Where to find help moving to Canada

The best forums, blogs, and settlement resources.

While Canada has one of the most user-friendly visa and immigration programs, it’s common for us to come across instructions or requirements that just don’t make sense given our particular circumstances.

Thankfully, there are plenty of places where you can find answers to your immigration questions.

Essential Websites

The IRCC website to verify advice. This is the authority for all visa and immigration information.

Numbeo provides cost of living information.

The Conference Board of Canada’s Immigration Centre provides economic analysis and forecasting.

Peer support

Moving to Canada requires a ton of research. There are many groups online where people share what they’ve learned. Once you make it through successfully all of that knowledge becomes useless unless you help other people with the process.

Remember that any advice you get should be verified by the IRCC. Requirements change periodically and people can misunderstand things. Why is potentially unreliable information still so helpful? It’s a lot easier to fact check something than it is to figure it out on your own!

Facebook groups

Most of these groups are for a specific visa/immigration pathway. You’ll have the best luck getting helpful answers if you join the appropriate group and ask clear questions.

Remember to check the pinned posts and files for helpful information. You can also search within a group, since usually someone has already asked the same question.

Canada Work Permit Visa, Student Visa, Citizenship

Canada Immigration & Work Permits for People from Asia

Canadian Citizenship – Support Group

Student Visas

Yes, all of these groups really do have the same name.

International Students in Canada

Canada Student Visa

Family Sponsorship

Canada Spousal Sponsorship Petitioners

Applying for PR Common-Law/Spousal Canada

Canada Spouse Open Work Permit

Canada Family Sponsorship Filipino Tagalog Group

Quora

Immigration to Canada

Canada Express Entry

Permanent Residency in Canada

Career Advice in Canada

Working in Canada

Living in Canada

International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

IELTS Preparation

Reddit

Canada Visa

Part of a site run by an immigration law firm, the Canada Visa forum provides advice mostly from other immigrants. This is by far the most active forum for Canadian immigration, covering all temporary residency, permanent residency, and citizenship programs.

All the ways you can move to Canada, legally

Your passport isn't enough to allow you to move to Canada.

If you're looking to immigrate to Canada, there are a number of pathways to permanent residency and citizenship.

Have skills

If your score is high enough, you can have PR status within 6 months.

Marry a Canadian

Marriage doesn’t automatically get you a Canadian passport, sorry.

Take a working holiday

If you're under 35, you can try out living in Canada for up to two years.

Go to school

A Canadian degree can put you on the path to citizenship.

Retire in Canada

Retiring in Canada is no longer as simple as it used to be.

All the options

There are a lot of ways to move to Canada. Find the best fit for you.

What you need to know

There are a lot of things to think about before moving to another country.

Immigration FAQs

Have questions? Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions.

Can you move to Canada?

Take the quiz and find out in 5 minutes.
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Personal Websites

I’m not the only one who’s moved to Canada and then shared what I learned with other would-be immigrants. Here are a few other websites written by people who’ve moved to Canada.

Black Migrant Girl

Black Migrant Girl is Akata Salowo’s blog about moving from Lagos to Toronto. She shares her experience finding a job and finding an apartment, among other things.

Moving2Canada

Moving2Canada is a website with a lot of immigration and visa information, run by Outpost Recruitment. They’re a recruitment agency focusing on construction and engineering. Most of the articles have been written by people from abroad who are now living in Canada who are sharing their own personal experiences or writing guides based on first hand knowledge of the topic. If you’re looking for an immigration consultant, here’s who they recommend.

eKanada

This site has great information on the immigration process as well as what to expect about life in Canada in both Polish and English.

Expat Yourself

Learn how you can move to Canada from someone who’s lived in 30 countries. His move to Canada pre-dates the changes to the immigration programs in 2015, 2016, and 2017, but he has great posts on dealing with taxes and other trials and tribulations of living abroad temporarily.

Gray Ninja’s Guide to Canada

This blog provides a personal account of the journey from deciding to move to Canada through getting settled in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The author is a CPA who was able to find a job very quickly after landing, so if you’re in a licensed profession you’ll find his experience helpful. If you’re coming from the Philippines or moving to New Brunswick, you’ll appreciate his insights.

Lost in the Leafy City

The personal blog of someone moving from the Philippines to Calgary.

Off-Track Travel

While mainly a travel blog, this British-Canadian couple has done working holidays in Canada, New Zealand, and the UK. They provide step-by-step guides for the IEC process and lots of information on what to see and do.

Toronto Newbie

This is the story of a British journalist who moved to Toronto in 2012. She covers immigration stories as a journalist. While the information is still helpful in terms of knowing what to expect and discovering the best of the GTA, all of the immigration programs have changed significantly since her arrival.

The Expatriate Mind

This blog is written by an American who moved to Canada as a skilled worker in 2011, through the paper application. He’s currently working on applying for Canadian citizenship.

An Aussie in Canada

This is an online course created by Sara Doole. As you’ve probably guessed, she’s an Australian who moved to Canada through Express Entry.

Other blogs about expats in Canada

Sometimes you don’t need detailed immigration information, you’re just wondering what day to day life in Canada is really like.

Skippy or Bullwinkle: Australians trying to work out Canada

Correr es mi Destino

The Loud Americans

From Switzerland to Canada

Overwhelmed?

There are so many immigration pathways and scenarios, it can be confusing to figure out the best choice for you -- or even what programs you qualify for.

Luckily, we have a simple quiz that will help you sort through the options.

