General advice
 

Hi we have just started talking about making the move hubby is in the process of securing a job and it would be a pretty quick move! At least for him we are looking at Edmonton I have a million questions but will start with a few for now what kind of permit would we have because we couldn't get in on the points system after you have been there for so long can you apply for residence? Would it be straight forward for me and the kids to follow on soon after? We really have no clue this job came up and we need to know so much? Hope someone can help thanks Jayne

Re: General advice
 

If you can say what the job is doing and on what basis he is getting a visa then more information can be given.

Alberta Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) under the both the skilled and semi-skilled streams allow you to apply for Permanent Residency (PR), after working for 6 months I believe. http://www.albertacanada.com/immigra...rate/ainp.html

If your husband is coming over on a Temporary Work Permit (TWP) with arranged employment you would automatically be able to accompany him, however, it would depend on your husband's job category as to whether you could get an open work permit.

:)

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Thank you the job is for a cnc engineer in the gas and oil industry

Re: General advice
 

I believe that would be classified as 2147 "A" under the NOC codes, which would mean you should also be able to obtain an open work permit (OWP).

I think he should be able to apply (as a family) under the PNP for permanent residency for all of you. More details here: http://www.albertacanada.com/immigra...ting/ainp.aspx

I don't have specific knowledge on this subject so you may want to wait until somebody with more experience and expertise comes along to answer any specific questions.

Hope that helps a little, you can find out more about the immigration process in the wiki http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Catego...an_Immigration

:)

Re: General advice
 

Thanks so much for that

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We are in Edmonton and about to move out to Ontario.

I came here under an LMO, this was applied for by the company before I arrived, is the company your husband is looking at doing the same? The work permit under this system will be restricted for your husband in that he can only work in Alberta and for the company applying for the LMO.

You can obtain an open permit under the spousal program; this could be an open permit allowing you to work for any company. Your restrictions will be that you can’t work in health care, schools or study. My wife followed on about 6 weeks after I arrived. When I obtained my permit I stated that I had trailing family members, they were listed on my permit. On arrival they headed to immigration and were issued their permits without a problem. The company provided a registered immigration consultant who sorted out our documents and introduction letters. These were presented to CIC on arrival at Edmonton airport. Just make sure his company know who will be following.

I am at GM level and there were no issues with open permits for my wife, I also have guys at technician level working for me whose wives also have open permits.

Good luck!

Andrew

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Anybody on a SOWP can work in those fields, but they just require a medical first.

:)

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Thanks andy for that do u like Edmonton I am presuming u have now gone on to receive a permanent residence or something as you are moving to a new city! ?

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What does GM level mean

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If you click on a poster's name by their post, then you get a drop down menu and can see their previous posts - Andy_Zena appear to be moving on a new LMO/TWP from a recent post of theirs.

HTH.

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I'd guess at General Manager?

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Correct it's General Manager.

I was offered a new job hence the reason for the move. Nothing wrong with Edmonton, it's a blue collar city but lively and some nice places to live. Your 3 to 4 hours from the Rockies. The city has plenty of work around especially in the trades.

If you have any specific questions on Edmonton then please let us know.

Cheers

Andrew

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Is there a good expat community there? What are the best places to live schools etc. thanks

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i enjoyed living in Edmonton..if you are living inside the city limits then you cant go wrong with communities in the south west..Terwillegar. River Bend etc good schools and great facilities..if not then head to St. Albert or Sherwood Park both have a fair number of Brits and Irish expats that live there...as does Edmonton itself

Re: General advice
 

Hi

We were on the south west side of the city between the Whitemud Drive and then Anthony Henday Drive. We are in the properties of Donsdale which sits on the river valley. The area is very nice, schools close by and close to all the amenities of the West End.

Sherwood park is favoured by many expats, it sits on the eastern edge of the city. We took a look but for us it was too far out of Edmonton itself, this was purely our choice but we know people in the area and they love it. It tends to be more insular and self contained as a result there is less reliance on the main city area. Depending on where you are in Sherwood Park you can get the smell from refinery row, but this will depend where you are.

Terwillegar is a nice place, the company I run rents a place in this area for some of the staff. On the very west of the city there is a more recent development called the Hamptons, again very nice with schools amenities etc all close by.

