INQUIRER Global Nation

It was our first day as permanent residents of Canada! I thought we would get to enjoy the sights in our neighborhood as soon as we got up but my uncle thought it best that we apply for our social insurance numbers immediately. So even if we were still weary from our trip, off we went.

We first had to buy our tickets for the bus. There are two options to choose from in buying tickets for available public transportation like bus, sky train, and sea bus. One is the fare saver that lets you travel for up to 90 minutes upon validation or the monthly pass which can be used for the whole month.

(The bus routes are divided in three zones. Zone 1 covers mostly the eastern and southern Vancouver areas and a portion of the western part. Zone 2 covers Burnaby, Richmond New Westminster, West Vancouver, and North Vancouver. Zone 3 covers Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, Delta, Surrey, White Rock, Anmore, and Belcarra.)

If you travel every day, it is cheaper to get the monthly bus pass. They are priced as follows: For Zone 1 - $73, for Zone 2 - $99 and for Zone 3 - $136. There is a concession monthly pass sold at $42 for children 5 to 13 years old, secondary students ages 14 to 19 with a valid GoCard (this is issued in the school where the student is enrolled), seniors 65 and above with proof of age and Handy card holders (for those with physical and cognitive disability).

The monthly pass allows unlimited travel within the selected zone on weekdays and across all zones on weekday evenings after 6:30 p.m., weekends, and statutory holidays. On Sundays and statutory holidays, a total of six persons can ride using one Adult pass that is, 2 adults and up to four children aged 13 and under on all three zones. The fare saver, on the other hand, contains 10 tickets and are sold at these prices: Zone 1 ? $19, Zone 2 - $28.50 and Zone 3 - $38. Concession fare saver tickets are priced at $16. If you do not have a fare saver, you can also get a ticket as soon as you board the bus but you need to have the exact fare ready as the bus drivers do not give change.

Our first stop was the Service Canada Centre to apply for the Social Insurance Number (SIN). The SIN is a nine-digit number that is needed to work in Canada or to have access to government programs and benefits. Parents or guardians can apply for SIN for minors but children 12 years old and above can apply on their own. The SIN is very important and is issued to each person. It cannot be legally used by anyone else. It is a vital source of personal information and can be used for identity theft once obtained by fraudsters; that is why it should not be divulged to practically anyone. The documents needed for application are the Confirmation of Permanent Residence and visa counterfoil attached to the passport or the Record of Landing Paper. There is no fee required to get the SIN. The number is given upon application and the SIN card is sent by mail within a few days.

We then went to the Vancouver School Board to register the kids for school. Since it is the first time for the children to attend school in Canada, we had to take the kids with us to the District Reception and Placement Centre. The following documents are necessary for registration for children born outside Canada: (1) original certified birth certificate; (2) immigration documents ? in this case the Record of Landing Paper; (3) proof of residence for the school year which can be a rental agreement, a purchase agreement, or a recent property tax statement; (4) immunization records and; (5) report cards ? for children ages 7 to 12, the two most recent years; and for children ages 13 to 18, all school years from age 13 onward.

After registration and submission of all required documents, the Centre assesses the child and forwards the child?s file to the neighborhood school. It normally takes 2 to 10 days to process each student?s file and for the school to inform the parents as soon as the placement is complete. If the neighborhood school is full, the District Placement Administrator and the principal of the neighborhood school will find a place for the child at a nearby school. There are boundaries that cover the different schools. If the child needs to go to a school beyond the boundary, an application needs to be filed with the school he intends to go to and acceptance or refusal is at the discretion of the principal. The public schools are free including textbooks and supplies. There are also ESL programs for those who cannot communicate fluently in English.

Since there is a three-month waiting period for the health insurance benefit in British Columbia, I immediately submitted the application the following day together with all our Confirmation of Permanent Residence papers and birth certificates. Each family member gets his own card that should be brought at all times when visiting the doctor. It is also important to get a family doctor as soon as the health insurance card arrives. The health insurance benefit includes immunization but does not cover prescription drugs.

Another important benefit to apply for is the Canada Child Tax Benefit. When we arrived all my children were under the age of 18, so I was eligible to receive this monthly tax-free assistance from the government to help with the cost of raising the kids. The amount of the benefit is based on several factors such as family income, the number of children and their ages, and the province of residence. I only submitted the proof of our Canadian immigration status and the birth certificates upon application. There is also an additional taxable $100 monthly financial support given for children below 6 years old called the Universal Child Care Benefit.

I also applied for the GST/HST (goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax) credit. This benefit helps individuals and families with low incomes offset all or part of the GST/HST they pay on most goods and services sold in Canada. All residents of Canada aged 19 and above can apply for this credit.

Having contacted my aunt before coming to Canada, I was able to convince her to rent out her basement suite to us until such time we can find a place of our own. Apartments, houses, or basement suites for rent are listed in the classified ads of newspapers and even online like the craigslist website. Some rentals go for month-to-month while most require a signed lease of one year. Rental properties normally have the stove, fridge, washer (and in most cases, the dryer) included. Monthly rental fees range from $750 to $1,000 for basement suites; $1,200 to $1,500 for townhouses, apartments, or upper portion of the house; $2,300 to $3,000 for the whole house.

The rental fee varies depending on location. There are landlords who require a rental deposit of half the monthly rent and additional deposit if there are pets. In most cases, the rental fee does not cover utilities such as electricity and heating (hot water and heaters). Telephone installation is quick and readily available in just two days. There is no installation charge?only a monthly fee paid to the telephone company and you get additional charge for long distance and international calls. If you do not want extra charges on your telephone bill, there are phone cards that can be bought for international calls in most grocery stores.

As I have mentioned before, buying furniture is not a problem when you get to Canada. We arrived in the springtime where there are garage sales on almost every street each weekend. Canadians do major clean-ups during the spring so they practically get rid of things they no longer need. A lot of the stuff you find in these garage sales are of good quality and have been hardly used. There are even multi-family garage sales where you can get almost everything you need from furniture, kitchen wares, toys, books, electronics, and clothes. Some people just dump them on their back lane and post a sign saying the items are free.

After I had taken care of all the necessary documentations for our benefits and the kid?s schooling, it was time to look for a job. Where do I begin? Watch out for my next article which will feature my experiences on job hunting.