Arriving in Canada

I arrived at the Toronto airport. Things were going pretty smooth there. However, my papers were examined again and I was issued a form showing my status (as a student) in Canada and the time limit for that. The whole process took some half an hour. After that I got my luggage and was out in the airport. So I was in Canada!
What to do next? I checked in advance on the Internet about the Toronto transit system and how to get to the railway station. So I knew it was a bus line running from the airport close to downtown and from there I had to take the subway to the railway station.
So I exchanged 10 USD into Canadian dollars in the airport to have money for the bus ticket and I went to the bus stop at the airport. There, surprise, I could not get into the bus! I tried as I saw other people to get in through the front door, by the driver. I saw people putting the money in a glass box close to the driver but I heard the driver saying "exact fare please!". Then I realized that I had to put in the box exactly 2.50 dollars (the price of the trip) and not more. The driver was unable to give change!
So I did not take that bus. I went back into the airport and went to a pop machine. I put a 10 dollar bill into the machine, bought a can of pop, and the machine gave me the change in coins. Now I had coins to I could match the $2.50 I needed for the bus ticket.
I went back to the bus stop and took the next bus. Now I knew what to do. After I put the money in the box, the driver asked "do you want a transfer?". I did not know what this meant. Then he showed me the bus ticket. Later I noticed that some people did not want the bus ticket because they did not need it: they were riding just that bus. But people wanting to take another bus or the subway within a certain time interval (some 90 minutes) needed such a "transfer" ticket to show when getting to the next bus. Otherwise they had to pay again the $2.50.
So I rode the bus about 45 minutes and then got off at a subway station. There I went into the station and showed the guy there my "transfer" before proceeding to the train. I took the subway train to the railway station.

Why this blog?

I want to help you.

Because Canada is a great country offering great opportunities, but at the same time you must be careful. You are going to a country different from yours, with other rules and way of life. Until you learn them you may spend some money.

You may pay $50 fine at the bank because you do not know how to set a bank account.
You may pay $500 extra at the phone company because you do not know what services to ask for.
You may pay $1,000 extra when buying furniture because you do not know where to look for affordable items.
You may pay $2,000 extra for a car because you do not know how to discuss with the car dealer or where to find cheap cars.
You may pay $3,000 extra for health because you do not know in advance what you are insured for.

I want to share with you my experience so you can now in advance some things and avoid making mistakes. Furthermore, you may learn how to make legally some extra money which is extremely useful when you are a new immigrant.

Still in order to help you I wrote a book inspired from the experience of many recent immigrants and foreign students in Canada. This book is pocket style and is written in the Internet FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) style and comprises over 350 concrete questions and detailed answers.

You may check details about this UNIQUE book HERE.

Welcome to Canada and best of luck in your new life!

Acceptance letter

Receiving the acceptance letter from the university was, of course, a happy event. Even better, I received three such letters! It is quite common that if you apply to several universities in Canada you receive several acceptance letters.
The tricky part is that you must accept one (be careful, just one!) of these offers for graduate studies and, usually, in a quite short period of time (a few weeks). If you have several invitations, a good idea is to explore a bit before deciding.
Do not look at how much money an university is giving you (as I did myself and as many foreign students do!). It is better to look more at people then money!
What does it mean?
Assuming that after you graduate from a Canadian university you want to settle and work in Canada, you will strongly need recommendations from the professors you will be working with in the university. So, check the university web site, see those professors' work (if you have been indicated a supervisor check about that person in particular). See if these professors have publications, if they go to conferences. If so, this means they are well known in the scientific community and their recommendation will help you a lot after you complete your studies in that university.
So, even if an offer is speaking about a 1-2000 dollars per year less but the professors (or your future supervisor) are well known within the academic community, accept that offer. You will be able to make up the money difference in various ways during your studies (I will show you some) and getting a good job after the studies is far more important.
So, eventually do as I did, send a letter (and a fax and an e-mail to be sure!) where you accept the offer and an e-mail to other universities where you deny the offer within the time interval they require.

Getting the student visa

Getting the Canadian student visa was very similar to getting an immigrant visa. I had to go to the nearest Canadian consulate and show my original letter of acceptance for studies.

I noticed it was important that the letter showed clearly how much money I make per year at the university (scholarship and others) and a estimate of costs (for tuition, accommodation, food, books, etc.). If you do not have a clear letter like that, ask the university that accepted you to send you another one with these data a.s.a.p. Without that it is unlikely that you get the visa!

It is also very likely that you will have an interview at the embassy. Make sure that you have some clear estimates of your earnings and spending in mind when you go to the interview. You must prove that you will have enough (and sure!) money to live at the university for at least one year (browsing the Internet to see some housing expenses and other helps!).

After I passed the interview I had to take a medical examination (it is mandatory for all applicants for a student visa!). I had the bad luck that one of my test results was inconclusive so I was recommended to repeat the test after a couple of weeks. So the whole process of getting the visa (which lasted about one month from my first visit at the embassy) was then extended with another one month. But this made me miss the deadline for arriving in Canada before the start of the fall term. So I wrote the chair at the university and explained the situation. Finally it was OK and they allowed me to come at the beginning of the nest term. After I came to the university I learned that this is a relatively common situation - quite a few students do not manage to get the visa in time so they come later, 3-6 months after the initial date. So, if it happens to you, do not worry. The only thing you must do a.s.a.p. is to announce you chair or supervisor immediately about your problems and ask for the permission to start with the next term.

Trip to Canada

My trip to Canada was relatively expensive. This happened because I bought the plane ticket only after getting the visa.
One thing you should keep in mind is that if you start your studies in Canada you should arrive in late August or late December as the school starts in early September and early January. But these are high season periods when a lot of people travel for holidays! So the plane tickets get expensive. Therefore a good idea is to make some reservations as early as possible and choose the one which is best for you (cheapest!) immediately after you get the visa.
Also make sure that when you arrive in Canada you have all necessary documents on you. The most important piece, beside your personal paper, is the official letter of invitation form the university. Make sure you have the original! The embassy will keep the original while issuing the visa and then will be returning it to you.
So you must show this letter at the airport when you arrive. At the airport you will have another interview and the immigration officers there will make the final decision upon allowing your entry in Canada on a student visa. They will issue you a student permit that will stay in your passport together with the visa. The whole process may take quite a while, depending on how many people with similar situations will be arriving together with you, so be patient.
So, welcome to Canada!