A Guide to Working in Canada

Living and working in Canada can be a great experience, as I found during the three years that I spent working in Canada. There are several considerations that must be made before you begin working in Canada, which are as follows.

In order to work in Canada, you will have to meet the country's strict standards regarding non-Canadian workers. Working in Canada on a temporary baisis will be nearly impossible unless you have a valid work permit before entering the country as Canada does not allow temporary residents to work without this certification (there are a few exceptions to this rule - please consult the Citizen and Immigration Canada (CIC) website for a listing of these exceptions). If you are being sponsored by a company to work in Canada, this is somewhat easier to complete as the supporting company will prove that you have "special skills" that make it necessary for you to be working in Canada. If you are looking to practice a certain profession in Canada as a permanent resident, then you will have to work with the appropriate governing body to determine whether your qualifications will allow you to complete the same work in Canada. You can use The Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (www.cicic.ca) as a starting point in this process to begin working in Canada.

A great resource to visit in preparing for living and working in Canada is the Citizen and Immigration Canada (CIC) website. As you begin additional research into living and working in Canada, you will find that the housing situation when living in Canada is not very different from the United States as apartment and housing rentals are in fairly strong supply. One can expect to pay between $375-$600 (USD) for an apartment and $850-$1275 (USD) for a home rental. Expenses when living and working in Canada will depend upon the exchange rate in place during your stay. During my time in Canada several years ago, the exchange rate hovered around $1.50 Canadian for every $1 US. Since the prices for groceries and utilities were only a little higher than US prices, I saw a huge savings on all of my Canadian purchases. Today, the exchange rate is $1.18 Canadian for every $1 US, so the prices when living and working in Canada will be much more in-line with US prices, with gasoline in particular being much more expensive in Canada.