Having dreamed, planned and stressed over your move, you will finally arrive and it is better to have an idea of what to expect.  The sub pages here are detailed about jobs, education and medical issues which are the three most important.  You will need to get a social insurance number upon arrival which we can help you with and open a bank account.

Driving initially is a little daunting but using an automatic vehicle means one less thing to think about.  You must take a driving test here within 90 days of moving.  There is a written part based on a book that is not too hard - just like the highway code, lots of small facts to be memorised.  The practical part was a short drive around ensuring use of mirrors, indicators, looking over shoulder etc. 

Language can be very different here and I think the key is to speak slowly and watch for the blank looks to show that you are not making sense!  There are some differences in the same words that can be confusing.  For example, the pavement is actually the bit of the road you drive on and not the part you walk on. That is the sidewalk.  My daughter asked at a friend’s house if she could play in the garden and could not understand why they said no.  Here the garden refers to the flower beds and the yard is what we know as the garden.