Landing Papers almost here! Should I land alone or with family ?

[19]

Salams,

After a long process expecting landing papers in the next two weeks ! Am a Quebec Investor so will be landing in Montreal. Since most of you guys have gone though this settlement process, I would appreciate any advise on if I should land alone for the first time or with my wife and young children.

My concern is since none of us are conversant in French and have never been to Montreal before that it would be difficult to turn up in a new country, new city, with a new language with small children and lots of luggage and try to settle.

Granted online info, online furnished apartment reservations and airport pickup services do make things much easier but still I'm a bit hesitant. Making the SIN card, health card etc should also be a concern as I have no idea how to go about it with small children in tow.

So what's the advise ? Should I land alone first, get the hang of things for 2/3 months, rent/furnish an apartment/get the experience of having my SIN, Health card made and once I get my PR card go back home and travel back with the family ?

Any detailed advice/opinions would be welcome. Thanks.

 

[next2015]

Hi

I think its perfectly fine for you to land with the family. In Montreal, people actually speak english, even though you'll hear more french than english on the streets. Don't worry about the language. When you arrive in Montreal you'll be given a welcome-pack, which includes a list of organizations that offer a range of settlement services to new immigrants, including free language (french) training - it's all paid for by the government. Other services include guidance on obtaining a SIN, applying for health insurance, job search prep, finding a school for the kids etc.

Here's a list of the organizations in Quebec: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers/map/quebec.asp I advise you identify one that offers the services you need, especially language training - the service offering varies.

Accommodation
For the start, I'd advise you use airbnb for accommodation on landing, a month may be - it's cheaper and lots of good options available. Within that month, you should get familiar with the city and neighborhoods, then decide on which part of the island and neighborhood you'd prefer. Generally, the Western part of the island is more english than french, but you'll find english speakers from the city to the west. The settlement service organizations can help you find a neighborhood that matches your preferences.

You can book a hotel for that one night - most of them offer a free pickup service, then use Uber to drop you off at your airbnb the next day. I'd not recommend taxis for a new comer - some of them deliberately take longer routes to run the meter to charge you more.

SIN
Depending on what your itinerary is, you can get your SIN at the airport. If your landing through Toronto and arrive during working hours, every member of your family will get their SIN - one less thing to do in Montreal. However, id advise you have at least 2hrs before your connecting flight - you'll need the time just in case the queue is long.

Luggage
Does this include your property or just bags? If it includes property then there's a separate process you'll have to do - filling personal effects accountability forms.

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask any particular questions, will be glad to answer as best as I can. But I advise you move with the family - its daunting but very doable. Its quite easy, you'll be amazed.

 

[19]

Thank you Next2015. Your answer was detailed and very helpful.