YorkshireGuy

Hello all.

Quick intro.
I'm a 33 year old english guy, living up north in Yorkshire. I seperated from my wife earlier this year (no kids). I have a decent job (I.T manager), own my own house (about £65,000 equity).

However, I'm bored with life and feel I need to take this chance of no ties and experience life before its too late!! I know people who have emigrated and have been wondering for a few weeks now if its something that could work for me.

I've been researching Australia and Canada as possible destinations, I'm leaning towards Canada at the moment, Montreal to be specific.

I just wanted to know if anyone has made a similar decision at one point in their life. I arent particularly fed up of England or think that the country is going downhill. I just want to live the culture of a different country.

I dont have particularly great qualifications, but I have 14 years experience working in I.T where I have climbed the ladder to run my own department. Does experience mean more than qualifications in Canada?

Any input would be appreciated.

Regards
Eamonn.

RobinHood

Hey YorkshireGuy - another Yorkshire fella here. The equity in your house would buy you a smart place (no mortgage) in New Brunswick - which shares a border with Quebec - if you like the French side of Canadian culture. The Province is also officially bi-lingual. If my own and ChinnyBloke's experience of NB PNP is anything to go by - your IT experience will count for a heck of a lot Fredericton in particular are desperate for IT bods - and it reminds me of a Canadian "York" - very genteel. Saying that I'm off to Saint John - which is more like Portsmouth or Southampton - with a hint of Yorkshire Mill Town.

Food for though?...

NewWorldMan

Hi Eamonn. We're also making the move from Yorkshire to Montreal.

If you wish to go anywhere else in Canada other than Quebec then yes, your (relative?) lack of qualifications will hold you back unless you can find a potential employer wishing to hire you. I'm no IT specialist, but I understand this could be quite hard.

As for Quebec, they have their own criteria for selecting immigrants which means that a lot of the qualification hoops are generally bypassed. However, your knowledge of French (both written and oral) has to be good enough (and proven with either qualifications/experience of working in a Francophone setting or an interview) to enable you to cope with settling in Quebec.

Search the forum for other messages regarding the Quebec immigration process (average wait is just over a year as opposed to the almost 5 years that the Federal route would be) or go straight to http://www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/index.asp and get it direct.

To summarise, if your French is good enough then you could be in Montreal by Noel prochaine. If you have any other questions, either PM or fire away.

kt0157

Well, look on the bright side: you'll have 19 years experience when getting to Canada since the waiting list for a Skilled Worker residence visa is 5 years.

Alternatively, lean towards Australia, where you can get in with a waiting time less than 12 months.

K.

dbd33

On l'autre mains, if he does parlez franglais enoughment for the provincial immigration people, there's a awful lot of computer work in both Montreal (mainly in English) and in Quebec City (mainly in French). Quebec City is love it or hate it kind of place, scenic, lots of tourism and entertainment but also lots of bureaucracy, near to skiing and sailing but gets very cold with horrific amounts of snow.

kt0157

Oui, c'est vrai.

I like Montréal. It's a nice city. Plenty of vitality (but, as you say, excruciating bureaucracy). But aside from that, one needs to be able to say "Bonjour hi!" to customers with complete confidence in then parlaying Français.

With Montréal you do get to avoid the 5 year Federal Skilled Worker programme delays. Alas, the Federal Government still gets to slow things up (big delays for the background checks, which the Quebec programme defers to). And speaking Français fluently is part of the allez/pas-allez criteria for getting Quebec immigration approval.

K.

Daedra

May I just comment to examine your reasons for emmigrating, it's not an easy process and it just seems to me that "boredom" might end up biting you in the butt once you get there.

Don't wish to be the devils advocate but it is a difficult process for most, and homesickness is a very real affect of having to start "fresh" in a new country not knowing anyone and not having family/friend support to help you through the process.

You may have already thought this through & realise the possible difficulties you would encounter, but just thought I'd raise the issue in the vague hope that if it's not something you've contemplated the implications of, that you do some more research before shifting your entire life to a new country....

It's not a cheap process and its very easy to go through £65k when struggling to 'network' and get a new job where no one knows you or your accreditations & where you lack experience in regional/local area and behaviour. You seem to have a comfortable life where you are now and the realities might involve having to sacrifice those comforts and could be quite hard to rebuild them somewhere new.

Sorry if I'm out of line, I read your post yesterday but wanted to wait to re-read through before putting my neck out (so to speak) with my opinion

Daedra

Just thought of another way you could 'try before you buy', since you seem well established in your field of work (IT) what about researching international companies with offices in countries your interested in. If you make a 'name' for yourself with them here in the UK, you may very well be able to achieve an inter company transfer to another country without completing losing your UK ties to the company.

This would also enable you to (hopefully, if the companies any good with its employees) go the 'have a job waiting for me in _____ country" visa application route with the support of their business, facilitate and speed up your visa application process.

monique

Hi Eamonn: Have you ever been to either of the 2 countries you're contemplating to move to?. Why not take a holiday first and perhaps visit 2/3 cities while there and get a feel for the land and the people?. I would definitely say that experience does indeed count in Canada. Not an easy move, but you have 2 big advantages on your side, young and no children so why not follow your dreams?.

montreal mike

How interesting:Montreal specifically!

If not already, then you certainly must be able to get along in French. Fluency is a must, not only for work but for play.

We chose Montreal way back in 1962 because the entire family was able to get along fabulously in French. The kids (I was one then) had been educated in France and Switzerland so language was never an issue. Yes, we could have picked Vancouver or Toronto but why bother when we had that extra edge?

So this begs the question: Why are you leaning towards Montreal?

(by the way Daedra I don't think you are out of line here. My reaction was very similar to yours.)

Daedra

Thanks Mike *slips a £20 note into Mike's palm* see you on Friday LOL!!

JAJ

Some competency in French is required. Fluency is not.

After all, once in Quebec, your children will have to enter the French speaking school system (up to age 16) unless they get an exemption from the other parent. So the Quebec govt knows they will in 90% of cases be francophone even if the immigrant parent is not.

montreal mike

Alas but I can't agree with you on your first point although I am in complete agreement with your second para.

There are some people here (came over ages ago) who, even now, can hardly speak English let alone French. They are now out of the workforce but while they were working they were stuck in menial low-paying jobs.

What an awful prospect just to be held back because of poor language skills! This ain't 1962. In 2006 mere competency ain't good enough anymore!

stepnek

My wife's parents moved to Montreal from England in 1975 and in the case of my mother-in-law she has been stuck in the same job for years and years because she doesn't speak French and has made no attempt to learn it.

montreal mike

Thank God these cases are rarer and rarer.

There are sometimes difficulties in learning another language and it usually takes great effort, persistence and willingness. Much simpler to be taught as a young child. (By age 14 I spoke four language fluently).

I find it difficult to grasp the mindset of those who blatantly refuse to learn another language and, in consequence, suffer. Would anyone from the UK move to France and expect to get by in English? The same goes for Quebec.