clem20

Hello

My family, partner an two children, and I, will be making the move from the UK TO British Columbia next March. At the moment, this time scale seems like an eternity. However, we need to:

Sell/lose all our worldly possession including the house

Find employment for me (I am an ESL lecturer) in Canada

Find an appropriate school for my partner to embark upon a commercial pilot licence in Canada

We intend to find rented accommodation shortly after arrival in BC. AT THE MOMENT, THE MOST LIKELY DESTINATION LOOKS LIKE Chilliwack, BECAUSE HERE THERE IS AN EXCELLENT FLIGHT SCHOOL FOR MY PARTNER.

At first, this will be a working holiday, but there is a possibility that the move will become permanent. The provisions here are that we like Canada, I get a decent job and my partner finds work as a pilot after his initial training in Canada.

Any tips about making preparations for the big move would be greatly appreciated. We are all excited and vey positive about this, as it will allow my partner to pursue his life-long ambition and all of us a valuable opportunity to sample another culture.

christmasoompa

Hi, and welcome to BE.

The only tip I'd give you is to not sell your house! If you are only on a temp visa, then it can be very risky, but also some visas require that you show ties to the UK and if you've sold your house then it can be very tricky to convince CIC that you intend to leave Canada at the end of your visa.

I also think that finding work before your move is unlikely, so you might need to adjust your expectations on that (see info on the main Canada forums as to how it's rare to get a job offer without being in Canada, and how teaching is a very tricky profession to get into there).

Which visa are you planning on moving over on, or is one of you a Canadian?

clem20

Thanks christmasoompa. All the points that you have made are very relevant. As far as selling the house, we need to, in order to release the funds needed to allow my partner to fly. You only live once and all.

I thought the same about finding a job after I get there. There appears to be quite a lot of positions specifically for ESL teachers.

I'm still investigating the VISA situation. I am on the skilled migrant list, but that's for those applying for permanent residency I believe. My partner could apply for a study permit, but not sure if that would allow us all to come over. It's all quite complex and I need to find a few hours to get my head around it all.

christmasoompa

Not sure what you mean by 'skilled migrant list'. I think you must be looking at out of date info, as there's no occupation list for Skilled Workers? Do only use the CIC website for visa info so you can be sure it's up to date.

As for a study permit, you could all go on that visa but where is your partner planning on studying and what's the course? It's just that from what you've said, I'm not sure his course would qualify for a study permit?

I think you need to figure out the visa side of things first, as without that the move isn't possible. Head over to the immi section of the Canada forum and I'll see you there.

Good luck.

clem20

I'll check out the CIC, IT'S ALL QUITE CONFUSING FOR ME, AND I CONSIDER MYSELF RELATIVELY INTELLIGENT.

I have checked and the course/institution my partner wants to do is accredited as a designated learning institution for a study permit.

If I come over and then look for work, what kind of visa should I be applying for? I'll pop over to the immi section