The hidden gem of Canada, New Brunswick, is home to some of the country’s most beautiful cities and attractions.New Brunswick is a truly unique and beautiful Maritime province situated on the east-central coast of Canada. It is one of the smaller provinces in Canada, with an area of 72,908km² (approximately the size of Ireland or Scotland). Home to a small population of fewer than 800,000 people and the thriving capital city of Fredericton, New Brunswick offers so much more than one could imagine. The most famous attraction in the province, the Bay of Fundy, holds the distinction of the highest tides in the world. 80% of New Brunswick is covered in evergreen forest and is home to a vast array of wildlife. The beautiful New Brunswick province has the warmest ocean water north of Virginia, USA, so summertime trips to the beach could be a regular activity. The province also boasts interesting attractions such as the world’s longest covered bridge, the world’s largest whirlpool, and magnetic hill. People can even pop across the border and visit the popular US states of Maine, Vermont, and New York during their off time.
Health Care
Permanent residents of New Brunswick are entitled to free basic health care. In order to receive health coverage, you must register with New Brunswick Medicare. It is important to apply as soon as you can after arriving in New Brunswick.
There is a three-month waiting period after you have arrived in New Brunswick before you are eligible to receive full healthcare coverage with Medicare. Ensure that you have private health insurance to cover you and your family during this three-month waiting period in case of emergency.
Weather
New Brunswick enjoys very warm summers where temperatures can go around30 degrees Celsius. However, in winter the temperature of the area comes close down to almost -30 degrees Celsius. It is very important to ensure that you are prepared for the cold weather. Investing in warm winter clothing, including sweaters, winter jackets, boots, hats, scarves and gloves or mittens will be fruitful . If you do not dress warmly in the winter you will risk becoming ill or you will lose your thumbs or toes to frostbite.
Education
Your children have access to some of the finest education in the country, with all citizens and permanent residents enjoying government-funded education until the age of 20. Education in New Brunswick is a cut above the rest with 100% of the schools using modern internet sources to teach. This may explain why the province has the highest high school graduation rate in the country.
The University of New Brunswick ranks among the top learning institutions in the province, though there are also many other colleges and trade schools that attract thousands of students from across the country every year.
Career/Jobs
In order to work legally in New Brunswick, you must apply for your Social Insurance Number (SIN), a 9-digit registration number that all employees legally require to work anywhere in Canada. After you have obtained your SIN number, it is important to have your credentials assessed. This way, Canadian employers will be able to understand your qualifications and experience in comparison to Canadian standards. There are multiple popular online search engines for browsing job postings and finding work in Canada. The most popular include Craigslist, Monster, and the Government of Canada’s Job Bank.
The New Brunswick Occupations In-Demand list gets published annually, and in it, you will find a list of jobs that are urgently needed in the province. In other words, if you have work experience in any one of these jobs, immigration to New Brunswick will be faster and easier because they need you. As needs change, the list gets updated, so it is important to keep up to date with what skills are needed in New Brunswick.
Housing
There are multiple housing options across Canada. If you have not visited your new city prior to immigrating, it may be best to rent an apartment on a temporary basis when you first arrive, and/or hire a real estate agent to guide you through the housing process and provide you with knowledgeable advice on the best areas for you and your family.
Many families prefer to live in suburbs where housing is more affordable as housing is generally more expensive in cities. Suburbs often provide all facilities such as safe neighbourhoods, schools, shopping centres and healthcare, all within close proximity to the amenities of the city.
It is important that you take your family, your place of work, neighbourhood and finances into account before deciding on a place to live.
Cost of living
One of the great things about living in New Brunswick is the low cost of living. More so than other provinces in Canada, New Brunswick is perfect for a family to relocate to because it is so affordable to live there. Many newcomers find that they can quickly buy their own houses in the province. The average price of a house is around $175,000.
Apart from having well-priced real estate, Canadian essentials are also much cheaper in New Brunswick. You can expect your water, gas, and electricity bills to be much lower than the rest of Canada. Groceries and other daily needs are also much more affordable.
As per Canadian law, all permanent residents and citizens of New Brunswick enjoy free universal healthcare. In other words, you can have most of your medical needs fulfilled free of charge thanks to New Brunswick Medicare. Some non-essential procedures are unfortunately not covered by the healthcare system.
Economy
New Brunswick is covered mostly by forest, offering many job opportunities to workers in the forestry and agricultural sectors. Most of the modern sectors are centered on finance and insurance, with companies choosing to conduct business here because of the abundance of bilingual residents. As mentioned previously, there is also a growing IT sector in several cities in New Brunswick.
New Brunswick is a beautiful province, which means that thousands of tourists choose to spend their time here throughout the year. This has led to the success of the tourism industry, so if you have experience in the hotel and services industry, you may find your dream job here.