Relocating to Toronto!

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sean2215
sean2215 Posts: 9 Forumite
in Overseas holidays & travel planning
My partner and I have relocated to Toronto under the 2 year 'working holiday' IEC visa. Currently looking into all of the usual bits, phone tarrifs/bank accounts etc, but it's like starting from scratch and not too sure what is a good deal and what isn't (I know from a bit of research that mobile plans are a LOT more expensive out here)

Does anyone have any recommendations for any MSE equivalent sites out here?! Any tips would be greatly appreciated :beer: :money:

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  • richardw
    richardw Posts: 19,458 Forumite
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    How easy is it to get to BUFfalo airport and fly from there for short trips?
    Posts are not advice and must not be relied upon.
  • WolfSong2000
    WolfSong2000 Posts: 1,736 Forumite
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    I'm planning on heading out to Canada on IEC 2 year work permit in the next few months as well, so will follow this thread with interest.

    First thing - have you got travel insurance sorted? You need specialist travel insurance for the full 2 years and there's not that many companies that offer it. True Travel is one option - I haven't used them yet but they seem to be well thought of.

    Ideally you'll want to secure jobs before you go out there....kijiji (I think that's it?) is useful for jobs/accommodation, etc.

    I'm also looking into moving to Toronto and it's gotten a lot more expensive over the last few years...also seem to be lots of different neighbourhoods with different costs and vibes. If I can I am planning to do a short visit beforehand...AirBnB has some cheap rooms so you could stay in a few different areas and see what suits.
  • agrinnall
    agrinnall Posts: 23,344 Forumite
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    richardw wrote: »
    How easy is it to get to BUFfalo airport and fly from there for short trips?

    I think it must be quite easy as when I visited Toronto I met a friend who travelled from Buffalo at Niagara Falls and it didn't take either of us long to get there. I'm wondering what the benefit is though, are flights from Buffalo significantly cheaper or more extensive than they are from Toronto?
  • stevie11
    stevie11 Posts: 682 Forumite
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    Buf used to be cheaper for long haul to/from UK but flying to Toronto now work out cheaper in my experience. For shorter domestic trips Buf can be cheaper but you will have the added cost and inconvenience of getting there.
  • DCFC79
    DCFC79 Posts: 40,598 Forumite
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    sean2215 wrote: »
    My partner and I have relocated to Toronto under the 2 year 'working holiday' IEC visa. Currently looking into all of the usual bits, phone tarrifs/bank accounts etc, but it's like starting from scratch and not too sure what is a good deal and what isn't (I know from a bit of research that mobile plans are a LOT more expensive out here)

    Does anyone have any recommendations for any MSE equivalent sites out here?! Any tips would be greatly appreciated :beer: :money:


    Google would assist there.


    Have you tried googling "expats living in canada" ?
  • sean2215
    sean2215 Posts: 9 Forumite
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    WolfSong2000 wrote: »
    I'm planning on heading out to Canada on IEC 2 year work permit in the next few months as well, so will follow this thread with interest.

    First thing - have you got travel insurance sorted? You need specialist travel insurance for the full 2 years and there's not that many companies that offer it. True Travel is one option - I haven't used them yet but they seem to be well thought of.

    Ideally you'll want to secure jobs before you go out there....kijiji (I think that's it?) is useful for jobs/accommodation, etc.

    I'm also looking into moving to Toronto and it's gotten a lot more expensive over the last few years...also seem to be lots of different neighbourhoods with different costs and vibes. If I can I am planning to do a short visit beforehand...AirBnB has some cheap rooms so you could stay in a few different areas and see what suits.


    Yeah we booked backpacker insurance through backpacktravelinsurance.com worked out at around £280 for two years cover - quite a bit cheaper than a lot of other quotes we had at £400+

    In an Airbnb for the first week, but looking into trying to get a 3 month let on somewhere (if this is even a thing) and see how things fare jobwise etc. So far we are loving Toronto! The city is very clean and friendly and has a really good vibe about it!

    My other half done a mini trip before mine as he had to start his IEC while we were waiting for mine to be approved, I think you will need to go through the immigration process each time and show all your paperwork etc, but the officers we had were very friendly. If you are flying into Pearson there's a 'Service Canada' area at immigration when you arrive, and they should be able to issue you with a SIN that you'll need to set up a bank account and get paid for work (still looking into bank accounts currently as most of them have fees, other than the online only accounts, but they don't seem to offer the ability to transfer money back to a UK account)

    Will keep you posted with any other useful bits we pick up along the way!
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