Take the quiz

Get the book

Professional Support

Arrive Prepared provides online courses to help immigrants prepare for the Canadian workforce environment. These courses are available only between when you’ve been approved to immigrate and before you’ve landed.
Next Stop Canada is a program run by the YMCA that provides free pre-arrival services to young adults (12-19) and adults (16+).
Canadian Immigrant is a magazine about the newcomer experience.
If you prefer video over print, New Canadians is a web tv show.
Prepare for Canada is an online magazine for skilled professionals preparing to immigrate to Canada.

Province Specific Resources

Ontario

Settlement.org for Ontario housing and employment information.
New Youth helps young people in Ontario get settled, from daily life to legal questions.
CultureLink provides language help, school assistance, job placement, mentorship, and free outdoor activities in Toronto.
Ontario’s Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration connects newcomers to bridge training, language classes, and settlement services.
WIL is a nonprofit employment center for newcomers to London, ON.
The Cross Cultural Learner Centre provides settlement services in London, ON.
Skills for Change provides career training to newcomers in Toronto.
StartUp Here Toronto helps startups move to the GTA.
Polycultural provides immigrant services in Toronto, including career services, language programs, wellness programs, and senior services.
Newcomer Women’s Services Toronto was founded by a group of Latin American refugees. They now help immigrant women with employment services, skills development, and language training.
Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization provides settlement, employment, and language help for adults and children.
Immigrant Women Services Ottawa provides culturally appropriate services supporting immigrant women and their children.
The Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre provides help with settlement, language, employment, and family services.

British Columbia

New to BC is a clearinghouse of all the services available to newcomers in BC.
ISS of BC connects newcomers with ESL classes, settlement and career help.
Mosaic supports newcomers with translation services, intercultural training, language training, and income tax clinics.
The Skilled Immigrant Infocentre is a program run by the Vancouver Public Library that helps newcomers learn how to find a job, choose a new career, or start a business.

Alberta

Centre for Newcomers supports immigrants in Calgary.
Immigrant Services Calgary provides language classes, translation, career support, and other settlement services.
Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association provides settlement services specifically for women and children.
The Calgary Bridge Foundation for Youth provides in-school support, afterschool programs, and mentorship for children and young adults.

Immigration Attorneys & Consultants

You can access expert advice without having to pay an immigration attorney or consultant. How? Their websites!

You’ll find that many professional immigration blogs give you the impression that it’s virtually impossible to get a visa or PR status in Canada without professional help. That’s not the case.

Every year many applicants successfully apply on their own. The electronic application is a lot like applying for a job online. If you’re capable of following instructions, using a computer, and getting the required documents, you’ll be fine.

However, some circumstances will require the help of a professional. This is especially true if you have a criminal record or if one of your immediate family members may be inadmissible to Canada.

Remember that if you choose to hire an immigration consultant or attorney to help you with the process, you should always make sure they’re authorized.

All consultants are authorized by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants. Until 2021, they were authorized by the ICCRC.

It is illegal for someone to work as an immigration consultant who isn’t authorized by the CICC, a Canadian law society, or the Law Society of Upper Canada.

Canada Visa

Canada Visa and CIC News are run by Campbell Cohen, a Canadian Immigration law firm. If you aren’t sure if you qualify for an immigration stream, you may find their free assessment helpful.

Their website has easy-to-understand overviews of each immigration program. While they’ll help you find the best way to bring yourself and your family to Canada, they’re not giving away step-by-step instructions. This website is a great place to start. They also have a newsletter and social media accounts that will keep you up to date with the latest immigration news, PNP, and EE draws.

The definitive guide to Express Entry

Do you qualify for Canada's skilled worker program?
It doesn't require a job offer or even a degree if you have what they're looking for.

How Express Entry Works

Exactly how Canada's skilled worker program works, including how much it cost and the timeline for our application.

Express Entry document checklist

A comprehensive list of the documents you'll need for Express Entry, with or without a spouse.

How to improve your CRS score

These 9 ways will bump up your comprehensive ranking system points without breaking the rules.

I moved to Canada without an immigration attorney or consultant and you can, too.

Now that I’ve successfully immigrated to Canada from the US using the Express Entry program, I wrote the guide I wish I’d had.

Get the full story

What other prospective immigrants have said about my book,
Moving to Canada: A complete guide to immigrating to Canada without an attorney.

If you want the step by step process on how to immigrate to Canada, here it is. I found the book easy to read, inspiring, and very informative.

Laura J.I.

This book is very well written, chock full of useful information and tips. The writing style is crisp and engaging. I enjoyed reading about the author's personal experiences with immigrating to Canada, as well as the loads of information she provided on how the process worked. Somehow she took a potentially boring and tedious subject and made it interesting. Did I still have a few questions after reading this book? Of course! But thats because each person has a unique set of needs and personal history and reasons for moving. I believe this book will provide most of the basic information you will need to start the progress of moving to Canada. It is very thorough and well organized. I feel pretty confident that I understand all that will be involved in applying for a permanent residency after having read this book. Plus I enjoyed reading the background material about Canada.

J. Garrison

Some reviews are for the 2016 , 2017, 2018, and 2019 editions.

We are an American couple planning our immigration to Canada through the Express Entry program. This book has been very helpful to aid us in planning and organizing all the steps and timelines for the immigration process. It also has lots of other great information about the actual moving, landing, and transitioning process. If you are a professional looking to navigate through the Canadian immigration program this book is well worth the read. We actually are using it as a reference as well, keeping pages bookmarked and using the spreadsheets and timelines, costs, etc as a model for our own documents.

G.B.

Useful for getting a general overview of the process all in one place, rather than searching around the internet.

R. Marshall

A lot of the other books about moving to Canada talk about what it’s like to live in Canada, whereas this book talks about how to actually get there. A must have for anybody thinking about immigrating.

Carter

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