Canada or Oz?....
 

Hi all,

Nice and simply, here's the dilemma...

Should my wife and I look to emigrate to Australia.. or Canada?

Does anyone on here have any 1st hand exprience's / preferences / advice to give us?

My wife is nurse, I am a firefighter in UK.
So would be looking at these type of careers in our 'chosen' country...

Please Help! :unsure: :thumbsup:

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

Hi there and welcome to the forum.

First thing to do is check that you would get a visa for Canada - your wife's occupation is on 'the list' of occupations in demand, but you'll need to check her points score as well.

Next thing to do is do a search of the forums for 'firefighter' and then read previous threads about your occupation in Canada as you may not like what you hear.

Third thing is to do another search, this time for other threads about Canada v Oz, of which there have been many.

And lastly, read this Wiki article which covers this very subject...........http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Canada_versus_Australia

Good luck deciding. :)

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

I think there's more fires in Oz!;)

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

Follow the yellow brick road...

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

Canada, all my relatives from Oz are back, work, Ozzies, daughter raped in broad daylight waiting for school bus, insects, loads of poisonous stuff, higher crimes, so they say, I have not checked figures, will leave that boring stuff to others, I just say what I am told from people who lived there, they were in Perth by the way!

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

I'd look into which country you can get into first, and how easy it is. If you really don't care which one you go to ( :confused: ) then that should help you decide.

I have lived in both. I prefer Canada, well, BC, for lots of reasons. One of the main ones is that I don't like the heat - I like temperate climates. You may feel differently. I also like the culture here better...that's just me though. And it's relatively less isolated than Australia. Australia has good points they just weren't things that were important to me. It's all subjective.

I think the Wiki's good. You should read that. I agree with it, mostly.

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

Firefighting can be very tough to break into for an outsider. There's a lot of competition for a limited number of jobs.

Some tips from the Government of Ontario here.

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

My wife's an Ozzie and it would be easier for us to go there than Canada.
However, having spent time in both, and done loads of research into our choices, it is Canada for me. Canada just seems 'right' if that makes any sense. Don't get me wrong, we loved Oz, great place, lovely people, but in my heart it has always been Canada.
Good luck which ever way you choose.:D

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

Have you considered New Zealand or the US?

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

Hi,

I am in a similar situation to you but...

I went to oz in 2008 and travelled the east coast Melbourne - Cairns. I have one regret getting on to the plane home back to the U.K! I loved everything about oz, the people, history and culture.

Now i have my visa for Canada and will either be emigrating this year or next (depending on my final year at college).

When i go to canada i will do everything to settle and make a new life, but if it isn't for me i will be heading for oz! I know one thing for sure, the U.K does not come into my future plans. :D

Good Luck they are both fantastic places

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

Absent further facts, the US will be close to impossible.

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

New Zealand.

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

Personally I would have thought that Oz and Canada offer very different life style opportunities that would influence you the most.

If work is your main drive then check your main hurdles there. If your wife is a nurse will she require any further examinations to be registered in the province that you are looking to move to in Canada (as I don't think there is a national registration body)? and the same for Oz. For firefighting again check your options. If a change in career is something you have in mind consider looking for somewhere that has a dire need for your services, get in on an 'accelerated immigration process' (by that I mean get your potential employers to ease your way.. they will if they need you) then you can get PR and change career.

If lifestyle is your main objective then look at the climate, geography, type of outdoor/indoor activities love and whether you like the type of activities you can do there. Also look at the type of housing and cultural style...also consider friends and relatives and whether you have any in either country .... if that is a factor...Canada is generally a wintery cold place - if you're looking for more temperate climate like the UK then head for BC.... Oz.. then maybe you're the sort of person who likes summer more ...'cos you ain't gonna get much snow!

Good luck :D

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

Don't forget all those spiders, snakes and sharks. Are they more deadly than bears and killer whales? I think this is worth debating.

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

I just cant believe nobody has asked this question before...

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

All your relatives from OZ are probably back becasue they went to Perth, which is basically a small mining city in the middle of nowhere, If they moved to one the eastern states where most of the population of OZ is it might have been different, Crime is in fact lower in OZ then the UK, regarding insects and poisoness stuff your 1,000 times more likely to be killed in a car accident.

