Moving to Canada was never easy 🇨🇦

From working in Saudi Arabia, my boyfriend-now-husband and I decided to migrate and start a new life in Canada.

In 2018, my husband was offered a job in Canada. At first, we were hesitant because we knew we would be in a long-distance relationship. But back then, I was still 26. And I'm still discovering and exploring things about myself. I was still enjoying my life in the Middle East. Working and living abroad gave me such independence and gain control over my life. Imagine being able to make decisions on your own, immersing yourself in a culture far from yours, being able to buy things you thought you would never afford, and being able to support your siblings with their education. Plus, the accommodation you live in, and transportation are covered by the employer, and the best part, NO TAXES are deducted from your paycheck!

Fast forward to 2020, COVID happened. It was the end of my 4 year contract, and the year we officially planned to get married. Imagine going home supposedly in March 2020, then getting moved to June 2020 since flights were unavailable during that time. And, getting married the same year. It was the most stressful year for me, tbh. All the money I saved up for 4 years just went away so quickly.

So here are my thoughts before moving to Canada:

1. Plan ahead of time - it takes 1 to 2 years of a solid plan before making the move. Imagine all the documents needed to be processed, the fees, and the waiting time. Everything takes time. It's not just an overnight decision.

2. Save money for the processes - moving to Canada requires a lot of patience and MONEY. It's not just a plane ticket. From the documents that you have to complete to sending them over to the immigration, to the fees needed to be paid for it to be processed. Everything requires money for you to be able to immigrate.

Even if you would say that you could find an employer to sponsor you. You still need the money to process your documents such as Birth Certificate, Police Clearance, Passport, etc. Nothing is for free!

3. Gain work experience at least for 1 year before moving - whatever industry you may be in, it is best that you carry a working experience with you. Life is already hard here, you might as well come prepared to lessen your stress.

Especially if you are a nurse. Almost all Canadian province requires a previous RN experience for at least a year. If you are planning to migrate soon, make sure you have a recent RN experience before moving here. Less headache, I promise!

4. Be okay with being a minimalist for at least a year - The cost of living here is very expensive. From the groceries down to your personal needs. Imagine earning 15 CAD per hour below. Deduct it to rent, groceries, gas, and personal needs - such as skin care, winter jacket, and winter boots (these are very essentials!) Plus your family back home is asking for money from you because they thought you were in Canada you are richer now. (It's a prank!)

When I started, I only owned 2 pairs of shoes (1 for work and 1 for outside work) 1 work bag, 1 personal bag, and 2 pairs of winter boots - 1 was bought and 1 was gifted.

Once you become a Permanent Resident, you can always move to a high-paying career. Then you can buy more.

5. Never compare your first chapter (or first year) to other people's fifth chapter (or fifth year)

- those people who are already here ahead of you, already learned their ways to manage their money, or were already Permanent Residents. From a low-paying job, they are now working in a higher-paying job that made them afford the things they have right now. Back then, they were just like you, figuring out their life in the beginning.

Focus on your own journey and find ways to maximize your salary. You are earning because you have a family to feed and bills to pay. Not a community to impress!

CONCLUSION:

When we started living together, we lived in a basement and braved about changing our careers for a year. From 15 cad per hour, we finally found a job that earned 24 cad per hour.

In our 2nd year (2022), we were able to afford to live in an apartment, finally afford to have our first travel in Canada (which was in Banff!), and still exploring ways to better our careers such as going back to school and processing and passing my RN-NCLEX exam.

our first day in the apartment

our first Banff trip! This is the frozen Lake Louise

We are still far away from our dreams, but one step at a time. Someday, all these hardships will soon be worth it. Cheers!