Emigrating from your home country can be both exciting and daunting. Adapting to and integrating into a new environment and society comes with its challenges. In the first instalment of this series, I wrote about my shock at how much tax and deductions was taken from my paycheque and about the cold Canadian winters.
In this instalment, my focus will be on high cost of living (which is subjective), importance of a good support system, becoming an “expert” DIYer, and commuting.
1. High cost of living: it can be expensive to live in Canada! For example, there are various reports online suggesting that cost of telecoms services are among the highest in the world. Your current phone may not work on any of the carriers in Canada and you will have to buy a new phone which increases your initial expenses. Your pocket will also feel the effect of maintaining an African diet as African food don’t come cheap because they have to be imported.
While car and home insurance rates vary by province and even location within the same city, they seem to be higher compared to the US (https://www.ratelab.ca/canada-vs-usa/#Why_Does_Car_Insurance_Cost_More_In_Canada_Than_In_The_US). As a new immigrant, if you do not have a driver’s license from some countries, e.g. USA, UK, Australia, Japan, etc., your vehicle insurance premium is likely going to be higher than what a Canadian who has been driving for as long as you pays (see full requirements for foreign license exchange for Alberta, Ontario, and British Columbia).
Another thing that may contribute to your expenses are the number of jackets you may end up buying. There seems to be a jacket for every season, except summer — Spring jacket, Fall jacket, Winter jacket (please note that I am not affiliated to any of these stores and I have only randomly picked them from online searches). Additionally, if you have young kids, you will likely buy new jackets and winter boots, especially, for them every year as they outgrow the current ones they have.
2. Support system: I found that if you have kids, having a good and reliable support system is very important. In Canada, you can’t leave your kids alone in the house until they are a particular age (varies by province). This means that you have to take your kids with you everywhere when they are still young and we all know how easy that can be! The few times when you can’t take your kids to an appointment or when you just want to have some me time and you can’t find (or afford) a baby sitter, having friends/family that can help you look after your kids is invaluable. Even if you don’t have kids and/or you are single, having someone that you can ask questions about settling in and integrating into you new environment is invaluable. When I landed with my family in Canada, I had people that pointed me in the right direction for a lot of things and that helped me settle in faster than if I had to learn things on my own. My wife and I found out that even asking colleagues at work provided us with a trove of very useful information for us.
3. DIY + YouTube is your friend: if like me you are not very handy around the house, you may soon become an expert DIYer taking on simple projects around the house. In Canada, the cost of engaging the services of handymen can be high and you may need to book appointments days or weeks out. I once had to pay $80 to an electrician because I didn’t’ know the location of a switch in the house — I was pained but I had to pay! The cost of engaging a handyman will send you to YouTube and in no time, you will become an “expert” handyman doing DIY things around the house.
4. Commute: you almost need a car to survive, especially if you have a family and/or you live in the suburbs. Having a car also affords you convenience and saves you time. For example, a trip to the library is about 10 minutes’ drive for me, while the same trip is about 20–30 minutes trip via transit. It also makes sense for you to have a valid (Canadian) driver’s license before buying a car in places like Ontario and Alberta. This is because you can’t register your car without valid car insurance and you can’t buy car insurance without a valid license and you will not be able to drive the car without registration. Coming from Nigeria, you’ll need to write a theory test and take a road test to get the license for the province where you live. The process for getting a license in Ontario can be found here and the process for Alberta can be found here. I have seen a few tweets of people talk about having to take the road tests multiple times before passing it and that adds to your cost of settling into your new home!
My focus in the next instalment will be on jobs.
