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Anyone else moving this autumn? Let's compare timelines

Arjun Mehta ⭐ Helpful member
31 Aug 2026, 07:01

Thought it might help to have one thread for everyone moving this autumn. Here's ours, in case the format is useful:

  • Who: me, my wife and our two kids (6 and 9), from Pune
  • Where: Toronto area, permanent residence route
  • Flights: booked for mid-October
  • Housing: four weeks of temporary rental, then searching in person
  • First week plan: social insurance number, bank account, phone, then school enrolment
  • Still worrying about: winter clothes for the kids, and whether four weeks is enough to find a flat

Where are you going, when, and what's still on your list?

4 replies

Mei Chen ⭐ Helpful member
1 Sept 2026, 13:53

Me! Germany in late September for my master's. Visa is done, the room is a student flat I've only seen in photos, and I've packed and unpacked the same suitcase three times.

Ahmed Hassan ⭐ Helpful member
2 Sept 2026, 08:53

Not moving this autumn but we did it with two school-age kids, so one thought on your list: I'd move school enrolment up to the top. Everything else can wait a week, but the kids need a routine fast, and in our case the school needed a few days to process the paperwork anyway. Also buy the winter boots there. They know what works for their own winters.

Arjun Mehta ⭐ Helpful member
4 Sept 2026, 01:47

Good point, Ahmed. I'd put school last only because I assumed it needed the address first. I'll check whether they'll start the process with the temporary address.

Tariq Mahmood ⭐ Helpful member
7 Sept 2026, 01:35

Arjun, from someone who did this with three kids about a year ago: the first two weeks will feel like a month, and that's normal. Four weeks of temporary housing was tight for us. If you can extend it without a penalty, book the option now even if you don't end up using it. And keep one evening a week with no admin at all. The kids noticed when every conversation was about forms.