I posted on here last year, however I still felt very confused about where I stood and was put off the whole idea by a few negative posts.

I am wondering if there is anyone who could help point me in the right direction.

I am about to qualify as a mental health nurse in the UK and have a job to start. In around 12 months time we would like to emigrate. Can anyone tell me whether it would be feasible to emigrate around this time?

Can anyone tell me an average timeline of the steps we would need to take to achieve this?

We are looking at BC, Alberta mainly but would consider Manitoba and Saskatchewan also.

In the long run we would like PR but would be happy at arriving on a temporary visa if we could pursue PR at a later date.

Can anyone please help?

In my opinion, getting a job offer is the first step you should take. I don't know how scarce mental health nurses are, but it seems that all areas of the health profession are in demand. At the minute, I am trying both LMO and PNP routes and since I received my job offer I am now up to six months total time spent, so I would start looking for a job now.

I'm sure you will receive more advice on here soon!

Not sure I'd say they were negative, just pointing out all the things you'll have to do to work as a MH nurse in Canada. That hasn't changed I'm afraid!

I'd suggest you re-read your previous posts, as the info hasn't changed really. To get a Temp Work Permit you'll need to find an employer prepared to go through the hassle/cost/paperwork of a LMO app for you, but first you'll need to be registered as a nurse in Canada. That can take around a year I believe and cost a few thousand dollars - but again, have a quick look back at your other threads, as that has info on how to go about that in them.

So in a nutshell, if you want to go over on a Temp Work Permit, you'll need to get licensed/registered, then go over there and job hunt. Once you've got a job offer, the employer will apply for the LMO which takes around 12-16 weeks (although obviously that timescale may change by the time you come to apply). You'd then have a medical and get all your paperwork together, and apply for the TWP.

HTH clarify it a bit, best of luck.

Thanks everyone,

I am slowly getting there with the whole process, it just seems so risky with so little guarantee. I am not sure where to start with employers, they always seem to point me towards the registration requirements first. It feels risky investing lots of money in the process if I cant find a job at a later date.

It would also be nice to know an approximate time span as 1 year is manageable but my DD starts high school next September and I would like to emigrate before putting her through the process of starting high school which is a big upheaval for any child without her feeling like she cant fully engage in her time there.

Immigrating isn't easy for most people. Unless you can get an unrestricted FSW1 PR from the outset, these are all hoops you have no choice but to jump through. We've got a friend out here who's a Clinical Psychologist who got PR on the basis of her status in the UK. The federal Government recognised her qualifications but the BC government wouldn't until she'd sat conversion stuff and registered with whatever bodies we have in the province. It seems with nursing you REALLY have to want to come here to make it all worth the expense.

Good luck if you try it though.

Re my bolded comments: 1. Well, this is clearly where you need to start, & it gives you the beginning of a timeline. In my province, admittedly one which has a different immigration policy/procedure to the rest of Canada, nurses have been courted & welcomed like gold dust; whether or not that welcome translates to real & satisfying experiences on the ground has been up for debate.

2. Personal experience of moving countries with a teenage daughter: for me & mine it was an unmitigated disaster. We went CA to UK, & within a couple of weeks I knew it wasn't going to work, in spite of daughter's initial enthusiasm. She was back in Canada after 2 months, & I spent the best part of a year commuting, then resettled in Canada. It was expensive, emotionally hard, & career-destroying.

I guess I'm saying think long & hard, & research oodles.

S

Thanks everyone, Iv read through the previous posts and a few PM's I had off some lovely people and it is starting to make sense. I understand emigrating to another country is something that I am incredibly lucky to be able to experience I just think there could be a far easier method. I am sure people migrating to England would say the same. So much red tape and hoops. I don't like risk, I like clear pathways and knowing what happens when.

This year, Canada seems the best option for us. Previous to this it was my husbands dream however the visa process seems to be putting us off a little. I think the decision is heading in Australia's path just because I know the visa process almost as well as a migration agent would and there appears to be less risk, with employers willing to speak to me once I have a visa in place.

I suppose I am just getting anxious now, as its now the point in which clear decisions need to be made and their is no going back. 1 mistake and financially all options would disappear for us.

Moving my daughter to high school for a few months just isn't an option, we timed this whole process 5 years ago to ensure she wouldn't be in that position.

