A welcome arrival

Give yourself an appropriate amount of time to adjust to the culture, rest and recuperate after the move, and get settled into your new surroundings.

If possible, explore the country beforehand by arranging a tourist visit.

Once you arrive, make an effort to meet people and establish contacts with trustworthy people you can rely on in times of difficulty. However, don’t be too trusting until you have spent a considerable time getting to know them.

Take necessary precautions

You should register at the nearest Canadian government office as soon as you arrive abroad. That way, if a problem arises, the government will be to offer you support.

Bring all important documents with you and leave copies in Canada for back-up purposes, should they become lost or stolen.

Maintain contacts with former work colleagues while abroad. You may want to return to Canada at some point in the future, and may be unpleasantly shocked to discover how fast a network of contacts can dwindle if not maintained. Also, keep up with what’s happening on the home front by tuning into Canadian news on the radio or Internet.

Lastly, keep a positive outlook and focus on the fact that you are living out one of the most valuable experiences of a lifetime.