As the current pandemic takes its toll across the world, a question looms over the minds of those who had plans to come to Vancouver, Canada in the later half of the year: Should I postpone my plans to go to Canada?
Recap of the Situation
Although many governments are talking about the “reopening” of the economy, the fact is that there are a lot of uncertainties going on. British Columbia (BC), which Vancouver is located at, was one of the provinces that was hit the hardest and earliest. Having doubts about rushing to come over to BC is definitely valid.
BC was also the earliest to implement stay home orders from mid-March. This was sparked by the outbreak in a nursing home in North Vancouver at the start of March. Over the course of 2 weeks, the local government closed schools and businesses. Eventually, the province settled into the current state.
Looking Forward
Apparently, the efforts of BC’s government, as well as its people, helped flatten the curve over the past 2 months. This is evident from the weekly number of new cases.
Removing the outliers that were Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, and the first week of the month that had low numbers compared to the rest of the period, we can see that the number of new weekly cases had more or less started to dwindle from its peak in the third week of March.
In fact, the BC government is so optimistic, it announced plans for opening of the economy. For examples, hair salons and restaurants can expect to start normal operations from mid-May onwards.
This also means that we can expect travel restrictions to be lifted hopefully from June onwards. This paves the way for new students and workers to enter Canada.
What’s Good About Coming into Canada Right After The Pandemic?
Vancouver is notorious for being one of the most expensive cities to live in Canada, if not North America. Although the pandemic saw many businesses go bust, so were the livelihoods of people staying in Vancouver. More unemployment and people with lower disposable incomes would add to downward pressure of the prices in general.
According to the monthly report by LIV on Vancouver’s rental situation in April and May, the rents of Metro Vancouver saw a general decline since the pandemic struck in March. In May, overall rent prices fell by almost 10%. Burnaby saw the steepest decline at 16.45%.
The rental market in May – August is also traditionally a lull period, as international students move out after completing their studies, while new international students have yet to come in. Therefore, those arriving in Canada during this period should be able to snag some good bargains on the rental market.
What’s The Downside of Coming to Vancouver Early After the Pandemic?
The situation is not all rosy. Even after travel restrictions are lifted, we should see stringent checks on arriving visitors in the first few weeks of reopening the borders. There may also be quarantine orders, especially for those who are coming from “high risk” countries.
On the other hand, those coming to Canada for work will definitely be fighting for jobs in a labour market saturated with people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Unless, of course, you already had a job offer before coming over.
How to Get to Vancouver?
As of now, the whole of Canada is still closed – even Americans cannot cross the border except for providing essential services. However, you can monitor the situation by checking the official website of IRCC.
Getting Prepared For Going to Vancouver, Canada, Post-Pandemic
Given the points I mentioned above, it is good to be prepared. You should be more prepared if you are going to Canada right after the Canadian borders are opened.
Give Time Allowance for Quarantine
This is not just about setting aside more time to have to clear the immigration. In my earlier post, I said that the time spent at the immigration waiting for the Study Permit to be issued took less than an hour. Given the enhanced measures required for social distancing, this wait may take longer than an hour.
However, the greatest “time allowance” you should prepare for would be the possibility of being quarantined. This is especially so if you are coming from a country that is still listed as “high risk” by Canada or the BC government.
Therefore, factor the possibility of being quarantined for 2 weeks!
Give Time Allowance for Other Administrative Tasks
In Canada, many application processes must be initiated in person. The following is a list of things you have to show up in person to complete:
- Apply for Social Insurance Number, if applicable (2 hours)
- Apply for BC Services Card (2 hours)
- Submit education credential to school (30 minutes)
- Make student’s card (30 minutes)
- Buy a Translink card (Immediate, at one of the machines in the airport. If not, you have to walk to one of the Skytrain stations to get one from the machines)
For example, from stepping into a Services Canada centre and leaving it, I took 2 hours to obtain my SIN. This meant I could still rush down to an ICBC centre (which was 1 hour away on public transport) to settle my BC Services Card.
With social distancing measures, you might be able to complete only one of them in a day.
Prepare Cash For Period Before Setting Up Bank Account
I am not referring to the money you have to bring, under IRCC’s requirement for coming into Canada. I’m referring to the cash you carry on you.
Under normal circumstances, we only carry a few hundred dollars’ worth of cash on us, with the rest of the money required by IRCC carried either in cashier’s check, or in the bank, waiting to be transferred over once we set up a local bank account in Canada.
As I mentioned in my earlier post “Opening A Bank Account in Vancouver, Canada“, the process of opening a bank account takes a minimum of 2 weeks. This included waiting for the appointment with the banker (1 week) and for money to be remitted from your home country (3 days to a week).
Based on my experience remitting money from Singapore to Canada, after the money is processed by the home bank, the time taken for the money to be in Canada is about 2 days.
Additionally, if you want to apply for a credit card, the processing and delivery time is about 2 – 3 weeks, depending on which bank you use.
Therefore, be prepared to spend cash or your home country’s credit card for at least 2 weeks after arrival, before you can start spending money using your Canadian bank account’s debit card. Add another 2 weeks before you can start spending money on a Canadian credit card.
In this case, bringing $400 worth of cash should more or less tide you through until you get your bank account up and running. The breakdown can be found below.
- Food at $20/day for 14 days – $280
- Transport from airport to place of stay – $60
- Buy Translink Card (and top with with a monthly pass) – $120
- Miscellaneous (e.g. toiletries) – $40
- Rent payment, if required
Prepare Cash and Credit Card for Quarantine
If you are lucky, you can start spending like a local in 2 weeks. However, what if you are quarantined?
Unlike residents who can still cook when they’re quarantined, newcomers do not have the chance to buy groceries (especially if you are quarantined straight from the airport and have no friends or family in Vancouver). Therefore, you can only rely on food deliveries. Unfortunately, that will burn cash like crazy, or if you can bear with paying the bank charges, pay with credit cards. Therefore, make sure to prepare about $500 cash in case of quarantine.
The breakdown of cash required in case you are quarantined:
- Food at $20/day – $280
- Transport into and out of place of quarantine – $100
- Miscellaneous (e.g. toiletries) – $40
- Settling down post quarantine – $100
Parting Words
With some careful planning, it is possible to make use of the post pandemic situation and turn it around into your favour. Use this chance to look for cheap rentals. At the same time, cater for plenty of delays and prepare enough cash for unexpected circumstances.
Do Like and Share this post if you find it to be useful. Feel free to read about my other posts like “3 Steps I Took to Find A School to Study in Canada” and “Comparing Education Credential Assessment Service Providers in Canada”. Follow Sing in Can for more of my sharing on settling down in Vancouver, Canada.
Till then, sing while you can!
