Affordable places to live in Canada?

[Just Give Me A Reason]

I am an American wishing to move to Canada.

What all do I need to move there?

What are some nice but inexpensive areas to live?

What languages are spoken? I only speak English..

Any other tips?
Sorry guys I forgot to add a few details... I prefer small towns and affordability wise no more then abouy 950 a month. I am on a limited income with my profession. I would eventually like kids and I am single right now so preferably a good school system, parks and shops nearby.
Sorry guys I forgot to add a few details... I prefer small towns and affordability wise no more then abouy 950 a month. I am on a limited income with my profession. I would eventually like kids and I am single right now so preferably a good school system, parks and shops nearby.

[Comicbook Reader]

Well, the short answer is "where ever you can get a job offer". Before you can live in Canada you need a job offer and a visa. Before the visa is approved, your potential employer has to prove no Canadian is availabe to do the job.

English and French are official languages. If you speak English you are good to go. Now... where is affordable? Pretty hard to answer without knowing what you consider affordable and what you want. Country living? City life? Small town?

[Rayne]

I live in Canada and I think a really nice place to move into is the lower mainland ( Vancouver, Surrey, Langley, Richmond, etc..) I live there and I love it. And it's not very expensive

[Karen L]

This website explains what you need to do to move to Canada: http://www.cic.gc.ca
It can take a couple of years or more to get an immigration application processed, so there's lots of time to figure out where you want to live, though most people go where they find work. There are dozens, maybe hundreds, of places that fit your criteria. English is spoken everywhere in Canada, though you will find French very useful if you settle in Quebec, and necessary in some lines of work. Many other languages are spoken by Canadians, but English and French are what any kind of business or government offices use.

[bw022]

You can't just move to Canada. It has immigration laws.

Americans may visit for a maximum of 180 days each year without a visa. Visitors may not attend school, work, or look for work in Canada. They may also not obtain driver's licenses, obtain a social insurance number, apply for health insurance, open bank accounts, enroll children in school, etc.

If you wish to live and work in Canada, temporarily, you must obtain a work permit. In order to apply you must have a job offer from a Canadian company which has permission to hire foreign workers. That company must apply for a labour market opinion (LMO) report showing a shortage of Canadians in that profession. Such work is limited to highly skilled professions (doctors, engineers, nurses, specialized trades, etc.) or highly temporary jobs (seasonal farm workers, some ski resorts, etc.). Finding a job offer can take years even for skilled workers as competition is extreme. Work permits are only good for a couple of years or until the job expires. You must pass medical, background, and financial checks.

If you wish to remain in Canada permanently, you must obtain permanent residency. In order to even apply you must either: be married to a Canadian willing to sponsor you; have a highly skilled job offer in a skilled job offer in specific professions and then compete for one of 10,000 positions open each year; have a net worth of $1.6M and invest $800k in Canada; complete certain university degrees in Canada and find work in your profession shortly after graduating; or be nominated by one of the provinces (doctor willing to work in a remote community, willing to buy/run a farm in certain provinces, world class performing artist, etc.). Again, medical, background, and financial checks. You must have $13,000 in savings. Processing times are three or more years.


The rest of the question is moot until you solve your immigration issues. Few immigrants have any choice in where they live. You live where your spouse, job, farm, business, etc. is.