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AINP- Calgary it is...

RR7

Newbie
May 4, 2022
3
0
Thank you to all the contributors for the information that I garnered on here.

I plan to land mid May with my initial point of entry being Montreal. Below is a bit of my understanding (hopefully on the mark/helpful to others) & some questions. Kindly bear with them as some are for reassurance.

Documents to carry/landing as settler/immigration

Professional documents(originals)- Class 10/12, Undergrad, Post Grad, Passport, COPR, Photos (just in case) Work Reference Letters

Goods accompanied- XL sheet detailing most items & grouping them where applicable. Electronics would need serial numbers. Also, do I have to fill in the appropriate forms if I have a detailed XL sheet?

New immigrant counter at YYC- to the left of baggage carousel. Glass room denoted by a large ‘E.’ This is after initial contact with CBSA officer/picking up luggage. Try to take a ticket from ‘E’ if there are many people & then go to collect luggage in order to save time.

Watches- Would I need to show any documents/bills or just declare?

Goods to follow- what sort of photos are acceptable? I have antiques (wood/silver) that I may get depending on certain factors. Not sure how to value them as they are very old (great great grandparents or more). I tried to value them through antique dealers & they quoted ridiculously low amounts.

Medicines- 90 day supply allowed. The bills must be on person. Does this mean I can carry 90 tablets for each (allergies/fever/painkillers etc.) or a fair usage amount?

SIN- available at the airport or Service Canada office at Harry Hays Building in downtown.

PR card- I will be giving the address of a contact in Calgary. Will mostly be staying in an Airbnb initially in the inner city limits.

Transport from airport- cab would be the best option I guess?


Alberta documents/ID/Sim Card/Necessities


Bank- Big 5. Any which stand out for good customer service/credit card for immigrants?

Credit Card- using 30-35% of total monthly limit seems to be the way forward to building a good credit score.

DL- over 15 years of experience. But would prefer to wait & get a feel of how people drive along with the numerous signs which are quite mind boggling even though I have driven in the UK & other places with rules An international license gives me 90 days of legal driving anyway in case I do need to drive. Current license exchange & extract from local RTO should be in English when I decide to get an Alberta license with the mandatory vision/knowledge/driving test.

Alberta ID- as I do not plan to get a DL immediately, this would be a good option in terms of Photo ID.

Sim- will be getting a prepaid one, as the rates are simply appalling. However, when in Rome…

Health card- can be acquired once I have my bank statement/DL with address proof.

Health Insurance- Blue Cross (about $85/90 a month for me based on plans offered & seems high) or Manulife. Any other options? I will be getting travel insurance just to be on the safe side.

Resume

As per my understanding, spellings in the resume should be the Canadian way. Eg honor instead of honour/color instead of colour/gray instead of grey. Is this correct?

Volunteering


Community service- this is highly appreciated in Alberta overall. Also gives the valuable “Canadian experience.” I have actively looked after all the needs of the strays in my lane/neighbouring lanes for over 6 years. Any leads as to where I could volunteer for dogs (6 in the family) or other animals? I have had a look online without much luck & would be good to get accounts of personal experiences.

Living area/moving in

From what I have read, the NW or SW seem to be the better places to live in with the former a better choice for me in terms of ease of access to groceries/public transit/lower cost of rent. Looking to share a place with 1 other person at best but not with a shared washroom/toilet.

What are the (damage inspection) things to check when moving into a house? Again, I have had a look online but first-hand experience is always welcome

Recycling

Various items like milk cans/juice cans amongst others can be collected and returned to the Bottle Depot for money or to an NGO (just cannot remember the name) in exchange for a tax waiver receipt. The latter arranges a pick up from your address.

