Indian expat life: living in Vancouver Canada

Welcome back to the Indian Expat life series! I’m reaching out to Indian expats with families from across the world, to understand how they are leading their lives, in different countries. This week we are getting to know more about what living in Vancouver Canada is like!

With Canada openly inviting migrants to apply for permanent residency, it comes as no surprise that almost every Indian household now has atleast one relative who is settled in the Great White North.

So today we have Liji George, a dear friend from my home church in Delhi, sharing with us her experiences in Vancouver. A city that lies in British Columbia, the westernmost province of Canada.

But before we begin here’s a small context to this beautiful place

• Capital- Ottawa
• Population- 36,307,820
• Currency- Canadian dollar (1 CAD= 58.6 INR)
• Language- English, French

Tell us about yourself

I was born and raised in New Delhi. Like many other Malayalis, I came to being in Delhi as my parents moved there from Kerala in pursuit of job opportunities. So, Delhi was home till I moved out at 18 to pursue College and later University abroad. I moved to Qatar after I got married and the place was home for a good 8 years. We then moved to Canada three and a half years ago.

Why did you move to Canada?

Our move to Canada was largely influenced by my husband’s acceptance into one of his dream schools, for MBA. We applied for Permanent Residence as an afterthought based on a chance discussion on immigration to Canada with a friend. My brother lives on the West Coast of US, so that also motivated our move to where we are.

According to you, what should anyone know before moving to Canada?

Canadian winters are long and cold, summers short and welcome. I read somewhere- probably no one moves to Canada for its weather.

Where do you live in Canada? Describe the place

We live in British Columbia, the westmost province of Canada, known for its mild winters and the breathtaking landscape (mountains, lakes, forests and trails etc.).  It’s also famous (or infamous depending on how you look at it) for its rains, which in winters seems to have no stop. We can go for days without a peak at the sun! 

How much does one need to live comfortably in Canada?

The Canadian website canada.ca stipulates approx. CA$ 21,000/ year for a family of 3 – we allotted ourselves a lot more as we were settling into a new place. 

Cost of living in Vancouver

Vancouver is an expensive city to live in – a big chunk of your income is spent in taxes and mortgage/rent. If you are moving from the luxuries of the Middle East like we did from Qatar – it can be a bit of a shock as you have gotten used to paying no taxes on what you earn and employers bearing a lot of your expenses.

 I will try my best to give an idea based on my family of 3, for the following

• Accommodation – CA$ 2000 – 3000 per month Rent or Mortgage

• Transport – 

If you own a car the expenses are as follows.

Insurance – CA$ 180 – 250 per month (Insurance in BC is expensive and amount can be more or less depending on your driving experience)

Financing – CA $ 800 – 1000 per month for a new car. It will vary according to the type of car. 

Gasoline – CA $ 200 above per month. Again, it depends on the usage.

Public Transport (TRANSLINK)

Up to CA$ 150 per person per month.

Other options –

Car sharing services like MODO, EVO etc. which have monthly or annual subscription and cost per usage.

• Groceries – CA$ 800 – 1000 per month 

• Childcare – CA$ 1200 per month per child. It’s expensive and spots are few. If you are in the suburbs, it can cost less. This is for full time day care for children up to the age of 5. After 5 years of age children have to attend school. There are Before and After-school care options available that cost CA$ 600 – 800 per month per child.

• TV/Internet – CA$ 80 – 150 per month

• Education – Public/Elementary schools are free for the most part. Depending on the school district, you pay a CA $ 50 – 100 at the beginning of school year for supplies. In some school districts, parents are asked to buy supplies directly. 

Parents can take part in fundraising so the School Parent Advisory Council (PAC) and teachers can use the funds for different activities throughout the school year- this amount varies but there is no compulsion. If one cannot afford to help financially, parents can always volunteer with the PAC activities.

• Eating out/Entertainment – CA$ 400 – 800 per month

• Clothing – depends on the stores, kind of clothes you need or buy – you can get a variety from budget to high-end

• Healthcare – Canada has a universal health care system. It’s paid through taxes. You have to get a public health care card and show it every time you visit the doctor or Emergency. It’s advised you sign up for a family doctor as soon as possible. Else one can always walk-in to the emergency care centers. Dental services, however, is not covered as part of free healthcare as yet. Many workplaces cover part or the entire dental expense, depending. Dental services are expensive in Canada.

• Mobile – It seems expensive compared to the rest of the world. One can expect to spend CA$ 50-100 a month.

What challenges have you faced living in Canada? And how are you overcoming them?

Finding day care –

Our daughter was 4 when we moved to Vancouver, so we had to secure day-care for her, till she started Kindergarten because my husband was attending University and I had started working. This in spite of us having enrolled for a daycare spot while still in Qatar, as soon as we finalized our decision to move to Canada.

My husband and I tag-teamed in caring for our daughter till we found a care option for her. We also reached out regularly to as many daycare facilities in the neighborhood so they could notify us as soon as a spot arose. Thankfully that worked out just in time which is not short of a miracle as finding a daycare spot in Vancouver can be really tough.

Accommodation –

Finding a place to live is a challenge anywhere, let alone Vancouver. Finalising a house that fits your budget, ticks all the boxes in terms of commute, proximity to school/daycare etc. is quite herculean. Renting or owning a place is a challenge all Canadians face, particularly in cities like Vancouver. But you find a way, I guess, to make it work by networking with friends, colleagues, realtors and learning from others’ journeys.

How did you find work in Canada? How different is the work culture from India? How is it like working with the locals?

I just applied to places/roles of interest, prayed for a call back, cracked interviews and finally found the one that gave me a foot through the door. Once you have gotten the “elusive” Canadian experience on your resume it’s much easier transitioning to new roles within your organization or externally.

