Express Entry, does govt support if laid off?

[JustIbrahum]

Hello,

I have few question and would be thankful if anyone could answer?

1) If you reach Canada without a job or you had a job but laid off, does govt pays you unemployment benefit? How much it is? Can you survive on it?

2) If you have no relatives or friends in Canada, what is the best way to find place to live?

3) Which city has most of information technology or software engineering jobs like programming in in .NET, PHP or C++?

 

[scylla]

1) It depends on the province, however you typically have to work somewhere between 400 and 800 hours before you qualify for employment insurance payments if you are laid off. You can survive on employment insurance but you won't live a good life and will likely find it difficult to make ends meet.

Once employment insurance runs out, you can then try to qualify for social assistance / welfare. Social assistance does not pay very much and it is very difficult to live on this money.

Note that social assistance isn't available to those who have just arrived in Canada so you should make sure you bring enough money with you to live for a few months without a job.

 

[Intocanada]

Hello,

I have few question and would be thankful if anyone could answer?

1) If you reach Canada without a job or you had a job but laid off, does govt pays you unemployment benefit? How much it is? Can you survive on it?

2) If you have no relatives or friends in Canada, what is the best way to find place to live?

3) Which city has most of information technology or software engineering jobs like programming in in .NET, PHP or C++?

Answer for third question
Montreal or Toronto is what I heard. I live in Vancouver. It isn't bad too for software jobs. I will recommend Toronto though.

Good luck!

 

[JustIbrahum]

Answer for third question
Montreal or Toronto is what I heard. I live in Vancouver. It isn't bad too for software jobs. I will recommend Toronto though.

Good luck!

Thanks.

I heard good things about Vancouver and Alberta. People say these cities are good for software engineering jobs.

 

[seton]

Hello,

I have few question and would be thankful if anyone could answer?

1) If you reach Canada without a job or you had a job but laid off, does govt pays you unemployment benefit? How much it is? Can you survive on it?

2) If you have no relatives or friends in Canada, what is the best way to find place to live?

3) Which city has most of information technology or software engineering jobs like programming in in .NET, PHP or C++?

1. EI is primarily available only if you have been laid off, and only if you have worked for around 700 hours (varies by city, the formula is based on a couple different factors). You pay EI premiums on every paycheque - as such you need to pay into the system to be able to get the benefits if you are laid off. Also, there are conditions attached to receiving benefits and time limits. The maximum EI payment is $524 per week, but it is based on a percentage of your earnings so could be less. You can probably survive on it to pay the bills short term, but it isn't a long term program.

2. Really depends. Some folks find it easy to settle in an area where there's a strong community related to their background. However I would suggest trying to find the best match for your lifestyle. Canada is very diverse coast to coast - you have your big city options (Toronto), boom towns (Calgary/Edmonton), green/active cities (Vancouver), coastal smaller cities (Halifax), stability of the prairies (Winnipeg), and many other cities and rural communities. You also have a diverse types of climates. Winter in Vancouver is much different from winter in Winnipeg, and the same for summer in both cities. Also due to economics in each city, you have different potentials for lifestyles and home ownership depending on where you settle. Anyway my point is that there are lots of factors to consider.

3. Toronto and Montreal probably have the largest tech sectors in Canada, but Vancouver and Calgary also have sizeable IT sectors. That said, there are IT industries or larger companies with significant IT departments headquartered in other cities outside of the couple I mentioned.