Emmigration

[florence2004]

Looking for some help from all you overseas geeks!!

My husband and I have been toying with the idea of emmigrating for some time. We applied a couple of years ago to emigrate to Canada and we were called for our medicals last year. But due to somethings that were going on in our lives at the time we decided not to continue at that time (some very ill health in the family)

We now both feel that we have made the biggest mistake ever and wish that we had taken the oppertunity when we had it. Not to mention lost a lot of money

We did a lot of research for Canada and had picked out where we were going to go and went over for a visit as well and loved it.

We have decided that we will not be happy to stay in England as well as family situations that are casing trouble we are also unhappy with a lot of the governmental policies over here and feel that we would be better of in terms of lifestyle as well as money. We also want to give our children a fantastic start to life and feel that we can't do that here.

So my question is where do we go? My husband is a carpenter and I know that we are eligable for Canada, New Zealand and Austrailia under the skilled worker application.

We love the great out doors and like the rural life - although it is always handy to live in driving distance of a decent shopping centre. I want to persue my career as a nail tech - eventually moving into a beautician roll

We have 2 children aged 2 and 5 and a dog. We love snow and the sun so would like somwhere that has both. We are all water babies so would like to be not far from the sea.

We have had many difficuties with family so are looking for a culture that will provide us with many good friends and a sense of belonging.

If any of you would like to adopt us.......

Please can you let me know what is great and what is not so great about your countries.

Thanks

 

[VHunter]

What is great about Canada?

The weather! Yes, the weather is extreme. Extremely hot in the summer and Extremely cold in the winter BUT this gives you the best of both worlds and you can have beach weather and skiing weather:wink2: No earthquakes, no typhoons, no hurricanes, no poisonous snakes or other nasty critters..

Taxes... YES taxes suck BUT we have medical insurance no matter what salary you earn etc, you get the same doctor's and same medical treatments as jo-blow living in the 1,000,000.00$ house :lol:

The culture: We are a melting pot of nationalities, languages, religions etc.. and the food here ROCKS!!!!!!

Montreal: Montreal is a fashion hub, one of the fashion hubs of the world. Working downtown Montreal is FUN and pays HUGE!! We have underground shopping centers... yes MULTIPLE.. several of them underground all inter-connected:green: And Party??? Montrealer's KNOW how to party hehe

I live out in the suburbs, just off the island of Montreal. I live next to an Indian Reserve with plenty of forest nearby (there's a park nearby where birds land on your hands to eat:!: :!: I have PICS). Lots of great shopping, etc. Ok, AWESOME shopping LOL
For immigrants, French classes are FREE!!!

Ummmmmmmmmm what else do you want to know?
I've been to Calgary Alberta - LOVED IT!!!! Lived there for 10mths... they're looking for people to work, cost of living is FANTASTIC, better than anywhere and they have the best weather of all of Canada IMO, but.. (and you knew there was a but) there's a shortage in housing, which is great for carpenters and such BUT houses/apartments cost a ruddy mint:!:

Anyway.. ask away

I'd be pleased to have ya as a neigbor (as long as you did nails in the next town LOL)
:hug:

 

[VHunter]

PS:

Forgot to mention that I used to work for an Immigration consultants firm, in downtown Montreal.

TIMC Inc.

I'll see if I can't dig up their contact info for you.

They get the balls rolling fast for those that wanna move here.
AND they do all the work for you, and know what you need done (as it's complicated messy stuff lol)
:hug:

 

[BABSann]

Just to say Victoria what a lovely picture you painted of Canada,I want to come now.

I have loads of cousins and aunts and Uncles that live in Toronto and I have never met half of them.I have been invited loads of times but as I haven't met half of them I get very nervous and just haven't got round to accepting their invites.

One day I will come.Hubby went to the Rockies last year horse riding for the week in Calgary,Alberta.He had a fantastic time but told me about the bears and scared me a bit to be honest.:green:

 

[Jen Smith]

Just to say Victoria what a lovely picture you painted of Canada,I want to come now.

Yeah and me too...

We were thinking of emmegrating to Australia last year but we decided against it due to all the 'critters' and the heat would prolly be too much for me too. So are there not so many creepy nasties in Canada then and whats the average summer temp over there?

 

[VHunter]

Average temp? Hmmm no such thing LOL

Like I said, we have extremes here :lol:

But this site will tell you all about Canadian weather: Weather

Often in july/august, wearing a bikini can even be much too much clothes.. In Montreal, we get humid hot summers.
Then icy cold winters and everything in between the two. So if you don't like one type of weather, wait a week or a month or two and you get the other LOL

Nope, no nasty poisonous critters here. Nothing like that.
Sure, in the mountains, the rockies, maybe a rattler? But in suburbia or out in the farmlands, the worst you'll find is a garter/grass snake or a skunk or a racoon. Not much in the way of nasty stuff out here.

