protected]. From the
mailing lists we got to know friends even before moving there and
they are very helpful in providing tips, sharing their experience
and even checking out the apartment for us.
We got our apartment through www.aptrentals.net before moving
there. It was very easy as they checked and accepted our US credit
history and they also charged our US credit card for rental deposit
and first month rent: All through Internet. You may also search the
classified sections of www.vancouversun.com to find rental housing.
It is important to avoid the trouble spots*, the most notorious one
is the East side of Vancouver downtown(area around East Hastings
and East Pender). Also do not assume that it is OK to stay 20 miles
from downtown. This is because there're few freeways in the greater
Vancouver area and most of the time you'll be travelling in local
routes with numerous lights to cross(El Camino Real). For eg: It
takes 1.5 hour to drive from from Richmond to Coquitlam(20 miles).
The suburbs are OK.
We checked www.carclickbc.com to check automobile ads and
www.mybc.com to check furniture prices. Also we found that
ca.yp.yahoo.com is outdated. Relying on it, we can't find the ICBC
office in Richmond and thought the nearest costco is in Burnaby
while there's one at Bridgeport road in Richmond.
As we would be driving, it is important to check weather forecasts
along the way. The biggest threats are snow, icy roads, fogs, heavy
rains and nightfall. We customized MyYahoo! page to display weather
forecasts along the way: CA: San Francisco, Redding, Mt Shasta, Yreka
OR: Medford, Salem, Eugene, Portland WA: Olympia, Seattle, Burlingham
BC: Vancouver. The weather.com provides 10 day forecast. It was
impossible to plan perfect weather as we had to book our U-Haul
early. So by common sense we start driving at 8am(Sunrise 7am) and
stop at 5pm(Sunset at 5pm). We also planned our routes through
Yahoo's driving directions and getting maps from AAA. A cellphone
will help as you don't want to stuck in the Oregon mountain in
case your car breaks down. Do remember to get local maps too.
Other than personal documents, it is important to bring your US
bank statements,latest payslip,employment verification
letter,driving record,claim history from car insurer,US driving
license and your first driving license(wherever in the world).
Cash availability is very important and you don't want to panic
when it takes two weeks to clear your bankdraft. Here are some
tips:
Open an account remotely(locally if Canadian bank is available
and wire some money before leaving: There are strict requirements
in this respect. They'll ask for notarized copies of two Ids(one
must be passport), signature card verified by your local bank,
certified cheque for initial deposit and your US bank's reference
letter addressed to the Canadian bank. I can't get a reference
letter addressed to HSBC bank from Bank of America. In 1998 I was
able to get it from my local BoA branch but in Oct 2000 they said I
had to call customer service so I did. The first time they sent me
a letter addressed to me(not acceptable to HSBC) so I called again.
The second time the customer service from Concord promised to send
but it didn't arrive after 2 weeks so I called again. The third
time the customer service from Los Angeles said it is their policy
not to send me the letter which was addressed to HSBC but they
promised to send it to me. The letter never arrived. I was kept
waiting for a month on false hope by BoA. Bank of America is
not the same Bank of America I used to know where service is
superior.
Bring traveller's cheque: If you're AAA member, you can get it
for free. Important thing to note is HSBC said anything above
US$2000 is suspicious for money laundering. So you may want to
deposit 2k in one bank and the other 2k in another bank.
Bring US$ cashier cheque: This'll take 2 weeks to clear. See below for tips to have it cleared immediately
Exchange and bring some CAD too: You'll need it before you get a
chance to go to the bank. It is hard to find a currency exchange in
the bay area. The ones I know are either the airport or American
Express travel office.
Bring all related documentations: Your latest US bank statement,
your payslip and employment verfication letter are very important
to earn the trust of Canadian bank. If they trust you, they can
even cash your US$ cashier cheque on the spot!
Bring your US credit cards: Be sure to call your the issuers to
tell them you are traveling to Canada and will charge your cards
there.
The Trip
It was a one thousand miles journey from San Francisco to
Vancouver. We rented a 10 foot U-Haul(Toyota 3L V6) and filled it
up with all our possessions. I was worried about the load as people
have warned me earlier that it'll have a hard time climbing the two
mountains along I5. However it turns out that it can manage to go
at 50mph(OD off) while climbing the steepest slope. There're two
steep mountains to climb along the way: Redding,CA to Eugene,Or and
Northern part of Washington state.