But thankyou to everyone for your help. I hope your all enjoying life in Canada and hopefully, one day I will get there is only for a holiday or two.

In the meantime I will keep looking for employment opportunities and see whether I can get any interest just in case. 8 weeks to make the choice.

Shirtback, thankyou for your post. What you say is so true, for our children the move can have a major impact on them. This is a worry for me and why I don't want to leave it any later than her starting high school. Luckily, she is currently quite an independent girl. She makes friends easily but is the kind of girl that flits from girl to girl each day at school and doesn't really bother to see her friends outside of school. She's rather be in her bedroom creating things! For now I have allowed her that, because I would hate for her to have close friends and tear them apart. She is very similar in personality to me and whilst I have a lot of good friends, I am not particularly close to anyone in particular. I have my husband and he is my best friend. Also, we live away from family so my daughter hopefully wont feel that detached from anyone in particular. The issue I have is I only want to make one move for the rest of our lives. There is no room for error, no room for mistakes or other locations. I think its the fear of that making me panic about the decision.

I very sincerely wish you the best of luck with your emigration plans.

Regarding your above comment: I very respectfully suggest that you factor room for errors, mistakes, other locations into the equation. I've been an expat for 25 years, & all of the above have figured at one time or another. I.e. Have a plan B, with a distinct timeline for "what if it doesn't workout/I hate it/my children and/or husband hate it".

RL example: Canada was never on my list of places to visit/live. I hated/suffered it for a good long while, but eventually came to make the best of it, given circumstances. Neither was Australia, but at the time I didn't have school age children, so leaving & starting anew was a lot easier.

TL, DR: good luck!

S

That's because you won't get a Temp Work Permit without being registered/licensed to work in Canada. The registration has to come first, not the other way around.

The only way to avoid the uncertainty is to apply for PR from the UK and move as PR's rather than on a TWP. At the moment, you're not eligible for a FSW app as you don't have enough work experience, but keep an eye on the immigration programs and then once you've done a year, you may well be able to apply if your job is still eligible.

And I realise that it's none of my business, but as you say 'I don't like risk, I like clear pathways and knowing what happens when', are you sure emigration (to any country) is for you? Imagine moving to a completely different part of the UK where you don't know anybody and have to start from scratch, then times that by about a thousand where nothing is familiar at all! Add in a far higher financial and potentially emotional cost, and emigration is a tough one for a lot of people. I'm not saying you shouldn't do it, just that your comments rung little alarm bells with me, as I don't think there's any way to avoid risk or uncertainty when moving to another country.

HTH, good luck.

Would it be possible to apply for registration, then in say 6 months when it is hopefully confirmed apply for jobs with the aim of applying next September (12 months work experience) on a temporary work permit, but with a PR application (FSW) starting once we arrive?

I hope I am getting there in understanding this.

Just wanted to add thankyou so much for all your comments they really do help and I am so thankful for your time.

Just to add to the risk comments, as I think I may have stated it in a way that is unclear, what I mean is that I like planning things out, the steps I need to take etc. Researching where we will live, the employment opportunities, the lifestyle, the schools. I am the type of person that has multiple spreadsheets on everything. However, I do this so we can take risk but by pre-planning to mitigate the risk.

I have lived all over the UK throughout my life, often moving with nothing and meeting new people. However, with children its a little different. I just want to make sure we can ensure that we are making the best available decision at that time.

We are an adventurous family, part of our emigrating process is because we want an adventure and we want to show the children that the world is their oyster. We want them to know that they can achieve anything they want wherever they want, with just a little effort and planning.

I hope that makes more sense.

Good for you. Moving to Canada is scary - but for us worth every sleepless night and dollar spent! If you can make it work and it's really what you and your family want to do, don't give up on the plan. If there's no reason why you can't come to Canada and it's what you want - go for it!

That's feasible, although I think it'll take nearer to a year for you to get registration from what I understand. And you'll need to factor in longer to find an employer willing to go through the hassle/cost/paperwork of your LMO app, especially if you're newly qualified and don't have much work experience as it may not happen straight away.

So I'd figure a 2 year timescale before you're over there, I just don't think next Sept is realistic.

But other than that, you've got it!

Best of luck.