advice on immigrating

[anuska]

Hi all,
I am dental hygiene student currently completing my degree here in Trinidad and I am considering moving abroad to practice afterwards and continue my education.My question is does anyone have any advice with regards to immigrating to Canada or any country in general ? I have been reading that quarantine is mandatory, I know very little of the process but I can tell that it's a very strenuous process and I would hate to put my amazon fids through that.Have any of you gone through the process and can share your experience? If it's a horrible process I would ultimately reconsider even leaving my home.The reason I am opting to go abroad is because my country does not seem to have a promising future for my degree. I have rarely travelled abroad and so I have very little knowledge.I know Canada is relatively cold in comparison to where I come from it would be a huge adaptation for my fids. Are any of you from Canada and how do you manage with your fids ? Are you able to go outdoors much or is it only during winter time such restraint is placed.

 

[Wasabisaurus]

The west coast of Canada is pretty temperate. British Columbia and its capital city, Vancouver, are awesome. You would find good employment opportunities there, and in many other cities or towns.

@Danita

^^That's a way of asking someone into the conversation.

I have never had to import birds, but others here have. It makes me nervous, too. I hope to move back home to Canada one day, and take my birds there.

Big welcome!

 

[Lwalker]

Do you have a certain part of Canada in mind?

I was curious so I found this on Google

Canada is ~1,947 times bigger than Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago is approximately 5,128 sq km, while Canada is approximately9,984,670 sq km.

There is quite a bit of diversity in terms of weather across the country.

 

[anuska]

Do you have a certain part of Canada in mind?

I was curious so I found this on Google

Canada is ~1,947 times bigger than Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago is approximately 5,128 sq km, while Canada is approximately9,984,670 sq km.

There is quite a bit of diversity in terms of weather across the country.

I don't mind settling in any part, to be honest my main concern is job opportunity and the whole quarantine procedure.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Here you go Anuska - maybe you can read this then ask questions.
Importing or travelling with pet birds from countries other than the United States - Animals - Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Canada is all cold to me - I live in Arizona, USA - but the EAstern part of Canada is colder than the West coast. It is a huge country, but most of it is uninhabited or very lightly inhabited. Most of the country lives in cities, unlike the USA.

@JLcribber

 

[Lwalker]

I am in south-west Ontario (Niagara Region) and we usually have four distinct seasons. Winter can be cold but summer is hot. I love autumn best. My birds get outside in their travel cage in the late spring, summer and early fall. The amount of daylight hours in winter would be an adjustment for you and your birds, I imagine.

 

[JLcribber]

Are any of you from Canada and how do you manage with your fids ? Are you able to go outdoors much or is it only during winter time such restraint is placed.

Canada is a vast country with many different climates. Depends where you live but summertime is in the 60 to 70 degree range right across the country. Wintertime. It gets cold. Colder than probably anything you've experienced in your life.

Importing birds internationally is not an easy thing to do. There is a lot of red tape and I'm sure it's not cheap. There is always risk and a lot of stress. Personally I wouldn't do it. You yourself will be going into an unknown situation and need all your resources for yourself. Doesn't leave much for the birds who would need it more than ever.

 

[WendyN]

Does all of Canada snow in the winter?

 

[JLcribber]

Does all of Canada snow in the winter?

On the far west and east coast it doesn't usually snow although it CAN snow anywhere. The further you go inland or north of course it snows and gets cold

 

[Lwalker]

I am in the "snow belt" because I live on Lake Erie so my weather is pretty much the same as Buffalo, NY. July/August has highs usually in the 80s and February/March has lows of 19 or so. And then...there is the wind chill factor. That is a measurement that tells you how cold it feels rather than how cold it is. And believe me...if the news is reporting wind chill-it feels COLD!

When I lived in Kingston it got so cold your nose hairs would freeze and your ears would burn. If you ran for a bus...it felt like your lungs cracked. Your eyelashes got icicles. And I am sure that was nowhere near how cold it gets where @JLcribber is. But then where John is, at least its a DRY cold (insider Canadian joke)

 

[anuska]

Canada is a vast country with many different climates. Depends where you live but summertime is in the 60 to 70 degree range right across the country. Wintertime. It gets cold. Colder than probably anything you've experienced in your life.

Importing birds internationally is not an easy thing to do. There is a lot of red tape and I'm sure it's not cheap. There is always risk and a lot of stress. Personally I wouldn't do it. You yourself will be going into an unknown situation and need all your resources for yourself. Doesn't leave much for the birds who would need it more than ever.

Which areas would you say are more temperate? Have you imported birds before or know someone who did ? I'm curious about the experience, I know it can be a difficult process but I am willing to go through with with provided it is safe and tolerable for my birds. What red tapes and risks are involved ?

 

[theocnoob]

The most opportunity in Canada is in Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario. These are 3 distinct places with different slang, different cultures, and different climates. Alberta is going to be the coldest. Places like Edmonton, Alberta get freakishly cold in the winter. Being from Trinidad, the most welcoming place for you temperature wise would be Vancouver, which is our warmest city, and it rarely snows in winter. There are also beautiful forests and mountains and it is in the best province for skiing in the country by far.

The problem with Vancouver is that real estate is out of control, and prices are very high. In Alberta you'd be paying much lower prices, and in Ontario they would be high but not as high as Vancouver. There are a lot of places around Toronto, Ontario, where the rent/home prices aren't ridiculous but if you want to live in the actual city be prepared to pay a silly amount of money.

