Morin' y'all,

I am a 23 year old (UK) IT Support Engineer, with a computer science degree, looking to live and work in Canada, and I guess I have two main questions :

1. Does anyone have similar experience of being in this situation i.e. no direct family ties, no job offer (at present), and no dependants - not even a girlfriend! Any suggestions on where to start? Should I apply remotely or visit Canada and apply in person?? I am considering the BUNAC working VISA route and then attempting to apply for the skilled working VISA - anyone taken and been successful in this route?

2. Where to live? I am a sporty individual with a strong interest in snowboarding, mountain-biking and wakeboarding. Also, I like busy atmospheres, so a sleepy-backwater town is probably not for me. Currently looking at the main cities i.e. Calary, Toronto, Vancouver etc... any suggestions/experiences??

Thanks in advance for any suggestions/advice, I am extremely grateful!!

Adam.

p.s. Does anyone else get stomach aches from drinking Mountain Dew?? I love the stuff, but too much makes me feel rather ill!!

Hello there,

I hate to break it to you mate, the fact that you are an IT engineer isn't going to give you a divine right to just enter Canada and start working, and that is the honest truth. You said you are 23, which means you probably just left uni 2yrs ago with just over 2yrs experience, if you have been working that long.

Am not going to BS you, am a computer science grad too with a 1st from kings college london. I came over here via the sponsorship route, my wife is canadian, so things are a bit different in my case.

When i got here, there were a lot of red tapes to cross, i didn't have the canadian work experience, so employers weren't queuing up to take me on. I had to do my master's, and gain some work experience, before i found a job.

From what you have said, its seems your only option is through the skilled worker route, but you will have to fing a firm willing to go through all the immigration palaver for you.

There are many people here with degrees from the UK, and when you do get over here, you have to have it accessed to bring it in-line with the canadian degree of the same title.

I hope am not putting you off, read my post under the thread migration to canada in this same forum, to see how you can get here in 8 steps.

Good luck

Thanks for your reply Mick.

I appreciate you being honest with me, and not feeding BS/dreams!!

I realise that I do not have a divine right to enter and work in Canada, I am just extremely keen on the idea, and I think that came over a bit strong in my original post!!

Would you still recommend I apply for a BUNAC visa and see if I can get some work that way, then apply for the skilled worker visa when I have an offer?? (I did the online self-asessment and got 65 points - 2 away from the required 67, which I could get with a job offer)

Also, are there certain areas/cities that are better for IT jobs than others? i.e. more technology-based firms/workforce?

Cheers,

Adam.

Sorry if i came on a bit strong there, its hard to visualize the facial expression or conveying thoughts through a medium like this, without being taken the wrong way.

Yes you can try BUNAC, i know when i was at UNI, they were always there trying to get students to go and work abroad, but as i have heard recently, you don't have to be a student to take this advantage.

Here is an email from a friend of mine that took that route:

Hiya!

Well, I applied on January 15th after returning from Canada!

Anyway, BUNAC were fantastic. I recieved all the relevant paperwork a week later, they confirmed all this and i recieved my visa on the 10th February!!!! I couldnt believe how quick it is! No Interviews, luckily i wasnt called for a medical because this could have taken up to 8 weeks!

I now fly out on March 3rd!!!!!

Greg


From what my mate was saying there, its sems to have worked out just fine, he has since been over, and enjoying his job.

www.bunac.org.uk

Most of the IT jobs are along the 401 corridor outside Toronto, i work in an area called Mississauga, that is where all the heavy weights are, this place has a popln of about 624k with companies like Siemens, GE canada, RIM, Toshiba, Sony, Accenture etc etc. If you come in via BUNAC, your luck can change, you might be meet someone and then be able to apply from inside as a spouse of that person, that is taking 6 months at the moment, or your place of work might just keep you here long enough for you to be able to apply for PR.


Hope this is helpful

Hi Adam,

I came over to Canada through BUNAC. However you have to either be a student or go straight after you graduate and it sounds like you don't meet either of those criteria. I stayed for a year and then applied under common law for my perm. residency, as my boyfriend is Canadian.

You might want to try going to skilled worker route. Try learning or improving your French to top up your points.

I'm in Toronto, I'm the same age as you and many of my friends here say that Calgary is fantastic for people our age! Blue skies most of the year and close to the mountains but alot more affordable than Vancouver.

Good Luck, I know how frustrating the process is!!!

Mountain Dew in Canada doesn't have caffeine in it, but the US stuff does.

Good Luck,
Int.

Actaully you don't have to be a student or a recent graduate anymore to go through BUNAC, the rules have changed. Am still in touch with these things, am in my early 30s :lecture:

Yes there are some IT jobs in Vancouver, but its tough getting into them, Calgary is the same, you have a better chance there if you were in the business/economics/accounting field.

Many thanks for your help guys.

Seriously considering the BUNAC route, as it seems relatively straightforward and will certainly be an experience, if nothing else!

Mickj - Does your friend work in IT too?? I will have to start researching into Toronto, cause I am not knowledgeable about the city.

Interested - Great to hear that someone else has taken this route and been successful! How is Toronto for young 'uns, such as ourselves??

Adam.

Hello Geez,

Yes he does, he is a graduate of UCL though. He now works in the in the IT section of the provincial Tourism board. Like i said before, TO is very saturated, and that is why i work in mississauga.

I mean type in employers in mississauga into google, and see the results. Nice little drive from there home, couldn't any better. Sure beats all that london traffic when i was working in the city.

Hey,

Yeah Toronto is great for "young'un's"!! Lots of clubs, pubs and its really fun in the summer! I think you'd like it here as it sounds like you have a sense of adventure and that's a really important quality for making it as an expat!

Good Luck, let us know how you do.

Int