maybe_canada

Dear Everyone - My husband has an interview tomorrow for a transfer with work to Burlington ON. I'm new to this site but have already found loads of useful advice - thanks
Timescales for visas seem to vary. If he is successful tomorrow what would be the quickest timescale for a work sponsored visa to come through?
Also I have 2 boys (4 and 7). I've looked at Hamilton District school board site and School report cards but really value personal experience. Please if anyone has any recommendations for good schools in the area I'd really appreciate it.
If he is successful then we will do a week long "visit" before moving to try and some things sorted and would rather have some school viewings booked in.
Also any points about where to initially start to look for a rental property (Burlington itself or Hamilton / Oakville areas) would be really appreciated.
Many thanks

Dave n Ailsa

I hope you like rollercoasters!

You sound like you are in a very similar situation that we found ourselves a few months ago.

Wife was near enough promised a transfer to Burlington, but it's still lingering, and we thought we were going to be there within a couple of months.

It might still happen, but we have decided to start the PR process ourselves now.

But on to your situation...

We spent a couple of weeks in Ontario, staying with a friend and their family in Ancaster, Hamilton. We did the usual, met the neighbours, visited the local schools, went to Super Sausage for meat etc etc, lol.

We loved it all. Kids were especially pleased with their trip to Camerons (Paint-ball and go-karts) Not at the same time I should add, lol.

Time-scale for a work vise is estimated at around 6 weeks, depends on the transfer. If it's an intra-company transfer it should go through quickly as that doesn't require the same LMO, just depends on the job.

I contacted the Hamilton/Wentworth school district via email, and got a reply VERY quickly from a nice lady called Nancy. She was extremely helpfull and made it clear she was happy to help where she could.

Area is really a matter for you and your family. The newer suburbs on the outskirts of Hamilton have great big family homes at reasonable prices, but they are a bit sole-less. But then the more established areas (trees n stuff) are genrally inhabited by older families. Not so many kids playing. We did a lot of driving about to get a feel for an area.

It's all about compromise. If you want to make friends with like-minded, similar family situation people, then the burbs are for you.

Had you even thought of Canada before this job opportunity arose?

Link to our recce trip thread...

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=725236

Dave.

maybe_canada

Thanks so much Dave - really enjoyed looking at all your info and pics.
Interview went well so now just a major waiting game
Will let you know how it all went on (hopefully over the next few days).

christmasoompa

Just wanted to say welcome, and also thought this Wiki article may be useful if your hubby will be being transferred with work - http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Intra-...ransfer-Canada

Good luck.

maybe_canada

thanks for the link - it is info like that that will hopefully be really useful

christmasoompa

Yep, info about the visa you'll be on is fairly essential! And the Wiki has loads of other useful info as well so would be worth a read - particularly the bits about applying for PR, as no doubt you'll want to apply for PR as soon as you are able rather than be on a TWP for any longer than you need to be.

There are also threads about relocation packages which may be worth searching for too, just so you know what others have asked for and received.

Good luck.

pfw

I can only really comment on Burlington but here are a few thoughts

You need to decide which area of the town you want to live in. Generally speaking things get more expensive as you get nearer the lake (south), and the environment is more mature (bigger trees and older houses). I generally prefer these areas as I find them a bit less anonymous but it's a matter of choice - there are some very nice bits in the North of the town and generally newer houses. When you are over for a recce you need to drive around various streets to get a feel for areas, it's not easy in a limited time.

Browse houses in various areas on mls to get an idea of relative pricing. Also some houses for sale have "open houses" over the weekend so when you are on a recce you can go and look to snoop, err, I mean get an idea of what your budget will get you

It's difficult to select a school from long range. The school rankings are useful but not the whole story. House prices will reflect school area to some extent, also if the realtor listing says "In XXX school area", that's generally a good sign that the school is regarded as "desirable". Remember also it's different if you want to go French Immersion or Catholic, these have different catchment areas.

IMO if you are renting initially you ideally want to rent in the same school catchment that you eventually intend to buy in. This may limit your range of rental properties and mean you end up selecting something not completely ideal, but it's better to be in the right place ASAP IMO. It avoids your kids having to change school again later. The local paper (Burlington Post) usually has a list of rental houses in (this is actually how we found our first rented house).

Don't know where you will be working but look carefully at commute time. The QEW can be horrendous in rush hour. The GO train is generally reliable but you need to factor in time to get to the station.

Howefamily

I loved reading about your reccie, lovely photos too!

Dave n Ailsa

Now available in BLOG format, lol.

I'm going to make a more detailed report, with bigger better pictures