It was Saturday and there's heavy traffic on the bay bridge as a
result we lost 2 hours of precious time. We drove along I80 and
then I505 and then I5 and spent our night in Yreka. It is important
to see the motel/gas station along I5 before you exit. The next day
at Medford we saw a gas station sign and exit and to our horror, we
couldn't go back to I5. It took us almost an hour to find our way
back to I5 by trial and error as we don't have local map and all
people we asked don't know how to go to I5. Also we kept a close
watch on our Uhaul by parking it in front of our motel room. Small
towns are in fact safer and cheaper than big cities. We stayed over
at Tacomas and drove all the way to the border the next day.
At the Border
If you have some unfinished business with INS or US custom, you
better find out in advance how to get there. The map won't show you
where the INS/US Custom is and it is better to call them. I don't
have any business with them and I don't see the sign along the
border.
We arrived at the Canadian post in the morning. The
officer at the booth asked us what's our business and we told her
we are landing. She asked us our country of citizenship, whether we
bring any drug or weapon and refered us to the immigration office
and custom office. So we parked our UHaul and entered the
immigration office. There's no line at all. The officer asked to
see our passports, landing papers and asked us to take a seat. She
said she'll call us if she needed anything. She called me twice:
first to ask where to find the passport validity date and second
to ask how much money I bring and possess in US. So I told her the
amount and she converted it to CAD and entered in the landing
paper.
I was nervous because our fellow H1B holders who abuse
Canadian immigration by landing and then moving back to US for good
have created an impression that all H1B holders are potential
abuser of Canadian immigration system. I even read report from
misc.immigration.canada that Canadian officers demanded H1B holders
present evidence of resignation. That proves to be wrong. I guessed
I am better off as I came with a truck load of household goods but
I was really nervous when she asked me how much money I have in the
States as I parked most of my money in BoA. so I quickly added I
changed the landing date from January to Nov and the money are all
tied up in CDs. She didn't seem to be interested at all. I was over
worried. She did ask me whether my H1B status has terminated and I
told her no and I have to go back to settle my things there. No
more question! I want to appeal to H1B holders who have obtained
landing paper but not serious in immigration to Canada, not to do
so! I have risked my family and my life to drive one thousand miles
in harsh road condition in order to prove to the Canadian
immigration that I am not abusers. We could have just sold
everything and take a plane!
The officer finished entering our landing paper, make a copy and
staple it to our passport. She gave us a Canadian flag and some
settlement information and without any expression she told us we
are now landed immigrants and have the same right as Canadian
citizens except to vote. So we went on to the custom office and the
officer there was happy to see my list of goods accompanying and to
follow. I asked her whether she wants to check the truck and she
said no. So the next moment I was on highway 99 and on my way to
Richmond.
The New Life
Driving
Highway 99 is very narrow and the speed limit is 90kmh(54mph). Most
of the roads in the greater Vancouver are local, two lanes and El
Camino Real type. Speed limits are either 50kmh(30mph) or
60kmh(36kmh). The reason is not because they lack money but because
they want to preserve the old small town feeling, to prevent
pollution and for safety purpose. There're much much less traffic
here than the bay area. The traffic jams occurred mostly along the
bridges during rush hour. One thing to note is that not all roads
have left turn signals so you have to drive your car to the middle
of the junction and wait and make your left turn when the incoming
traffic stop.
Public Transit
In Greater Vancouver, the public transits consist of buses and skytrain.
Check this out: Transit Link(953-3333 540-3040)
Housing
Richmond is quite flat and is a farmland. The airport is on the
North West corner. The houses in Richmond are pretty nice and
better off than many neighborhoods in the bay area. They look like
houses in Cupertino and cost around CAD300k. The houses in West
Vancouver are just like those "palaces" in Palo Alto and for
CAD700k you can own one. It is low season and a good time to buy
houses now as agents and banks are struggling to get business. The
peak season is in April/May time as it is school opening time.
We rented a two bedroom in Richmond for CAD830. If you don't mind
to live in a basement, it is around CAD600. Vancouver is more
expensive than nearby towns.