I haven’t worked in India and have only worked with American Universities in Qatar, so my experience here feels familiar in terms of work culture. Qatari workplaces were diverse made up of expats from different countries.

Canada is very similar in terms of diversity with its immigration programs so sought after. Just that you don’t feel like an expat – you feel like a Canadian which means you don’t have to worry about exit permits, visa sponsors – things that can go awry in the Gulf and can lead to end of your tenure there. Not so in Canada – you get more opportunities to change careers, integrate and call this place home.

How has it been living there during Covid?

Covid at its peak was felt very similarly in Canada – the loss – of jobs/businesses and lives, the fear, the panic was all real and relatable like in other parts of the world.

The province we are in, British Columbia (BC) has great leaders at the helm who have led us through the difficult time and continue to do so. The sentiment of “we are in this together” remains strong in communities. The restrictions put in place were not as stringent as in the Eastern part of Canada, but the pandemic was contained remarkably well compared to other provinces.

Work was made possible with transition to remote, some school districts moved to online education, others had a mixed model (in person teaching and online to accommodate other students).

Children of employees deemed as essential workers (providing essential services like healthcare, transportation, law enforcement etc.) were given the limited spots available in daycares so the employees could go into work.

A lot of people came together and worked together at the upper echelons of decision making to ground level where the plans have to materialize as we witnessed the toll a pandemic can take.

We are not completely out of the woods yet but living in this province makes me feel safe.

What do you like most about your place?

What makes Vancouver special is that it nicely balances the nature and city quarters. It has avenues for the ones that want to be out and about nature and it also has options for those who like the vibes of a metropolitan.

Is there anything that you don’t like?

I am still adapting to the incessant rainy months, reminding myself that the green that blankets us needs all the water else we risk losing the cover of nature to fires, in summers. Distance to India is also something that bothers me.

How’s the healthcare system there?

Canada has universal health care so one doesn’t have to worry about expenses, if God forbid, an illness befalls. The downside is that the wait times can be really long, and one is treated based on severity. Non-urgent surgeries could take, at times, six months. 

It is advised to appoint a family doctor because only a requisition from your family doctor can get you in line to see a specialist. Else it should be an emergency. 

Unlike in India, US or the middle east, where you can walk in and see a doctor or specialist in a private hospital/clinic, in Canada a family doctor has to refer you to a specialist to attend to you.

How’s Canadian food? Which dishes have you tried? Do you miss Indian food? How available is Indian food?

Canadian food is a mosaic of Indigenous, English and French recipes. I feel it’s very adaptive of the different cultures it embraces so Indo-Canadian, Chinese-Canadian options are also very popular. Poutine, Tourtière, Tarts, Bagels are foods I enjoy.

There is no dearth of food options in Vancouver. Name the cuisine and you will find a restaurant that serves it. So I have not had to miss Indian food much as there  are Indian restaurants across Greater Vancouver area. Some of them even come close to Delhi Street food.

That said, the food Delhi puts up every time I visit, fills my heart with happiness like no other!

What are your favourite things to do in Vancouver?

Treks/hikes. There are short easy trails and long, arduous ones – I have stuck to easier ones so far.

Which places in British Columbia do you recommend visiting?

In B.C – Victoria, Squamish, Whistler, Northshore, English Bay, Coal Harbor, Downtown Vancouver, University of British Columbia/UBC campus, Okanagan valley. We have waterfalls and provincial parks galore–each as or more gorgeous than the other.

What do you mostly do on the weekends? Which places do you hang out the most?

The past few summers we have had our families visiting so weekends have been taking them out and discovering these places ourselves. We have a list of treks that we are crossing off as we complete them. We hang out at beaches and parks with our friends.

Winters are usually indoors, and it also coincides with celebrations, Halloween, Diwali, Thanksgiving, Christmas etc. so weekend goes into decking up your places, prepping for these celebrations and hosting friends. 

Do you have any interesting experiences in Canada that you can recall?

It was last summer when we had gone for an evening stroll around our neighborhood. It was around 7 but it was still bright. There was an unusual commotion around the park in our community. Turns out, a black bear, with absolutely no care in the world was lying in the grass.

People had gathered around the park fence to get a close but safe look at the wild in our midst. Some shared my sentiment of absolute awe-struck and nervousness having found that bears live in such close proximity. The bear stayed in the park for a good twenty minutes before it got up and walked back nonchalantly into the woods. Probably got tired of all the human attention it got!

What do you miss the most about India?

My parents and extended family who live there.

Which Indian communities are you part of over here? Is it easy to make friends here?

We go to the Indian Orthodox Church here, so we are part of the church community. There are other Indian communities/associations which I am not a part of. But I know of friends and acquaintances who are.

I think it’s easy to make friends here. I made friends through work, neighbours and my husband ‘s university friends have become my friends as well.

What lessons have you learned from your expat life in Canada?

I have not felt like an expat in Canada. Maybe it’s the place or the people here but I actually feel I have always been a part of this beautiful place.

However, I have become more ecological-minded after I started living in Canada. I am conscious of the fortune of the majestic nature surrounding us and my responsibility towards keeping it that way.

Hope you enjoyed reading Liji’s experience on living in Vancouver, Canada as an Indian expat. Stay connected for the next country in our series, in the coming month.

If you’re interested in being interviewed for this series, or want to see a certain place featured email me at rubitah@beingrubitah.com

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Hi! My name is Rubitah. I’m a Content Writer certified Life Coach, Counselor, Social Work professional and the Founder of Being Rubitah. Over the years through my professional and personal life, I have realized that prayers and love can do wonders to family life once you come to terms with yourself and surrender to God. Do you relate to me? Then you may like what I post here! Read more about me

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