Immigration of a young family to Canada. This journey took 4 years!

We met with our clients who came to Toronto to study and work, and they're eager to share their story.

I met with our clients, Dasha and Dima, who recently moved to Canada. Dasha is studying at college, while Dima got a work visa. They shared their story: impressions of Canada and Toronto, experiences with studying, job hunting, and finding housing.

The family got interested in moving at the end of 2018. It all started when Dima watched a YouTube video about the top 5 countries for immigration. Canada was among them.

"He comes into my room and says, 'Dasha, I watched a video on YouTube about the best countries for immigration,'" Dasha recalls. "There were 5 of them: New Zealand, Australia... and Canada was on that list. He just listed them and asked, 'Where do you think we should move?' I said, 'Well, let's go to Canada, I guess.'"

In the end, the move took 4 years, during which the family faced many challenges. First, the pandemic disrupted their plans, then the war in Ukraine forced them to temporarily move to Turkey, where they eventually obtained their Canadian visas.

Immigration Plan

The first thing the couple did after deciding to immigrate was to tackle English, as neither Dasha nor Dima knew it. They spent 3 years studying the language with a tutor.

Initially, the couple planned to immigrate to Canada through Express Entry, with Dmitry as the main applicant. In January 2022, they contacted our immigration consultant Ivanna. Their Express Entry points were insufficient, so Ivanna suggested moving through education.

After careful consideration, the family concluded that they could move faster through studying than by trying to increase their Express Entry points. Plus, Dasha wanted to slightly change her specialization by studying a related field.

Thanks to the Immigrant.Today team, the process was significantly easier. The couple gathered documents under our specialists' guidance, allowing them to do everything faster and without mistakes.

Studying at a Canadian College

Dasha had a master's degree in graphic design. After university, she took 3D modeling courses and worked in this field for several years.

At the Canadian college, Dasha is studying a diploma program in programming, which is more suitable for those entering right after high school. Despite having a master's degree, a convincing study plan helped her get the coveted visa approval.

The first semester curriculum includes 6 courses, each lasting 3 hours per week. Daria chose a convenient schedule: online classes on Wednesdays and in-college classes on Thursdays and Fridays.

For now, they're studying the essentials: math, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and other programming languages. Group projects will start later. There's a lot of homework to do.

A huge advantage of Dasha's chosen field is the mandatory work placement. She'll need to find an employer and work for them for one semester.

The college has a career center that helps with job searches. For everyone in programs with work placements, there are mandatory weekly online calls with consultants. Students can also get help with writing CVs, finding part-time work, interview preparation, and more.

In Dasha's group, there are people of her age, but most are high school graduates. Dasha sees this as a plus, as they help her with math, which she doesn't remember well. There are 30 people in the group, including many of different nationalities.

Meeting with clients

Job Hunting in Canada

Dasha's husband, Dima, is a design engineer, and he hopes to find work in his field in Canada.

The job market here is quite complex. Some companies have rules where a vacancy must be posted on job search sites for a certain time, followed by CV reviews, preliminary phone calls, and only then candidates are invited for interviews. On average, the hiring process for a skilled position takes at least a month.

"If someone on TikTok or YouTube tells you that Canada is something magical... Yes, it's a magical country, but you need to be prepared for it," says Dima.

Dmitry advises preparing as much proof of your qualifications as possible because hiring managers pay attention to this. Any certificates, diplomas, completed courses, and recommendation letters from employers will be an advantage. It's best to have documents translated and certified.

In addition, soft skills play a role, as they show what kind of person you are. In addition, a smile and an optimistic attitude are very important!

"A smile here in Canada is 50% of success," says Dima. "Always try to stay positive, because overall, Canada is a country where everyone is very friendly. And as soon as you arrive here, you'll notice that there are no gloomy faces on the street."

English language skills are another must if you want to work in a skilled profession. Also, don't turn down temporary work while searching for your main job; you'll need money, and the employment process can take time.

Dima's profession requires licensing in some regions of Canada. Ontario is one of the provinces where a license isn't needed. However, Dmitry believes that you shouldn't be afraid to look for work in regulated professions. For example, in his specialty, getting a license isn't too difficult and can be done in 2-3 months.

Job Market in Toronto

Those who want to immigrate to Toronto will inevitably face high competition for jobs. But Dmitry found a life hack: looking at vacancies outside the city, within a 100-kilometer radius. There, job seekers can expect higher salaries, lower competition, and better chances of getting responses and interview invitations. This is because companies outside Toronto have to offer more attractive conditions to hire employees.

For example, in Toronto and nearby suburbs, Dima's profession offers salaries ranging from $18 to $27 CAD per hour. But outside the metropolis, they are from $33 to $45 CAD. At the same time, rental costs are much lower. Expenses for food, transport, and services will also be lower.

Finding Housing in Canada

Dasha mainly handled the move preparations and housing search. Initially, the couple planned to rent short-term accommodation to look for long-term options once in Canada. But the prices on Booking and Airbnb didn't suit them, so Dasha decided to search on the Canadian classified site Kijiji and other similar websites. The search took several weeks.

"In the last few days, I was really monitoring, literally refreshing the page every minute to catch a place," Daria recalls.

Their efforts paid off. The couple managed to find housing in Toronto for $1,900 CAD per month. It's a basement apartment, but in Dima and Dasha's case, it's just slightly below ground level with a separate entrance and full-sized windows. The rent includes everything: electricity, heating, water, and internet.

Moreover, the apartment came furnished with appliances, which is rare in Canada. This was because it was initially listed for short-term rental, but after their arrival, the owners offered Dasha and Dima a long-term lease. They didn't need a credit score or several months' deposit. While this may seem like luck, Dasha actually put in a lot of effort to find such a place.

Help with Moving to Canada

Dasha and Dima are thrilled to have realized their dream of moving to Canada. Despite the challenges, the couple didn't give up, and they succeeded. Their expectations of Canada were met because they thoroughly researched the pros and cons of the country before moving.

If you also want to be among those lucky ones who moved to Canada, reach out to our company for help, and we'll assist you in making your dream come true. Additionally, by working with us, you can receive great bonuses.

For example, the college gifted Dasha 12 weeks of English language courses at ILAC, a Canadian school. She only had to pay for the registration fee and textbooks, totaling about $100 CAD. The ILAC program not only teaches language but also prepares students for studying in Canada, making college a bit easier. Another bonus from the college is a $2,000 CAD scholarship per semester. Over two years of study, this will save $8,000 CAD.

In 2024, Canada made changes to international student admissions, so now it's best to apply for Master's or Doctoral programs.