SIN Card & MSP
To apply for SIN(Social Insurance Number) card, go to the nearest
HDRC center. We went to the one at Buswell street in Richmond. We
brought our passports and our landing papers. We were given receipts.
Also we were given a copy of MSP(provincial medicare) application
form. We filled it up and mailed it with a check for first month
premium and copies of our landing paper(no need to be certified).
MSP will be effective 2 months + balance of the month of
the time of landing. So you might save some insurance money by
choosing to land near the end of the month. During the waiting
months you can purchase health insurance from private insurers like
Blue Cross or Liberty Health. For about CAD150 per month they cover
emergency and hospitalizations for your family. You still have to
pay the full amount for normal clinic visits. My wife visited the
doctor at Blundell medical clinic once that costs CAD42. No appointment
is needed for this clinic. The same urgent care facility(ie no
appointment needed) costs US$150 in the bay area.
HDRC OFFICES(Inquiry Line: 682-5400):
6511 Buswell Road, Richmond, BC V6Y 3B5 (273-6431)
125 East 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5T 1Z3 (872-7431)
#415 Sinclair Centre, 757 West Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6C 1A1 (681-8253)
4242 Fraser St, Vancouver, BC V5T 1Z3 (666-2306) (appointment required)
200-4980 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC V5H 4L1 (437-3761 ext 337) (appointment required)
#101-32560 Simon Avenue, Abbotsford, BC V2T 5L7 (854-5852)
#203-2963 Glen Drive, Coquitlam, BC V3B 2P7 (464-7144)
20621 Logan Avenue, Langley, BC V3A 7R3 (533-1201)
22335 Lougheed Highway, Maple Ridge, BC V2X 2T3 (467-5515)
#100-624 Agnes St, New Westminster, BC V3M 1G8 (526-4511)
1111 Lonsdale Ave, North Vancouver, BC V7M 2H4 (988-1151)
7404 King George Highway, Surrey, BC V3W 0L4 (590-3346) www.hrdc.gc.ca/common/home.shtml
Medical Services Plan
4603 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC (683-7151 1800 663-7100) www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/msp
Taxation
Personal Income Tax is high in Canada but not as high as 50% as people claim(that's the top bracket).
If you earn $60,000 per year and your wife has no income, the combined Federal Tax, Provincial Tax and
Payroll Tax(Canadian Pension Plan & Employment Insurance) is around 28%. Of
course more taxes will be withheld if you contributes to RRSP.
Sales Tax: GST 7%(Federal), PST 7%(BC) = 14%. No sales tax for food bought in supermarket. No PST for
restaurant bills & labor.
Top Capital Gain Tax: 24%. Interest Income is considered personal income.
You may also claim tax-free Canada Child Tax Benefit if you qualify:
www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/benefits/childbenefit-e.html
I recommend you go through their worksheet to see how much you are entitled to get. For new immigrants,
it depends on your prior year's world wide income. For eg July 2001 to June 2000 payments depends on
your 2000 world wide income. They'll require you to declare your world wide income and as usual always
tell the truth otherwise you might get yourself into troubles. Also both you and your spouse have to file
a return each with CCRC even if you have no income.
For income tax filing, your income prior to landing is not subject to Canadian tax. For eg if
you land on 1 Oct 2000, your worldwide income from 1 Oct 00 to 31 Dec 00 will be subject to Canadian
tax. You also have to pro-rate non-refundable credits such as personal and spouse credits. Foreign
source income will be subject to tax treaties and you may be able to claim a foreign tax credit and
avoid double taxation.
Banking(IMPORTANT!)
I heard many horror stories of banking in Canada. It doesn't happen
to me at all! In fact the bank I went to: Royal Bank is in fact
better than Bank of America. I think it is the branch thing and the
branch is recommended by my apartment manager who appreciated their
good service:
Royal Bank of Canada
No 5 Road and Cambie Road branch
1-11600 Cambie Rd, Richmond, BC V6X 1L5
The bank officer welcomed me to Royal Bank, opened a checking
account for me, cashed my two USD4000 cashier cheques and USD3000
traveller's cheques IMMEDIATELY! With CAD2000 down as 2 year GIC,
she even gave me a credit card. I told her about the horror
Canadian banking stories I heard and why I am so lucky and she told
me it is because I came with full documentations. I had my
passport, landing paper, California driving license, BoA statement,
latest payslip and employment verification letter(US employer). So
LISTEN, bring these documents when you go to bank and try to go to
this branch in Richmond!
