So, you decided to immigrate to Canada. You made your plans, set your goals and know that Canada is the best place for you and your family to be. You are right. From the few countries that receive immigrants, Canada is one of the best.

To begin your life in Canada, the best thing to do is live with or close to family or friends at least for the first two-three weeks. It is a new country, new language, and new rules. Even if you studied them from outside Canada, once you are in, there are lots to know about the system, what works and how it works. Being close to family and friends, means that you have someone you can ask for advice, someone who can show you the ropes.

In the beginning you have to get used to the currency, the Canadian dollar and its value. Check stores and prices. Know that you can buy same product at different prices, depending on what store you go to.

Open a bank account and apply for a credit card. Many immigrants prefer to deal with cash and that is the way it should be. Dealing with cash is the best way not to get into debt. But what most immigrants don’t know is that without a credit card, you cannot buy a new car, a house, rent a place or even go to a hotel once you take vacations. A credit card is not for you to spend necessarily, but to build what’s called “credit”. It takes up to a year to build the credit and this shows that you are reliable and that you pay back your debts in time.

Canada has centers that help new immigrants to settle down. YMCA is one of them. They help you and your family to learn the language, to look for work and give you more tips about life in Canada. If you have young kids, YMCA has also day care and activities for them. Most of YMCA services are free for new immigrants.

If you need things for your house, lots of good, gently used stuff can be found for free on the Internet. Check “freecycle.org” for your city for free stuff and check “kijiji.ca” for cheap and even free items. If you don’t have Internet access at home, you can always go to the local library. The library will give you free registration and access to all their resources: books, magazines, CD’s, DVD’s, computers.

More places to find cheap items are “ Talize”, “Goodwill”, “Value Village” .Ask around for second hand stores. They have lots of items and in good shape.

These are only few of the tips I found help new immigrants, especially in the beginning of their life in Canada.