Being an Expatriate, Immigrant or International Student in Victoria
With its close proximity to the U.S. and its status as regional capital of British Columbia, Victoria is a major international gateway to Canada. Accordingly, there are many opportunities to mingle with the broader international community.
Associations
The Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria, or ICA, is dedicated to making immigrants to Victoria feel welcome and promoting cultural diversity. Its signature event is the Luminara Victoria Lantern Celebration, in which lanterns are lit around the city as a symbol of international solidarity. It also offers educational workshops and training seminars.
If you are an immigrant, a refugee, or both, try the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society. It helps international newcomers with their immigration and citizenship documents, as well as with finding a job and taking English classes.
Immigration troubles can hopefully be solved with some Internet research. The web site Canada Immigration Visa has answers to many questions you might face. You can also visit an immigration lawyer in Victoria, such as James Norris Ltd., which provides Canadian immigration advice and services.
Online Resources
There are also many blogs about being an expatriate in British Columbia that you can check out when you're feeling lonely. Many of the bloggers are based in Vancouver, a nearby city with an even larger international population than Victoria, but a lot of the cultural elements of living in B.C. will be very similar.
- Metal Monkey is the blog of an Australian living in Vancouver. He hasn't updated in quite a while, but his thoughts on fatherhood and live musicals are worth reading.
- In Yatta We Trust is the blog of a self-professed French geek in Vancouver. He posts interesting animations, film clips and links to art exhibitions.
- For general information about being an expatriate in Canada, read the site Living in Canada from Shelter Offshore. It praises Canada as an economically stable, relatively inexpensive place to relocate to, and offers resources for getting your visa and finding a home.
If you are living in a homestay situation, make sure that you are doing your best to interact with your host family. At the same time, if anything is less than ideal about your situation, don't be afraid to let them know. Most Canadian families will be very happy to accomodate you. Victoria has an international reputation for being a peaceful, friendly place to live, and Victorians want to keep it that way!