Moving to Vancouver

Hello Ad Vancouver Welcome to Expat.com.

For networking and friendships, you can visit the Vancouver expat network page. I hope you will make lot of contacts via the site.

For your other questions, I am pretty sure other members will bring their contributions and experiences very soon!!!

Regards
Yud

I heard you are moving to Vancouver, Please feel to contact us. My phone number is 604-270-1804 and my email address is [email protected]
Fred, Norie Gordo
#220-8580 General Currie Road,
Richmond, B.C. V6Y3V5

Ad Vancouver wrote:

Hi there!

My wife and I are thinking of moving soon to Vancouver. I'm Canadian and my wife is Russian. We've been traveling a lot and need to settle. We thought that Vancouver would be the best place in Canada for such a move.

We're trying to gather information about livingin Vancouver and whether new arrivals are happy there or not.

Please tell us about your experience, whether you like it or not and why.

We are also interested in new friendships, espeically with couples and families.

Waiting for your replies.

Hi,
My wife, two sons and I arrived here from the UK and before that South Africa - a long haul!  What have we found?

Very friendly and helpful people - never experienced anything like it. We have been welcomed so warmly - quite remarkable.

Career/jobs - very competitive - every man and his dog wants to live here so competition for all jobs is tough. Remuneration is not great relative to cost of dwelling - buying or renting - but that is part of the trade-off of lifestyle versus riches. 
There is a most peculiar characteristic of business life here: this is a small community with very parochial views - the Vancouver Sun gives less real news than the Harrow Times or Southern Suburbs Tatler. (Conversation generally does not stretch to macro- or global issues).  Things are done "below the radar", especially job appointments.  Vancouver is NOT a meritocracy - it is a networking minefield. (Perhaps an overstatement of reality but nevertheless be prepared to walk the pavements and coffee-shops for jobs). Outsiders struggle for the first 2-3 years but as a fellow immigrant said recently - you have to remain resolute!
Cost of living, (excluding property), is not as bad as people make out - one can shop for great deals on everything.  BC folk can be a little eccentric as a group - the HST hoohah is a case in point.  Weather has never bothered us - we just get on with life, enjoy sun, rain, snow - whatever.  One cannot let weather dictate one's moods and level of activity.
So, if you like a relaxed, outdoor-focused, people-friendly,remote, beautiful environment at a substantial financial discount then this is the place for you!  We are happy here.

Thanks guys for your replies. My wife and I are very excited about going to Vancouver. Actually, my wife didn't like Montreal when I brought there for the first time as she found it old style and too cold. But after all what we read about Vancouver, we're very excited about the idea of starting a new life there. However, we're a little concerned about security (as Vancouver is ranked first on the list of crimes cities in Canada), and jobs. So we're thinking of starting our own business or buying a small business to be independant and be my own boss.

I guess making a first visit to Vancouver will help us having a first impression and a first idea about the city, right?

How fantastic! I am Russian, my husband is British Canadian (English Canadian to be precise) and we are moving to Vancouver this summer. Actually he is already there and started work yesterday :-) I am still in London till August for children to finish school year etc. WE will be living in West/North Vancouver (we lived together in Vancouver in 90s, so we know the city). Please get in touch and please ask you wife to get in touch with me. Marina

Hey there!
I love Vancouver. I'm a little biased as a Canadian (living back in Canada for the first time in more than a decade!) It's an amazing place to start a business (it's where I've set myself up as relocation consultant) and the entrepreneurship networks are incredibly supportive.

One criticism I've often heard of Vancouverites is that people are very very polite and nice, but often take some time to open up. I think this can be true, but given the right network when you arrive (or the right efforts to make new friends) you can develop a wonderful group of people around you very quickly.

Let me know if you have any questions about Vancouver, moving here or anything you'll need to get here!