Any Canadians on ATS that can help me out?

I'm 22 and live in Indiana, i've been wanting to get out of here for a long time, and now i'm looking into moving to Canada. I'm planning a trip to a few places up there to check it out, but i was mostly focusing on Toronto. I'll be putting a lot of planning into it, so i most likely won't make the move for year or two.

What other cities would you recommend i look into/visit?

I know the difference between citizenship and permanent residency, but what is required to be a permanent resident since it doesn't involve any testing like citizenship does? I can't seem to find an answer to that.

Also, this may be a silly question, but how are immigrants from America generally viewed/treated there?

reply to post by Bodhi7


I can't help ya on the citizenship thing... but God sakes man... Don't move to Toronto... Not a good place to start out. Its very expensive to live there


I would suggest Hamilton... its a great place to start out, rent is cheap. People are nice but like anywhere it depends on who you associate with...

Welcome to the "great white north" by the way...

watch for penguins...they bite!

and polar bears

reply to post by Bodhi7


Hello future Canuck !! I would definitely do my homework on citizenship and what's involved . My neighbor met a woman online from the States and married her . She moved here ( Ottawa) with her son and could not work legally for over a year , she is a journalist . They got fed up with the red tape and moved back ! As far as Toronto goes its the armpit of Ontario unless you're rich !! Ottawa is a nice quiet city , mostly government jobs and not much industry . All the best to Ya !!

reply to post by Bodhi7


Akragon is on the money with Toronto. Very $$$$ unless you are coming north with a nest egg of some sort. Hamilton is an industrial city, not much different than say... Pittsburgh. I am unsure of the process to gain residency in Canada, except I have heard that it is easier if you have a skill that is desired and lacking here.

The weather won't be a shock to you since I'm sure it would be approx. the same as where you are at now. Have you thought about maybe Calgary? Seems to be a major boom still going on in the province of Alberta..

reply to post by Bodhi7


well I would have to encourage you to research Alberta, there is less taxes and it really is the biggest economy in all of Canada. I'm not too sure about the immigration processes, but you can research them at the link below. Hopefully this will get you started. there is alot of info on the website, the search function is your friend. Good luck

immigration search

Stay away from the Okanagan in British Columbia.. While its a beautiful place to live, it's hard to find work. And stuff is expensive too!
Plus we have enough people around here too! One more and we might burst...

Toronto does sound lovely tho, doesn't it???

No idea about the immigration laws, but for gawds sake do not move to a major city (Toronto or Ottawa) because the rent is nuts! Kingston, Belleville, Brockville ... anywhere with a moderate population will have a selection of stores so meet all your needs. I recommend Kingston.

As for friendliness Welcome Home!

...the penguins don't bite hard, but the polar bears on the other hand ...

Hi! You didn't tell us what size of a place you come from and what you like to do. Just moving to a place without any kind of agenda doesn't sound constructive or satisfying. Tell us your interests and indoor/outdoor activities, then we can better match you up to a location. The people are great everywhere, and I've lived across the country. Vancouver, Toronto, big cities have higher rents & parking costs. We have a great cross country trail here, wonderful in all seasons, if you're the outdoor type. But you need to tell us something to go on. In any case, welcome!

Lol don't move to toronto or hamilton.. I guess it depends what you're lookng for really.
If you hate crackas, move to those spots and help them rot lol

In toronto it's almost a 50% increase in housing costs and taxes compared to other laid back places.
To get a 2 bedroom, 1 bath in the city you're looking at 200k easily for a shhitebox

Move to a small village in British columbia. Its gorgeous there.
I wish I was there with everyone;(

Hey, Welcome possible future Canadian!

i live in Toronto, yup, its expensive as well, but its big... i would bet it would be New York in like 10 yrs. Toronto has lot to offer tho, very multicultural(mostly Asian, Indian, south American(like Nicaragua, chile, etc) black and white of course!), you can find any food, from any country, I'm not talking Taco Bell and those crap(they exist too) but authentic food from different countries, like homemade restaurants types.
Cops are not too bad either, not much crime (oh yeah, not allowed to have guns in Toronto or any close by cities). Weather is pretty nice too, Toronto is very south compared to rest of Canadian cities.


If you don't have a secure job (at least 55k+, don't forget taxes, so if your are comparing with American salary, add about -25% to your current salary), but of course free healthcare .

I would suggest starting out a bit north of northeast.west of Toronto for starters, esp since industrialized places are there.

and Its pronounced TORONNO! by the locals

The only province I haven't been to is Newfoundland. Let's go west to east. BC is absolutely beautiful. Differing climates. Little cold and snow on the coast. Colder as you move inland. Alberta, think Texas with much worse weather. Sask. & Manitoba? I doubt your ready for those 8 month winters. Ontario. Stay away from the large cities. Guelph is a lovely college city. About 100,000 people, only 45 minutes to T.O. if you want major sports or concerts. Quebec. It's not all French. Montreal is about 50/50. Their bureaucracy can drive one nuts though. Not to mention the driving. Worst I've even seen. NB is nice. PEI. Doctors send insomniacs that don't respond well to medication there. Damn boring. I'm biased here but I would recommend Nova Scotia. It has it all. Wonderful people, food, culture, etc. Halifax also boasts the second most bars per capita in Canada. It's a party town. The weather can suck majorly in the winter though. The economy sucked for the longest time, that's why I'm in Ontario but that has changed in recent years.