Car
With immediate cash availability, we were able to purchase a car.
In BC there's no title and everything from registration, plate to
insurance is handled by ICBC. The only thing you need to be careful
is the so-called "lien-check" if you are not buying from dealers.
Each dealer has to pay a good amount of deposit to the government
so if they cheat the deposit will be used to compensate the
consumer. You have to be careful with smaller dealers though as I
understood that they got their cars from auctions by big dealers.
And why the big dealers don't sell it themselves? It must be
because it is hard(high mileage or mechanical problems) to sell. I
tried the cars from both small and big dealers and I can tell the
difference immediately. That's why people are paying only
CAD6000+ for a 1992's Toyota 4Runner. So buy your car from big
dealers and you won't be sorry! Cars are about 30% cheaper than US.
For used car the mileage could matter as you can imagine most of
the roads in BC are local.
There's a Richmond Auto Mall that you can try(No 6 and
Westminster). It reminds me of Fremont Auto Mall.
Finally be sure to bargain as the BC economy is not good now and
the dealers are having bad business. Good time for bargain hunter.
Driving License
From Nov 26,2000 onward, you have to prove that you have 18 months
driving experience before they can convert your US license to full
BC driving license. As the renewed US driving license does not show
the first date you obtain the license, a driving record from DMV is
needed. Alternatively a current or expired license from another
country can also used in conjunction with your US driving license
as proof. You can only change a US or Japan driving license to a
full BC driving license. The license must be changed within 90 days
from landing. Check www.icbc.com for more details.
Driver License OFFICES(Inquiry Line: 661-2255):
5740 Minoru Blvd, Richmond
4126 MacDonald St, Vancouver
800 Hornby St, Vancouver
2277 Commercial Drive, Vancouver
125 East 13th St, North Vancouver
13426 78th St, Survey
22787 Dewdney Trunk Road, Maple Ridge
20290 Logan Ave, Langley
556 Lougheed Highway, Coquitlam
Food
Richmond is a heaven for Asian food lovers. There're hundreds of
restaurants in Richmond alone. And the food taste much better than
the restaurants in bay area. Dollar to dollar, it is more expensive
here and they give smaller portions. This is because most produces
and meats are imported at this time of the year and a lot from
California. To get cheap produce, go to the farmer market. There're
many farms in Richmond and they usually sell their produce in their
store. Here yo can get a cabbage for CAD0.29 a pound. The local
produce taste better than the California one for eg the carrots and
potatoes are sweeter. To get cheap seafood, go the Steveston's
wharf where you get 3 pound of shrimps go for CAD5. The
availability of vegetables and seafood depends on season, of
course. Chicken wings/breast and beef are cheaper than California.
The locally produce chicken also taste better than California one.
Don't know why. Maybe there're too much steroids in Californian
one. Also you'll find live fish is cheaper than dead fish here. In
action stores like Yaohan and T&T, you can get a live fish for
around CAD3 a pound wheareas a dead fish like Salmon costs at least
CAD5.99 a ound. I think that's the difference between local produce
and imported food.
No more buy one get one free in Safeway. The cheapest grocers here
are the real Canadian superstore and costco(cheapest egg CAD0.15
for xtra large one). Kmark's equivalent is Zellers. Macy's
equivalent is The Bay.
Also, be sure to bring one dollar coins for shopping carts. What
they charge you one dollar for using the shopping carts each time?
No!No!No! You get your one dollar back when you return the cart.
Also in the superstore, be prepared to pay CAD0.04 for each plastic
bag. Expect a environ charge of CAD0.20(ie CRV here) for each
plastic bottle. I think they tried to conserve the environment.
Garbage
Separate your garbage into a few categories:
containers(plastic & metal)
folded cardboards
I can't remember
others
Safety
Canadian are generally safer than the States. That's why you see
all the serious crimes in the papers. In US they don't even bother
to report it. There are lot of thefts here though. Vancouver is the
capital of car thefts. So get an immobilizer(ie no one can drive
your car without your key) and don't leave anything in your car.
Houses are protected with alarms and get a dog if you can.