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

For us it's always been Canada, mainly because it is closer to the UK for visiting family and Italy since my hubbie also has family there too. Having said that the vast majority of my friends have either visited or lived/worked in Australia and they loved it. It really does come down to personal preference or like the others have said, which one is easier for you to be able to obtain a visa for?

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

Because they are totally different countries on opposite sides of the world :confused: Each country has it's own migration policy and they don't want just anyone moving in.

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

Ottawa in Canada and Redlands in QLD, Australia have something in common...

• Ottawa, record highest summer temp of 37.8°C
• Redlands QLD, record highest summer temp of 38.2°C

Not much difference between the two, until you get to winter :lol:

http://www.brisbanebayside.com/maxim...-redland-city/

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

I'm an Australian Living in Canada - if you are interested in my view, track down my November 19 2009 post I made in a recent thread on this same topic.

Most of that thread quickly degenerated into nonsense but I did my best to give an honest, level-headed "compare and contrast" type answer comparing the two countries.

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

i always thought i would never go to australia cos i dont do tiny spids that can kill (yes that is the only reason i am a major arachnophobic daft i know) now ive jus found out that canada has black widows!!!!!!!!! didnt know that!!!!! :unsure:

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

plus both your occupations are on the new SOL list from Australia;
http://www.skillsaustralia.gov.au/PD...F_strategy.pdf

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

Indeed it has - like this one, found in Pinery Provincial Park :-

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2215/...50af303e16.jpg

Re: Canada or Oz?....
 

I hope this helps.

I applied for a job in Medicine Hat around 6 years ago - didn't go ahead because it was in defence and I was not Canadian. Cut a long story short, I was offered an job in Adelaide and arrived here in December 2005. Adelaide has been very kind to us. I love the people, the open space and the fact that I can go out at night alone in the city and not worry that I will get mugged! Adelaide is easy to get around in, and it is just sooo easy to access concerts, beaches and the city. In part it is due to the size of Adelaide, which means that I can commute to work in my car from one side of the city to the other in 30 minutes.

As for spiders - I kill an average of 6 redbacks a year, but provided you use common sense they NEVER surprise you. They are shy and hide under bricks, and only in very predictable places where they can get a bit of shelter. They don't come chasing you round the house and I have only ever seen one indoors. Huntsmen are quite sweet, though I do usually put them out with a small bin (don't fit in a glass). Amazingly they just aren't scary - can't explain why thought I would die when I saw one. In fact when we saw our first huntsman we turned to each other and said " is that it??"".

What REALLY gets to you is the flaming mozzies. I hate mosquitoes now, they carry Ross River virus and whilst rare, people do catch it. Did you know that mozzies kill more people than any other animal? So unless you are happy to spend a year or two getting used to living with perpetual bites, Oz isn't for you. This wouldn't make me want to move, but is one of the only downsides of life here.

You don't have to check the loo seat, your shoes your bed or anything else for that matter. They just are not an issue in everyday life. Snakes - had one in my garage when I moved into my house. Poor thing took one look at me and ran a mile. I called in the local snake guy and $135 later he was safely on his way back to somewhere more appropriate. Again, they do more than occasionally bite dogs and cats that try to play with them, but it is easy to avoid them by not leaving things around they can live under.

Would rather take my chance with a redback (antidote within 24 hours and you'll be 'right) than a bear or cougar.

Nevertheless we are thinking of trying Canada in a few years time!! Why???? Because as everyone told us when we moved Oz is a Bl**dy long way from England. I have kids and grandkids in the UK who I thought would move out here. But it is just too expensive to visit each other. Further I work in the Environmental field and Oz is just not on the same plane as Canada in the field. Further my daughter is going into the music industry and the proximity of Europe and the States make Canada a much better proposition for her intended career.

In terms of climate, winter here is the hardest part of the year, not summer. You need heating in Adelaide for 4 months a year, but most houses do not have heating throughout and several Canadians I have spoken to have suffered with winter here because we are just not geared up for it. Don't have to dig your car out of the snow, break your neck on ice etc..

So it's horses for courses I guess... And you won't know til you try. If it doesn't work in one place you can always spend some time in the other!

Good luck

Seabird