Marathi Bhashik Mandal Toronto, Inc.

Newcomers to Canada can roughly be classified into three categories:

Visitors
Prospective Immigrants
New Immigrants
Become a member (1st Year Basic Membership is Free)

Visitors:

Visa Requirements:

Every non-resident Canadian needs a visitor visa to enter in Canada, except the US citizens, US green card holders and persons holding passport of other exempted countries.

Visitor Visa is valid for 3 months from the date of entry to Canada or as stipulated on the visa. It may be extended at the discretion of the visa officer, but you have to apply again for this extension.

Persons coming from overseas to visit the US and Canada in the same tour are advised to acquire their Canadian and US visas before leaving their country of origin. It may be very difficult or sometimes impossible to obtain visa while in the US or at the US Canada border crossing points.

Medical Insurance:

As the hospitalization and the medical treatment are very expensive in Canada, it is recommended that all visitors obtain medical insurance before entering in Canada. Medical insurance for short period is available from some Canadian private insurance companies. It may cost somewhere from $100 to $150 for one month. It may be renewed for up to three months only.

Since winters are very severe in Canada a good time to travel around is from end of June to end of September.

Several clinics provide medical help free of charge to individuals who are not covered under other health insurance. The Mandal makes no claims as to the accuracy of this list.

Driving In Canada:

Motor vehicle operator needs a valid driving license in Canada. Persons coming from overseas may carry an international driving license. It is valid up to 30 days only.

Driving license issued in the US and some other countries is valid in Canada for longer periods.

Driving in North America (U.S. and Canada) is on the right side of the road, unlike in India.

Other:

Major credit cards are accepted at almost all places.
Persons coming from India may not be able to charge their purchases in foreign currency (exception may apply).
Carry your passport with you at all the time.
Canadian currency is Canadian Dollar. It is approximately equivalent to Canadian 1 Dollar = US 0.89 and $CAD 1 = INR 38.
You may not be able to readily convert Indian rupees to Canadian or the US dollars in Canada.
US currency is accepted at almost all places. The conversion rate varies quite a bit at varies places. Therefore it is recommended that you convert them at the financial institutions to get the better conversion rate.
Electric power supply in Canada is AC 120v 60 cycles.

Indian Consulate:

CONSULATE-GENERAL OF INDIA, TORONTO
Suite 700, 365 Bloor Street East,
Toronto, Ontario M4W 3L4
Tel: 416-960-0751
Fax: 416-960-9812
Email: cgindia@cgitoronto.ca
URL: http://www.cgitoronto.ca

Prospective Immigrants:

If you are planning to apply under an independent immigrant category, there are two ways you can apply. Either you apply through an immigration consultant or you can directly write to the Canadian Consulate in your country or any country you like. Either way the time to complete the process is about the same. Currently it takes anywhere from 2 to 3 years to get Visa.

Although the local consultants say, in their advertisements, that there are plenty of jobs in Canada, it is not necessarily true.

Educational degrees from all countries are not recognized here. Qualification and experience are not readily accepted.
Getting a job as per your educational degree may not be possible unless you upgrade your qualification.
Getting a first job is always difficult and may take several weeks to several months. So make some arrangements to bear expenses for up to four months. Room and board may cost anywhere from 400 to 600 dollars per month.
As domestic help is very expensive, house work is done by family members.

This information is given as a reality, so that you make your decisions without any false hopes. This is not a discouragement in any way.

Public school education up to grade 13 is free.

Hospital and medical treatment in Ontario is free. New immigrants have to wait 3 months before becoming eligible for treatment.

Marathi population in Toronto is about 1000 to 1500 people. There are plenty of Indian grocery stores, Indian shops, Indian restaurants, and Indian movie theatres, temples, churches and mosques.

Winters are very severe and temperature in winter (December, January and February) is any where from 0 C to some times -25 C with lots of snow. Therefore plan your arrival in Canada between June to September so that you can slowly get used to the climate.

New Immigrants:

When you arrive in Canada as an immigrant you have to apply to get a Social Security Number (SIN), Health Care card etc. You may get all this information from the Immigration Reception & Information Services officer at the Toronto international airport, or you can visit any nearest immigration office in the town.

Social Security Number (S.I.N.):

Apply at Human Resources Development Canada.You will need your passport and landed immigration certificate to get S.I.N. Mentioned below are various locations across Toronto to apply for a S.I.N. number.

Brampton	Mississauga	North York

8 Corporation Drive (905)790-2525	3085 Glen Erin Drive (905) 608-7000	900 Dufferin St. (416) 583-4700

Toronto	Scarborough	Markham

25 St. Clair Ave. E (416) 973-6915	200 Town Center Crt. (416) 973-4400	4 & 5 -4981 Highway 7 (905) 886-7662

Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP.):

O.H.I.P.
2063 Lawrence Avenue east
Toronto, Ontario.

Office Hours: Monday to Friday 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM.

There is no telephone number for public inquiries - you must go there personally. You will need at least three pieces of identifications which bear your name and address in Canada. (Landed immigration certificate may have your address in Canada. Open a bank account right away so that your first monthly statement will have your name and address, Have some organization send you a letter stating your name and address).

Educational qualifications may be assessed at:

If you want to continue further studies, most of the Universities do their own evaluation before enrolling you in any program. This may cost any where from 50.00 to 150.00 dollars. So in this case approach directly to the university where you intend to continue your studies. Ministry of Education of each province may provide educational assessment for their province. For province of Ontario apply at:

Ministry of Education
900 Bay street, Mowat Block.
Toronto, Ontario

There are few agencies, which help you in preparing resume, prepare for interviews, and guide you in finding jobs.

There are number of employment agencies which can assist you in locating a job at no cost to you.

You can always get in touch with the Marathi Bhashik Mandal, Toronto for more information. click here.