And Vancouver is also the drug capital. Criminals grow Marijuana in
their homes.
Weather
It is rainy and cloudly most of the time. Sometime it is dark for
the whole day. Richmond has less rain fall than Vancouver(30%
less).
School
The schools are well equipped. Each neighborhood has a school so
that kids can walk to school.
Jobs
The BC economic is the worst in Canada. While the rest of the
country is booming, BC is struggling. Thanks to years of NDP rules.
However high-tech workers and nurses are in great demand in BC.
There's a plan to make Richmond the silicon valley of Canada. Of
course paywise you have to be satisfied. After all you have already
save on housing, car and furniture. For a IT worker with 6 years of
working experience, the pay is around CAD50k to CAD80k.
People
The Canadians are very friendly people. They make me feel at home.
Emergency/Reference Numbers
For Ambulance, Fire & Police call 911.
Federal Reference: 1800 622-6232 Provincial Reference: 660-2421
Canada Immigration Centres, 1148 Hornby St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2C3. (666-2171)
Business Immigration Office, #655-999 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC V6C 3E1(844-1800)
Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, Vancouver Airport, (666-1802)
Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, 333 Dunsmuir St, Vancouver (666-0545)
Host Programs & Immigrant Settlement Services Organizations
The host program introduces you to Canadian friends who will help you
learn about life in Canada and become acquainted with Canadian culture and
practise English:
Immigration Services Society-Vancouver (684-7498)
North Shore Multicultural Society-North Vancouver (988-2931)
S.U.C.C.E.S.S - Coquitlam (936-5900)
Richmond Connections (279-7020)
Surrey-Delta Immigrant Services Society (597-0205)
Abbotsford Community Services (859-7681)
Penticton & District Multicultural Society(492-6299)
Check out the list of Immigrant Settlement Services Organization from www.amssa.org: www.amssa.org
Some of these settlement organizations are:
Richmond Connections, #190-7000 Minoru Blvd, Richmond, BC (279-7020)
Richmond Multicultural Concerns Society (279-7160)
Burnaby Multicultural Society, 6255 Nelson Ave, Burnaby, BC (431-4131).
Immigration Services Society of BC Settlement Office, 530 Drake St, Vancouver, BC(684-7498)
Immigration Services Society of BC Training Institute, #501-333 Terminal Ave, Vancouver(684-2561)
Inland Refugee Society of BC. #101-225 East 17 Ave, Vancouver (873-6660)
KIWASSA Neighborhood Services Association, 2425 Oxford St, Vancouver (254-5401)
Langley Family Services 5339-207th St, Langley, BC (534-7921)
MOSAIC, 2nd floor, 1720 Grant St, Vancouver, BC (254-9626)
Multicultural Family Centre 1145 Commercial Dr, Vancouver (254-6468)
North Shore Multicultural Society, #102-123 East 15th St, North Vancouver,BC (988-2931)
Options: Services to Comm. Society, #100-6846 King George Hwy, Surrey BC (596-4321)
Pacific Immigrant Resources Society 385 Boundary Rd, Vancouver, BC (298-5888)
SUCCESS-United Chinese Community Enrichmond Services Society
28 West Pender St, Vancouver (684-1628)
5836 Fraser St, Vancouver (324-1900)
#220-7000 Minoru Blvd, Richmond, BC (279-7180)
#2058-1163 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam, BC (468-6100)
10160 152nd St, Surrey, BC (588-6869)
Mandarin Services Centre, 203-8268 Granville St, Vancouver(323-0901)
Small Business Training and Development CEnter, #501-1788 West Broadway St, Vancouver (732-3278)
Newcomers Integration Network for Tri-city, #2058-1163 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam, BC(468-6100)
The family & Education Support Centre 22554 Lougheed Highway, Maple Ridge, BC (467-6055)
Vancouver & Lower Mainland Multicultural Family Support Services Society
#306-4980 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC (436-1025)
Vancouver Society for Immigrant & Visible Minority Women, #204-2524 Cypress St, Vancouver, BC (731-9108)
Free English Language Services For Adults(ELSA)
The ELSA is funded by the provincial government and is free for students:
Western ESL Services #102-395 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1A7 (876-5756)
CLBA Testing Centre #250-7525 King George Highway, Surrey, BC V3W 5A8 (507-4150)