Ask away, I'll try to find all the answers I can for you.

ps: Been to Toronto... HATED it lol compared to the rest of Canada? YUCK
:lol: :lol: (but hey, just my opinion lol) I've seen "almost" all of Canada. The only places I haven't been are: Yukon Territories & Northwest Territories and British Columbia. Oh yeah, and any part of Canada that's part of the North Pole:lol: :lol: :lol: Soooo umm I have a lot to compare Toronto to:wink2: Plus it's mucho expensive, the housing anyway. Rents are TERRIBLE. Probably double & triple what they are in Quebec. for SMALLER places
BUT it is a busy province, making money and I'm sure they have a lot of jobs.
But then, so do a lot of other provinces..

Anyhow.. shoot away and I'll answer what I can. If I can't, I'll find a website that can:lol:

 

[the nail fairy]

:hug: Canada is a wonderful Country to live in... I was born and raised in Canada..
I live in Edmonton, Alberta...
I am within walking distance to the largest Mall in the world..(West Edmonton Mall) !!!
Our Summers are absolutley lovely, and for the past ten or so years our Winters have not been too cold!! ( the winter weather kills all the creepy crawlies)

Edmonton Alberta ( and pretty much all of Alberta ) have a shortage of workers in almost all trades..
The people in Canada are friendly and warm.... ( I love warm and fuzzy people)..

I know a few people who came from England, and Ireland quite a few years ago, and they were just fasinated with all the open space we have... and said they will never leave Canada..

We have Sunny skies most of the time.. (hence the name we were given "sunny Alberta")
I could go on and on about what a great Country Canada is..

Sincerely
the nail fairy:hug: :hug:

 

[VHunter]

Ditto what the nailfairy says

If I had my choice, I'd live part of the year in Alberta and the other part here in quebec.
Alberta ROCKS...
they have an expression: If you don't like the weather in Alberta, wait 10minutest. It will change.
Guess what? IT'S TRUE :lol: I was there! I know it's true haha

Alberta is BEAUTIFUL. And the people there are EXTREMELY friendly and kind. People pass you on the street and say hi and keep on going. It's pretty funny actually. People are friendly all over Canada, except in Quebec, we do have the lil issue with the language barrier what with the half of us being french. However, ...

Of all of Canada, Quebec & Alberta are the best LOL (I'm not biased at all, am I? haha)

 

[diva07]

Hi
I can really understand what you are saying about emigrating.We felt exactly the same as you 3 years ago and made the huge decision of emigrating from Southampton to NewZealand.It was the hardest thing we have ever done but did not realise it at the time as we were so keen to live in a warmer climate and have a change of lifestyle.NewZealand is a beautiful country and life here is so much better for our 3 kids to grow up in but it does not compensate for your family and friends the great shops, British pubs,and the British sense of humor.
It is very much like the Uk over here in the way of culture and there are heaps of Brits here.We live a stones throw away from a beautiful beach and swim in hot pools heated by extinct Volcanoes.We often think to ourselves how lucky we are to live here as we walk along the beach but we miss our friends and family so much there is always a tinge of sadness but you won't realise that until you move to the other side of the world and it is a long way to go back for a visit.
So think carefully about what you are giving up as it is a really hard thing to pack up everything and move and you might think it sounds exciting and it will be but it is along road ahead and it will take you a good couple of years to really settle in.
Saying all that you only have one life and you have to follow your dreams and I admire anyone who does it and I am sure that you are making the right
decision as I know we did but all I am saying is that it won't be easy.Some people stay in the same house and jobs all their lifes and don't take risks.But how are you going to know if you don't try so you GO Girl!If you need any info or help then just pm me and I will give you any adive you may need so best of luck and follow your dreams!

 

[dee]

hi ya we are in the process of emigrating to canada, but be warned if you apply now under s.w route the timelines are 42 months we will be going over in 2 yrs on a work permit when hubby finishes his college course so hopefully that will speed up the application and it will process while we are over there :green: , my advice is try get a permanent job offer and then your applicatin will be rushed through :green: but the hard bit is getting a job as according to a lot of expats a lot of places wont trouch you with a bargepole unless you have canadian experience :irked: but i do know they are crying out for chippys over there :green: , if you want more advice go to BritishExpats - Home (its a good site full of info but there are a few on there who lets say have strong opinions!!:lol: ) when we go over we will be moving to alberta hopefully near calgary or red deer , if not we will look at lethbridge i have a friend who has moved there and loves it :green:
good luck and if you want to have a chat just pm me !! :green: luv dee x

 

[florence2004]

Thank you all so much for the help. As I said before we have already applied for Canada and got through to medicals last year but know we will have to start again from scratch.

We Chose to move to British Columbia and have been on holiday there so we know what a great country it is.

 

[Heavenly_Nails]

:lol: :lol: (but hey, just my opinion lol) I've seen "almost" all of Canada. The only places I haven't been are: Yukon Territories & Northwest Territories and British Columbia. Oh yeah, and any part of Canada that's part of the North Pole:lol: :lol: :lol:



My Uncle emergrated to Canada back in 1978, as my dad was going to join him,Different rules back then.
But my uncle lived in Yukon (now lives in edmonton) and what he uses to tell it really nice, he's been trying to get me to go to Canada, just have got round to it, will do soon as he says depending on what time off year i come over he take me to Yukon to show me the sights. Yukon is special to me dont know why just feel i have a connection there.