Winter attire (not exhaustive list)

Jacket- Arc’teryx, Columbia, Fjallraven, Feathered Friends, Helly Hansen, Kuhl, Marmot, MTN Equipment, North Face, OR Super Alpine, Patagonia, Quartz, Rab Neutrino, REI Stormhenge, Spyder (ski)

Boot- Baffin Impact, Blundstone, Bogs Classic, CAT, Columbia, Cougar, Kamik, Keen Anchorage, LL Bean, Merrell, Muck Boot Arctic Ice, North Face, Sorel, Timberland, UGG, Vasque Breeze, WindRiver Backwood Hyper Dri 3.

Gloves- Black Diamond, Carharrt, Flylow Gear Ridge, Heat Warmers Hestra, Kinko, Kombi Outdoor Research, Oyuki, REI Co-op Merino Wool, Showa, Smartwool,

Thermal inners- Body Glove, Uniqlo

Socks- Kodiak

2nd jacket/boot- this would be for backup.

Health Concerns

Headaches & nose bleeds- have read accounts & seen people on videos mention the same especially during Chinook. Is this a common occurrence for someone not used to such weather? I have never experienced snow ever & would get frequent migraines as a kid.

Groceries

Stores- Giant Tiger, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, Save on Foods, Walmart. I did a comparison of 70 odd items and Walmart came out cheapest with the highest number of available items followed closely by RCS.

Public transit- is it okay to carry my weekly/bi weekly groceries from places mentioned above on a bus or C Train or is this frowned upon? I may get a grocery stroller.

Things I look forward to

Going off leash in the off leash parks. There are so many of them & I plan to interact with as many dogs whenever possible.

The Rockies/Banff/Lake Louise/Lake Moraine/Jasper and similar places.

The wildlife that Alberta has on offer- when I started my research, I was amazed at the beauty of the places mentioned above and the sheer diversity of animals. This made me instantly fall in love with the place and seems like a match made in heaven.

Aurora Borealis- yet another beautiful surprise and something that has been on my bucket list as a kid.

The range of food items- I am always on a ‘see’ food diet. That should explain it.

Sports- this will be the first time that I will be in a place where majority of the popular sports will be uncommon to me. Will be interesting to see how I get on with these.

Living in one of the cleaner places in the world.

Thank you for reading and look forward to your thoughts, comments, corrections & recommendations in case I have missed out on any essential.
 

Copingwithlife

VIP Member
Jul 29, 2018
3,864
1,866
Earth
I’m in Calgary right now . It’s May. Snows probably done for the year , maybe . You’re mentioning top of the line brands for winter clothing . Go to Winners and Marks .
Marks wait for a sale . The Bay is good as well, but WAIT for a sale .You don’t need top of the line stuff . When it’s -40, all you’ll care about is being warm, not the label
.
A brand name piece of clothing can be crappier then a piece off the rack at Winners.
Never seen nose bleeds from the Chinooks . Odd headache
Northern lights won’t be till late fall winter
Outside the city, when it’s clear & cold
You’re in Canada, so you want to use Canadian spelling
Never, ever refer to provinces as States .
Stay away from Sunalta. Sketchy as hell
Like sketchy
 
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moscatojuices

Champion Member
Feb 21, 2022
1,562
775
Holy crap this is way too many questions. This is possibly one of the worst places to ask most things you've listed in your post as most people here aren't even Canadian or have barely transitioned into life in Canada. So, go ask a real Calgarian/Canadian.

To be honest you need to go discover this yourself when you land and get with the real life reality that you're living in Canada. Don't take the fun out of being an immigrant and asking all this stuff so that there are no surprises when you land. Go ask your neighbour, go date a girl/guy (whatever you're into), make friends, run around different stores, ask random strangers stuff and discover this stuff organically lol.

What I guarantee you'll find is that when you need something, a Canadian will tell you what you need and/or give it to you or let you borrow it (like my first warm coat). You can also access newcomer services which you can Google or would have been mentioned in your pre-arrival services letter.

And lucky you, hottest girls and best food in Canada IMO. Wild rose country dreamin'
 
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