Toronto is my favorite Canadian city. It has a subway system and an excellent bus and streetcar (trolley/LRV) system including routes that run 24 hours along major roads across the city. It is a multicultural metropolis and most people who immigrate to Canada end up in the Greater Toronto Area. Toronto is the most culturally and ethnically diverse city on Earth and you will meet people here from every imaginable nationality. You can go for a subway ride and in 30 minutes you could hear 10 different languages being spoken. If you avoid the bad neighborhoods, Toronto is a relatively safe city. I have lived here for 34 years and nobody has ever jumped me or tried to rob me on the street or anything like that. There are neighborhoods that are mostly populated by certain groups where people can share their native culture and go to businesses that remind them of home. For example, we have little italy, a couple of Chinatowns (3 actually), the Portuguese neighborhood, and many more. You would probably feel most at home on Eglinton west, where there is a huuuge population of carribeans, from almost every carribean country, and there are shops and restaurants selling all sorts of things from back home, from Jamaica, Trinidad, St Lucia. etc etc. The food in that area is fantastic. They are building a light rail line on Eglinton so transportation will be fantastic.

As far as how we keep our birds here, you just don't take them outside if its not hot out. Everybody has proper heating here so nobody's home really goes below 20 celsius (not sure what that is in ferenheit... maybe like 72?) in the winter. Many people have air conditioning as well so the summer temperature is about the same. Where I live in Pickering which is right next to Toronto we get temperatures ranging from -20c on a cold winter day to over 30c on a hot summer day. We also have a lot of humidity in the summer. But hey- there are no venomous snakes around here, the spiders are teensy tiny and harmless, and most people are very nice, so if you can get over the winter you'll be ok.

I have a friend who moved to Canada from Jamaica in 1990. He said the first winter he spent here he would think to himself "What the hell have I done with my life? This is hell" every time he went out in the winter, but he got used to it. Most families that immigrate from a hot place hate their first winter, but afterwards they get used to it and many even start skiing, throwing snowballs at eachother, building snowmen, snow forts, and all the other fun things you can do in winter. Honestly, even at -20, if you wear the appropriate clothing, it's really not that horrible.

 

[anuska]

The most opportunity in Canada is in Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario. These are 3 distinct places with different slang, different cultures, and different climates. Alberta is going to be the coldest. Places like Edmonton, Alberta get freakishly cold in the winter. Being from Trinidad, the most welcoming place for you temperature wise would be Vancouver, which is our warmest city, and it rarely snows in winter. There are also beautiful forests and mountains and it is in the best province for skiing in the country by far.

The problem with Vancouver is that real estate is out of control, and prices are very high. In Alberta you'd be paying much lower prices, and in Ontario they would be high but not as high as Vancouver. There are a lot of places around Toronto, Ontario, where the rent/home prices aren't ridiculous but if you want to live in the actual city be prepared to pay a silly amount of money.

Toronto is my favorite Canadian city. It has a subway system and an excellent bus and streetcar (trolley/LRV) system including routes that run 24 hours along major roads across the city. It is a multicultural metropolis and most people who immigrate to Canada end up in the Greater Toronto Area. Toronto is the most culturally and ethnically diverse city on Earth and you will meet people here from every imaginable nationality. You can go for a subway ride and in 30 minutes you could hear 10 different languages being spoken. If you avoid the bad neighborhoods, Toronto is a relatively safe city. I have lived here for 34 years and nobody has ever jumped me or tried to rob me on the street or anything like that. There are neighborhoods that are mostly populated by certain groups where people can share their native culture and go to businesses that remind them of home. For example, we have little italy, a couple of Chinatowns (3 actually), the Portuguese neighborhood, and many more. You would probably feel most at home on Eglinton west, where there is a huuuge population of carribeans, from almost every carribean country, and there are shops and restaurants selling all sorts of things from back home, from Jamaica, Trinidad, St Lucia. etc etc. The food in that area is fantastic. They are building a light rail line on Eglinton so transportation will be fantastic.

As far as how we keep our birds here, you just don't take them outside if its not hot out. Everybody has proper heating here so nobody's home really goes below 20 celsius (not sure what that is in ferenheit... maybe like 72?) in the winter. Many people have air conditioning as well so the summer temperature is about the same. Where I live in Pickering which is right next to Toronto we get temperatures ranging from -20c on a cold winter day to over 30c on a hot summer day. We also have a lot of humidity in the summer. But hey- there are no venomous snakes around here, the spiders are teensy tiny and harmless, and most people are very nice, so if you can get over the winter you'll be ok.

I have a friend who moved to Canada from Jamaica in 1990. He said the first winter he spent here he would think to himself "What the hell have I done with my life? This is hell" every time he went out in the winter, but he got used to it. Most families that immigrate from a hot place hate their first winter, but afterwards they get used to it and many even start skiing, throwing snowballs at eachother, building snowmen, snow forts, and all the other fun things you can do in winter. Honestly, even at -20, if you wear the appropriate clothing, it's really not that horrible.

this was extremely helpful , thank you so much for the insight ! I was speaking to a someone earlier who lives in canada and has birds of her own, she was telling me that toronto had a bad case of PBFD and that I should take that into consideration.She also said that BC has had a lot of earthquakes.Those were my two main desired options so if any of you have any more insight to share I would very much like that.Also what's transportation like in these areas ? I've heard housing is pretty costly and especially since I'm looking at pet friendly places it may be even more difficult to find.