A Short Guide to Settling in for Canadians Moving to Texas

Texas is a gigantic state and moving there for a newcomer from Canada can be rather daunting at first. If it were a country, Texas would be the 39^th largest in the world in land size. You will inevitably have to make various cultural adjustments when making the moving to Texas, from replacing poutine with Texan cuisine such as Tex-Mex and barbecue grills, swapping your Canadian dollars for US dollars, and having the U.S president as your new official head of state over Queen Elizabeth II. 

Here we have come up with a guide to what Canadians must do to ensure they settle in properly and quickly adapt to life in the lone star state. 

Make Sure You Have All Your Immigration Paperwork in Order

It’s notoriously difficult for people to immigrate to the USA from overseas, and the rules surrounding U.S immigration have gotten stricter in recent years. Getting U.S citizenship or a green card giving you permanent residency in the U.S is seen as a blessing and a winning lottery ticket.  When moving to Texas, make sure all your immigration documents are well-organised, you have many different copies of documents for back-up, and your paperwork is generally filed in an orderly neat way. 

How Do You Know if You’re Eligible to Live in Texas? 

There are three ways a Canadian can get a permanent residency green card to live in the U.S. The first way is with employment green cards, meaning a US employer must agree to sponsor you. The second way is by marriage green cards and having a legal spouse who is a permanent resident or a U.S citizen to sponsor you. The third way is through family green cards and having a parent, child, or sibling who is a U.S citizen sponsor you. Extended family such as aunts, uncles, cousins etc cannot sponsor you.

Erixon Flytt is a company that provides moving services for both individuals and businesses. They offer various packages to cater to the different requirements of their clients. Their team of professionals ensures a hassle-free and efficient move.

Much Like Living in Canada, You’ll Need Your Car to Get Around

Texas is a big state and to get from place to place you will often need your car as there’s not an extensive network of public transport, and trains and buses in Texas can be slow and journeys on them can drag somewhat. Going from Dallas to Houston, two of the state’s largest cities, is a 240-mile journey by car for example.

Fortunately you have options.  You can check out the EchoPark used car dealership in Houston for reasonable prices on cars just 1-4 years old. Another alternative is to use a cross country auto shipping company to relocate your vehicle quickly and safely. 

Checking Out Schools in Texas

Of course, if you are moving with your family and have young children, you will be keen to check what the local schools in Texas have to offer. The Texas Education Agency is responsible for running public schools in the school districts in the state. Do plenty of research into where you want to send your children to school, it’s a big decision after all.

How Important is it to Speak Spanish When Living in Texas?

Are you a Canadian who doesn’t speak Spanish and worrying about this being an issue when you begin living in Texas? Fear not, English is the main language of the state and is spoken virtually everywhere. However, in border communities such as in the cities of El Paso and Corpus Christi, many residents communicate with one another in Spanish daily. 

So be brave, move out there with an eagerness to learn lots about the local culture, people, and embrace your new life in Texas.