Shirtback

Ahhh, I was wondering on what basis your wife & you were planning to establish yourselves over here.

As it appears that your wife & children are Canadian citizens ( even if you need to do a bit of paperwork! ), *your* path to PR (spousal sponsorship) is actually one of the easiest (even if it doesn't feel like it!).

That house insurance doesn't look scarily over-the-top to me... Usual rules apply: get more than one quote; if you have friends or family in the province, ask them for referrals to their broker(s).

Daveckj

Thanks all that is really useful info. The Insurance company was recommended to us by the Realtor - who in fairness has been very helpful (he did obviously also recommend getting other quotes).

Would the moderators perfer me to start seperate threads with the other questions we may have or continue within this one?

Thanks all

christmasoompa

It's really up to you, the problem with putting new questions in this thread is that they may not be seen. For example, if you were to ask about healthcare, then people with experience of that may not look at a thread titled 'car things'. So I'd suggest you start a new thread personally.

Just one tip from me, do get cracking with the children's proof of citizenship certs, as it can take quite a while.

HTH, good luck with it all.

Daveckj

Thank you. Just as I posted the last bit that did actually occur to me as well. The problem with the citizenship forms is that they require 'certified' copies of my wife's birth certificate to be sent with them. Her birth certificate is just a little plastic card. We are therefore writing to the BC (she was born in Vancouver) government to get certified copies sent here to the UK - which costs about $80 a pop!

It always amazes me that for instance if you are stopped by a police officer in the street (Canada, UK, USA or Germany) for example with one radio call they can check your address, insurance details, car registration, criminal record and so on and so fourth because it is all on the database. However if you contact the embassy and say here is my birth certificate with my registration number the answer is 'no can't use that, go to our website' ...so basically you need to PAY lots of money for what seems a totally unnecessary and literal 'paper exercise.' Ho Hum

christmasoompa

Welcome to Canada. Get used to unnecessary obsessions with bits of paper and spending lots on the immigration process.

Siouxie

You can order a Certified Copy of her Birth certificate online - at a cost of $50. https://ecos.vs.gov.bc.ca/#

HGerchikov

I think obsession with bits of paper is part of the immigration process for any country. Having been through it twice, once for the UK for OH and again for Canada I would say that the UK system is considerably more difficult to navigate, unbelievable as that may be to those who have only dealt with the Canadian one (which is no picnic either).

Daveckj

Thanks Siouxie,

We did that very thing yesterday - only problem being you can only order a maximum of 2 copies a time.

Thanks for every ones input so far its been very helpful.

Incase we need to go over to Canada before the kids documentation arrives does anyone see a problem with me getting the kids UK passports in the mean time? That might be the quickest route at the moment using the guaranteed check and send service from the PO.

Or will that make the computers smoke and the system inplode on itself?

Cheers

DaveJ

christmasoompa

I meant Canada's obsession with bits of paper in general, not just for the immi process.

You want to be an admin assistant? Great, come and apply for the job, but you'll need a degree for that. You want to nurse over here? Great, just go through a year of hassle and thousands of dollars first because we don't believe your experience is up to scratch. You want to be a roadsweeper? Ah, you'll need to sit our exams because we don't think your broom sweeping skills are as good as our Canadian ones. Etc, etc.

OK, so I made the last one up, but still.

Tirytory

Mm too true.... Although I was talking to a Canadian nurse who wanted to return to practice after children... In the UK a 20 week Return to Practice course is widely available throughout the country. The UK trusts value the experience and often offer jobs while on placement to those nurses. Here the CNO said- you need to go back to school but we don't have courses for you to attend so... She's given up on it- too hard to achieve. All that nursing and life experience which for a nurse can be invaluable gone just like that. Oddly it made me feel better that they discriminate against their own too..

scrubbedexpat133

Welcome to NB.

Shop around for everything here. I dont take referals that seriously here as its a small province with a small town attitude so mostly its because they know or are related to the person they are referring you to. Dont fall for the nicey nicey bs. Its just that.

Locals here also seem more concerned with how nice the person is or if they feel like they were treated well. Brits tend to be a bit more cut the crap... ow much is it and what do I get for me money??

Just renewed my house insurance 4 bed new build semi 630 for the year.

Get used to everything happening at a snails pace and paying more for less. Tis the Atlantic Canada way!

As for driving there would be no issue with insurance registering the car etc as long as you have an address. Oh and on the driving front the locals are bloody useless behind the wheel. Dont waste your time trying to work out what they are thinking......quite simply they dont think!!! (or signal or check the blind spot, they will give you the finger despite it being 100% their fault but remember they genuinely dont know that its not your fault,clearly you are in the wrong as they can do none!!!)

Daveckj

This is one of the reasons I am initially going to try to keep my business running in the UK when we first make the move over.

DaveJ

Jericho79

Re driving license, you probably have 90 days to switch it to a NB license.
I "get" your comments about returning to the UK, but the law here wont care. If you get pulled over for speeding, they'll add another ticket and depending on how long you want to insist on keeping your UK license, they could even tow your car.

Happened to me, when, despite having a valid (in date), but out of province license, I was over the 90 days, and my car was towed.

Get an NB license, and see if they'll let you keep your UK license. If they dont, report your UK license lost, and they'll send you a new one.

Daveckj

That is kind of the impression I am start to get!

I kind of left the ultimate decision of place to live to the wife - strategic decision being that I could not be blamed for area being terrible to live in if it wasn't me making the primary/ultimate decision However, that is already backfiring because the counter from the wife is already one of ...well if it isn't right you know you should have stoldme so earlier

As with so many of these types of things it is always something of an imagined reality. Yes you can do your research (and the wife did lots of that regarding the ccommunities, you can be in receipt of the valuable information from forums such as this from those with 'experience of living their' and of course you can visit. However, this is all then still an imagined reality in a sense (you don't really know what its like to be drowning until you are drowning). It is therefore only real once you start to get immersed in it or the community in which you have chosen to live I guess.

The life in NB thread has been revealing!

So we are going to be in the middle'ish of the Fredericton, Saint John, Moncton triangle - already sounds backward to me......remember ....wifes choice!

Next .....income tax...hmmm.....new thread perhaps

Thanks

DaveJ

Siouxie

You may want to look for MillieF's post on living in Fredericton area in winter - it's been bleak there.

Here's some articles: News - Record-breaking winter brings new highs to Atlantic Canada - The Weather Network

Atlantic Canada Snow Photos Show Easterners Walled In