sslik2go

Hi everyone,
we are new here and after a bit of advice.
I've had a look around and noticed a few of you live in the Halifax area so I am hoping you'd be able to give us some advice.
We live in NE England and are terribly unhappy with life here.

We are after a more peaceful, laid back lifestyle with less crime, less stress and better quality of life, better opportunities for our kids (4 and 6 yrs old).
If it's possible to be financially better off and possibly have a bigger, better house, that would be brilliant but is not crucial.

We've done a bit of research and since this seems to be one of the warmest areas in Canada, the choice was easy to make, lol.
We looked at properties and found quite cheap, nice looking houses (but, obviously, know nothing of the areas).

Can anyone help, does it sound like this could be a good option for us?
Also, do you know anything about the areas of Bedford and Spryfield?

thanks!

Atlantic Xpat

Eh? There are many warmer places in Canada than Halifax. True some of them are far colder in the winter, but that Atlantic cold is a damp cold.
Has your research covered what you might do for a living and what your prospects are in Halifax? Employment and an adequate income is the number one thing to think about. No point in having that wonderful 5000 sq ft house if you can't afford to eat.

Lots of Halifax & NS based posters. I'm sure they'll weigh in with further advice/comment.

sslik2go

Hi and thanks for replying.
Yeah, it's the -30's that we are trying to avoid if possible, sorry, that's what I meant.
I am a freelancer, self employed and can work anywhere in the world as long as there is broadband.
Hubby is an alarm engineer/operations manager that would probably have to start off as what is called alarm or security technician there. There is not a huge amount of work there at the minute from what we've found but in all honesty, we only just started exploring this option so we can't say yet if there is work for him or not and at what wage (employers seem to be quite shy and stingy with numbers so we will know that once we send out his CV and get some replies).

I don't want a massive house, 1000 sq ft will do me but we want a better life for the kids.

To clarify, we'll do the numbers and the research we need to do, all I am after is real people/real life experience and advice I can't otherwise find as to is what we are looking for (listed above) achieveable in NS, are we on the right track or should we change location altogether?
Can that area give us what we need?
As I said, I am not asking anyone for advice on money, job matters etc., that's easy enough to find.

dbd33

It's not obvious to me that taking chidren away from friends and family and plonking them down in a frozen wasteland makes life better for them. How does that work?

sslik2go

We are not leaving anyone here that the kids would miss or that would miss us, the situation is a bit more complex than your assumptions.

dbd33

The only assumption I have made is that a "better life for the children" is a lazy cliche.

Flogger

There is defintely work for security techs in NS.

christmasoompa

How will you qualify for a visa? That needs to be your first step before worrying about what life is like in NS - you may need a job offer to get a visa, and if that job offer happens to be in Armpit, Yukon, then no point looking at Halifax!

Also might be worth looking at moving elsewhere in the UK before considering the cost and upheaval of emigration - many places in the UK would offer the kind of life you seem to want, but without spending tens of thousands on getting there!

Welcome to the forum.

sslik2go

Thank you, Flogger.
I just found another job hunting website and a few vacancies in Halifax area.
I only ever found one number - about 20 dollars/hour, do you know approx what that is yearly?

Also, do you live in NS?
Do you think it sounds like the right place for us?

dbd33, you assumed we are "taking the kids away from family and friends" and thus making their lives worse in some way.
I am really not a big fan of total strangers making assumptions about our life, choices and decisions or questioning them so if you don't have any constructive advice to offer on the subject and query in my first post...

christmasoompa, thanks for replying.
Done that , we have enough points regardless of who the main applicant is (on hubby's only if he has a job offer).

sslik2go

Again, to clarify, we've narrowed it down to a few places, NS being one of them but before applying, before booking flights to go and have a look around, I thought it might be helpful to see if people already living there think it is the kind of place/life we are after.

christmasoompa

Points for what, the Federal Skilled Worker program?

So your job is on the list of 29 eligible occupations then? Your husband's isn't an eligible occupation, so that means that your job must be on the list if you are planning on going down that route - just having 67 points or more isn't enough.

I'm sure you've looked in to this, but just want to double check as the visa route really is the most crucial thing. If you do qualify as a Skilled Worker then that's great as you can live anywhere in Canada, but just making sure!

dbd33

They must have some friends even if all their relatives are dead. My constructive advice is to look at moving to a nice part of the UK.

sslik2go

It says you either have to have a valid job offer OR work in one of the listed occupations.
It says that if you have an offer of employment, the limits don't apply.
Either way, that would be one option, yes, but the one we'd most likely try is the Provincial nominee one as his occupation is on the High demand list for NS.

christmasoompa

That's true, but no employer is going to wait the 18 months or so for you to get PR (6 months to get the AEO, then a year or so to get PR) before you can start work unless your skills are highly in demand. Sorry, but can't see Federal Skilled Worker category 2 being an option for you - most people that use it are already in Canada on a Temporary Work Permit.

You may want to think about heading over on a Temporary Work Permit first if you are going down the job offer route (not ideal with kids as you're tied to that one employer so if made redundant or similar it's a bit tricky - not as secure as other routes). You can then apply for PR as FSW category 2 or via the PNP once you are there working.

Have a look at the Community Identified Stream, that may be an option for you, but if you do need a job offer to get a visa then you'd be best to search nationwide rather than limiting yourself to one province.

Good luck.

Kaye5

Don't know anything about Spryfield, but I have a contact who lives in Bedford (if no-one else on here comes back). Bedford is one area on our short list to look at on our next visit to NS. I could ask for her view - as I was planning on asking her anyway, and then PM you.

You need to be a bit more specific about what YOU are looking for in an area. What I mean is that for me (just to give a few requirements by way of example) I need some public transport; an ice arena; sea or lake within walking distance; a 4 bed house for $300k; a Catholic church, etc etc. Your requirements will be different and that will affect whether an area will suit you or not.

Bedford has most of my requirements, but the houses are generally over my budget, so it may come off the short list!

What stresses some people is other people's idea of heaven, so you need to be specific! Same with opportunities for kids - my kids want hockey, hockey and more hockey - what advantages are you looking at for your kids?