Calgary Area
 

Hi all I’ve only just made an account on here after looking around for about 6 months. Well me the wife and 2 kids are planning on moving to calagary from Doncaster South Yorkshire.

I would like any help/advise on a few things please.

I’m a dual National I have both Canadian passport and English passport my dad grandad and auntie are all Canadian. I’ve lived in Canada for a year but my mother couldn’t adjust so we moved back to the U.K. I was 18 at the time and I’m now 30. Well I’d like to move my family out to where I lived it was a town called Cochrane in Alberta outside of Calgary.

I’m an electrician my wife stays at home and looks after the youngest 16 months old my other child is 6 and in school. So I can sponsor my wife and kids but has anybody had the exact same situation as me. It says a year for sponsorship but I’ve heard it’s quicker and we will be moving over with around $175,000.00 dollers but we will be selling everything and only taking essentials or keepsakes etc. I’ve been told and have been looking at electricians jobs and they are around $35 per hour which is $5,600 per month pre tax would this be enough to live on? If my wife didn’t work and looked after our children. Is there anybody else living in Calgary now that knows costs and wages and how long sponsorship exactly took I’m looking at applying in April this year and hopeing it will be back by the same time or earlier next year.

What kind of process was it if you are an electrician to get papers transferred over or exams you had to sit what did you need to take as proof. What wage did they start you on and when did they move you up in wages etc. How hard was it to adjust to the difference in work style and voltage. I hope there is another electrician out there who can answer these questions for me becaause I’m really worried about the work aspect. We’re also looking for a mortgage of around $400,000.00 dollers is this manageable or too much what total expenses are there with housing buying and running? I know easy ones water gas etc but like council tax in U.K. is there similar to pay in Canada.

Thanks everyone in advance who Is able to help with any answers it’s greatly appreciated.

Re: Calgary Area
 

Raising 2 kids on one income of $35 p/hr with a $400k mortgage? Your disposable income won't provide a great quality of life.

Re: Calgary Area
 

This is my question what will be left over and the mortgage will be around $350,000 ish with around $100,000 down. I’m trying to work out expenses etc what’s left etc I wanted to know more exact costs a month from somebody in that area on similar wage and things. It’s been around 11/12 years since I’ve been to Calgary so I’m guessing a lot has changed the house prices have gone up massively.

Re: Calgary Area
 

Try using https://www.ratehub.ca/mortgage-affo...ity-calculator to calculate your affordability.

With a 20% down payment of $78K and Salary of $67k per year, you can afford a property worth $388K, assuming property taxes of $250 per month and $250 for heating per month.

The market stats show the average 3 bedroom property costs $480K in Calgary.
https://www.zolo.ca/calgary-real-estate/trends with the recent average sold price of $473k.

So I doubt you will be able to manage on a single salary.

Re: Calgary Area
 

The mortgage calculator on the First Calgary website puts a $350,000 mortgage at $2.046pm at a 5% interest rate (rates are rising now), over a mortgage term of 25 years. Along with all the other expenses (vehicle, insurances, entertainment, RESPs for the kids - 6 years old is not too soon to start saving for university) I think things will be tight financially.

Re: Calgary Area
 

Hi

(Snip)

What kind of process was it if you are an electrician to get papers transferred over or exams you had to sit what did you need to take as proof. What wage did they start you on and when did they move you up in wages etc. How hard was it to adjust to the difference in work style and voltage. I hope there is another electrician out there who can answer these questions for me becaause I’m really worried about the work aspect. We’re also looking for a mortgage of around $400,000.00 dollers is this manageable or too much what total expenses are there with housing buying and running? I know easy ones water gas etc but like council tax in U.K. is there similar to pay in Canada.

Thanks everyone in advance who Is able to help with any answers it’s greatly appreciated.[/QUOTE]

1. To work as an Electrician in Alberta, you require a Red Seal (See Provincial and Territorial Apprenticeship and Certification Authorities / Red Seal), You can challenge the read seal exam, I believe you need to prove 8000 hours of employment from overseas as an Electrician. You will have to study and pass the exam.

2. If hired before your red seal, you probably would be looking at the pay scale of a 4th year apprentice, somewhere around $20-$24 per hour.

Re: Calgary Area
 

Thanks everyone for the links and advice so far it’s all very welcomed even if some of it isn’t what I want to hear but maybe right. I may need to re think the mortgage amount and deposit I need and living location I may have to look around Okotoks or strathmore because Cochrane seems more expensive. Thanks for the link about exams and red seal and proof of experience in my trade I didn’t know that.

Re: Calgary Area
 

In terms of property, you can probably get somewhere for less than that - one quick example here: 5 bed, 2 bath, $359k.

More here. (avoid the north east, or east)

Re: Calgary Area
 

Okotoks is nice and has everything you'd need in the town, it's slightly cheaper than Cochrane.

I'm in Calgary now, have been here 3 weeks. I'm looking for work as a mechanical engineer but it's a challenging work environment for a new arrival. Things are VERY who you know here... and I don't know many!

Re: Calgary Area
 

I sponsored my wife here in Calgary and it took under 1yr and while waiting she was given an open work permit.
You can definetly get somewhere cheaper than $400,00 ,I have seen 3 bed townhouses going for $180,000 or newly built townhouse 2 bed for $160,000 so if your putting $100,000 as down payment your mortgage would be a lot cheaper and later on when your earning more money you can buy a bigger home with garden or yard as it is called in North America.