Vancouver vs Toronto without a job offer

[boatyyo]

Hi All,

Has anyone moved without a job offer? How hard was it to find a rental and job?
Also can you please share your thoughts on Vancouver vs. Toronto in terms of quality of life with a small kid?

My spouse and I along with our 1 yr old want to move this summer. We have been looking for a job and my husband almost got an offer in Toronto but then it didnt work out. So now we are thinking of moving regardless (we have some savings) and look for a job after moving. We got our PR in 2017 so we want to move asap and preferably in summer because it'll be harder in winter with a small kid.
We live in the northeast US and prefer Vancouver over Toronto because of the weather and proximity to nature. We love being outdoors and with a small kid just feels Toronto might not be a better choice due to the weather.
I've been to Vancouver few times and loved the north Van area along with Burnaby.

Can someone please help me with some additional questions:
- my husband will be looking for new jobs there so we need to be close to public transportation. Ideally we want a 2/3 bd apt. Which areas would you recommend? How much are the rentals there? what websites can we use to find them?
- my son will 1 year old by then and we want to put him in daycare or do a nanny share. Any suggestions on how to find one?
- we have a 2015 model year Subaru forrester. Is it worth bringing it all the way from US or should we get a new car there? I think car would be necessary especially with a baby. Do you disagree?
-is there any local vancouver site to look for jobs?

Thanks!

 

[harirajmohan]

Hi All,

Has anyone moved without a job offer? How hard was it to find a rental and job?
Also can you please share your thoughts on Vancouver vs. Toronto in terms of quality of life with a small kid?

My spouse and I along with our 1 yr old want to move this summer. We have been looking for a job and my husband almost got an offer in Toronto but then it didnt work out.
1. So now we are thinking of moving regardless (we have some savings) and look for a job after moving.
2. We got our PR in 2017 so we want to move asap and preferably in summer
3. because it'll be harder in winter with a small kid.
4. We live in the northeast US and prefer Vancouver over Toronto because of the weather and proximity to nature.
5. We love being outdoors and with a small kid just feels Toronto might not be a better choice due to the weather.
I've been to Vancouver few times and loved the north Van area along with Burnaby.

Can someone please help me with some additional questions:
- my husband will be looking for new jobs there so we need to be close to public transportation. Ideally we want a 2/3 bd apt. Which areas would you recommend? How much are the rentals there? what websites can we use to find them?
- my son will 1 year old by then and we want to put him in daycare or do a nanny share. Any suggestions on how to find one?
6. - we have a 2015 model year Subaru forrester. Is it worth bringing it all the way from US or should we get a new car there? I think car would be necessary especially with a baby. Do you disagree?
-is there any local vancouver site to look for jobs?

Thanks!

1. Move with one job in the family if at all possible unless you lose PR status.
2. You have time of 3 years from landing date hence try harder and harder. Move at the last month of 3 years. No need to be in hurry.
3. Winter is not harder while comparing to frustration of not having jobs and paying bills without peace of mind. I cant stress enough. Entering a new country without job is much harsher than the cold winter - Winter passes away in 6 months but not the jobless situation. After jobless for few months then our frustration increases and money in pocket decreases and then start thinking moving out.... So its better to try avoiding this situation with one job in the family if at all possible.
It looks easy to move but its very hard till one gets some decent(not the same level as previous) job.
Looks like you have never moved to new country without a job hence not knowing how it would be. I know how it is. Try avoiding it.
4. Preference should be to get a job in any corner of the country and then move out with some other job where there is heaven within the country. Without job, the heaven looks hell. Move to the location where you can get job quickly/easily and then move out.
5. Possibly it can wait based on the current job location.
6. Take the car whichever is available(as long as it can be one of the models that could be imported to Canada) as you might not want to spend money on new car while moving. Keep more reserve till one gets decent job. Cars are costly in Canada. And 2015 should be good enough and it has good safety rating.

 

[lampbreaker]

I agree with above. In addition also look into commuting options (work in US, live in Canada).

 

[canuck78]

Would not encourage you to move right before the 3 year time period. That limits your ability to travel for work, family emergencies, etc. We constantly see families run into trouble when they move right before the 3 year mark and the something comes up. agree that you should be considering all areas of Canada. There is lots of nature to enjoy across Canada and people often focus on one city when wanting to move to Canada. Best to keep your options open whether you are an immigrant or a Canadian especially if you don't have a mortgage which makes things more complicated. Cost of living is very high in greater Vancouver. Would only suggest living there if you have the money to enjoy it. What type of jobs are you looking for?

 

[boatyyo]

1. Move with one job in the family if at all possible unless you lose PR status.
2. You have time of 3 years from landing date hence try harder and harder. Move at the last month of 3 years. No need to be in hurry.
3. Winter is not harder while comparing to frustration of not having jobs and paying bills without peace of mind. I cant stress enough. Entering a new country without job is much harsher than the cold winter - Winter passes away in 6 months but not the jobless situation. After jobless for few months then our frustration increases and money in pocket decreases and then start thinking moving out.... So its better to try avoiding this situation with one job in the family if at all possible.
It looks easy to move but its very hard till one gets some decent(not the same level as previous) job.
Looks like you have never moved to new country without a job hence not knowing how it would be. I know how it is. Try avoiding it.
4. Preference should be to get a job in any corner of the country and then move out with some other job where there is heaven within the country. Without job, the heaven looks hell. Move to the location where you can get job quickly/easily and then move out.
5. Possibly it can wait based on the current job location.
6. Take the car whichever is available(as long as it can be one of the models that could be imported to Canada) as you might not want to spend money on new car while moving. Keep more reserve till one gets decent job. Cars are costly in Canada. And 2015 should be good enough and it has good safety rating.

Thanks for the advice. My company in the US will allow me to switch working as a contractor. so i might have job continuity for a while at least though i'll probably loose a lot of money in tax and cut from the contracting firm and it might not work out for long because i will require visa to travel to US client site. Regardless i totally understand the risk of moving without a job.

 

[boatyyo]

Would not encourage you to move right before the 3 year time period. That limits your ability to travel for work, family emergencies, etc. We constantly see families run into trouble when they move right before the 3 year mark and the something comes up. agree that you should be considering all areas of Canada. There is lots of nature to enjoy across Canada and people often focus on one city when wanting to move to Canada. Best to keep your options open whether you are an immigrant or a Canadian especially if you don't have a mortgage which makes things more complicated. Cost of living is very high in greater Vancouver. Would only suggest living there if you have the money to enjoy it. What type of jobs are you looking for?

Thanks! Yes we want to keep at least 5-6 month buffer hence wanting to move this summer. My husband is a DBA and looking for Cloud Architecture type jobs. I also heard its harder to get a job if you are outside the country. How true is that?

 

[DEEPCUR]

If you landed in late 2017, do you not have time till late 2020? For 5 - 6 months buffer, would it not be sufficient if you go by first quarter to summer of 2020 isn't it? You need 730 days aka two years of residence to keep the PR alive.

 

[canuck78]

Lots of tech companies with satellite offices in Vancouver and canadian tech. Tech areas in Canada are Vancouver, KW, TO and Montreal (east to west order). Tech industry operates differently and mpst 1st iterviews will likesly be via Skype or Facetime. If you are available to come to Canada on short notice for an inter person interview I think it would be possible espcially given he already has his PR. If you are on a single income housing costs will be an even bigger factor. To get more benefits like healthcare you pay more taxes.