And its really cold from about Oct.

 

[dee]

we loved british columbia when we went it is totally stunning , the beauty of it :green: but then again i think i would like anywhere in canada, when we went to alberta we saw a few different places , calgary , banff (love it there ) and also lethbridge whcih is totally different to the mountains but just as nice , i love the mountains though i never knew pieces of rock could be so beautiful :lol: hence why i have about 100 photos of different mountains , cant wait to go over in winter so we can go snowboarding:lol: we are starting lessons soon so that will be fun !! no doubt i will be bruised all over , lmao

if anyone wants to see photos of canada go Flickr: Photos from deenailz

 

[CadenceAlex]

Wow! Canada sounds great!!!

My cousin stayed over there for a long time with a bloke she met whilst working on the cruise ships.... she loved it and all the family got to go over and visit except me!

I would love to move abroad...

 

[florence2004]

We went over to Canada in March 2004. (our daughter was born in December 2004 so we kinda fewel like it is a special place already!!)

We flew to Alberta and stayed at calgary for a few days. There was loads of snow around so that was fab. We had a good look round at houses and made some work contacts but were really unimpressed with a realtor that we had found as she was so unhelpfull(she was british!!!)

We hired a car and drove to banff and stayed in the fairmont hotel (lovely) for about 3 days. Went up to Lake Louise and actually walked accross the lake!!!!

Then we drove over the Rockies through several snowstorms which was a fab experience and spent the next couple of days driving across British Columbia. Went to a town called Hope (how lovely) and the realtor there was a whole different kettle of fish. He couldn't have been more helpful. Neither could the one we met in Chiliwack who apart from taking us to see houses also gave us a tour of the town and showed us where the shops, scholls and stuff were.

We spent the final few days in Vancouver visiting Stanley Park which was awesome and getting a feel for the city.

Our emmigration consultant at 4 corners had a sister in the Sunshine Coast just up from Vancouver. We got in touch with her and she invited us to spend our last night with her and her family and again took the time out to show us around. These people are so hospitable it is amazing.

 

[dee]

we have gone with four corners too !! was your consultant mark ??? hes lovely isnt he :green: he showed us photos of his sisters house and stuff which was fab !!

 

[Donna967]

Yeah and me too...

We were thinking of emmegrating to Australia last year but we decided against it due to all the 'critters' and the heat would prolly be too much for me too. So are there not so many creepy nasties in Canada then and whats the average summer temp over there?

Sorry babes but you made me laugh when i read this.........

There are not that many critters here that coulde possibly put you off this beautiful country :lol:

We are called the Lucky Country for a reason!! I could sit here all day and tell you how wonderful we have it here, between the seasons, the landscape and the opportunities for young families.

But no matter how many times i say it, you need to see it for yourself. Book yourselves a holiday and spend a good month here and travel travel travel.
In Oz, you can have it all!

 

[Jen Smith]

Sorry babes but you made me laugh when i read this.........

There are not that many critters here that coulde possibly put you off this beautiful country :lol:

We are called the Lucky Country for a reason!! I could sit here all day and tell you how wonderful we have it here, between the seasons, the landscape and the opportunities for young families.

But no matter how many times i say it, you need to see it for yourself. Book yourselves a holiday and spend a good month here and travel travel travel.
In Oz, you can have it all!

Thanks for that Donna.. we have spent time in Perth and in Sydney and we loved them both. Perth I think may feel a little isoloated for us whereas Sydney seemed a lot more diverse and easily accessable for other cities along the western side of Aus... my biggest fear is the spiders .. just not good with them I am affraid

 

[dee]

thats what put me off moving there too hun:lol: cant be coping going to the loo and getting bit on the bum by a black widow or funnelweb :lol: imagine croaking it on the loo :lol: ooh noo too scary for me , iw ill stick to canada at least in the winter there shouldnt be too many scary things about :green:

 

[diva07]

thats what put me off moving there too hun:lol: cant be coping going to the loo and getting bit on the bum by a black widow or funnelweb :lol: imagine croaking it on the loo :lol: ooh noo too scary for me , iw ill stick to canada at least in the winter there shouldnt be too many scary things about :green:

You GUYS really make me laugh it is so funny.I used to think just like you and when I went on hols for first time to aussie I thought that as soon as I walked of the plane a cockroach would pounce on me and a snake would slither by on the tarmac and attack or a blackwidow would jump out from nowhere and attack me.The reality is we never saw any snakes spiders and only two cockroaches which funnily enough did not bother me.We have made some good aussie friends in NewZealand (where their are no snakes or really poisionous spiders )and they lived on 33 acres of farm and we asked them this question and they never saw any snakes which will only attack in self defense anyway and mostly found in the bush so please don't be put of it is a really beautiful country with fantastic weather so book a holiday and find out for yourselves you will be so surprised!