St Albert is very nice this is to the north of Edmonton, it is a more expensive place to live but it is a nice community. It's location can mean commutes to and from work can be excessive, this of course depends on where you end up, working. When we relocated the company to the south east of the city a couple of employees has some commute problems as St Albert is diagonally across the ciry. Again it's a personal preference but a nice area.

We are just off 178th where it runs into Lessard Road, it suited us for property size, access to amenities, close to West End, 15 mins to downtown and the commute to work was good.

When we were looking we found a place then spent a bit of time in the area to make sure it had what we needed.

There is a meet-up group for British Expats as well as a British Society I'm Edmonton. As it is an Oil & Gas town there are plenty of Expats in the area. We have really enjoy living in Edmonton.

Cheers

Andrew

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Thank you so much for this it really is very good of you! Speaking to the employment agent over here this evening can u think of anything we should be asking?

Re: General advice
 

Hi

Sorry for the delay, this probably a little late but hey.

Be sure you understand the visa type the job is being offered under and how long the job will last. Find out if they are handling all the legal side regards the immigration process and all associated costs. If you are coming in under the Temporary Foreign Worker program find out how many years they will be putting on the LMO.

Are the company offering temporary living accommodation on arrival or any other relocation assistance including help with initial flights? If not this can work out very costly to set-up.

For the job itself find out about the benefits particularly the medical benefit, also ask if this applies from day one. Some companies impose a trial period and the benefits kick in after this period. When you have your Social Insurance Numbers you will then obtain an Alberta Health Care card, this entitles you to basic medical services. You health insurance (usually provided by your company) will cover full or partial costs for medication, dental and specialist treatments. Find out if someone in the companies HR will help you out with obtaining the SIN and Health Card. If not its not a difficult process, just head to Canada house in downtown Edmonton, you will need an address so the items can be posted out to you.

Check on vacation, it is common for employers not to allow paid vacation to be taken until vacation pay has been accrued. Some will also insist that you work to their holiday anniversary (i.e. the annual date when holidays start again) before you can take any holiday. As an example if you start half way through the vacation year then you would work 6 months, each month accruing holiday pay. You would then be able to take your vacation the following year; this would only be half of your annual allowance due to the 6 month accrual. We allow our employees to take their vacation as it is accrued; I believe this only applies to hourly paid employees. One other point on vacation, find out how much you get, we found Alberta not to be a generous as the UK with many people only receiving 2 weeks paid vacation a year, we try to offer 3 weeks as an incentive, there are however around 10 or 12 public holidays a year.

Check the usual such as working hours, sick pay and confirm overtime rates if this is applicable. By law this needs to be 1.5 x base hourly rate as a minimum.

Regards

Andrew

Re: General advice
 

Thanks andy we haven't had chance to speak to him yet so it's great! Can I ask are mortgages similar!? How do they go on about say finance for a car ? Is petrol /diesel cheaper than England? Mobile phone contracts are they similar to here? Do they have any English products in supermarkets? Thanks for being such a big help !

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http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Catego..._Topics-Canada

:)

Re: General advice
 

Hi

Check out the link as Siouxie has suggested. A couple of our observations are bellow.

1. Petrol is cheaper, it does vary from province to province but a couple of weeks back it was around 95 cents per liter in Edmonton. Prices move around more than the UK and in the summer we saw around $1.18 per liter. So yes it's cheaper.

2. Many people lease a car, you agree a finaance term, 2, 3 or 4 years and an agreed mileage per year, at the end of the term you either pay the balance or hand the car back. Generally cars are cheaper than the UK and you get more for your money. We never leased as I have a company vehicle but it is a simple process, we have a Toyota 4Runner and the company lease is around $520 per month, if you log onto the Edmonton dealerships many will give you lease rate examples. You will need to build a credit rating, we opened a bank account with RBC and took out a low limit credit card to get us going. Use it for shopping then pay it off. Check some of the posts on insurance as this can be expensive, the is some very good advice on here about reducing the costs.

3. Our bank advised us that we would need 2 years before they would issue a mortgage. However I do know of people who get mortgages much quicker than that, it will depend on the bank, deposit etc. The rental market is huge in Edmonton so stick with that until your comfortable you will be staying long term.

4. Mobile phone contracts work very similar but the cost is higher than the UK. In fact Canada has one of the highest levels of cell phone charges in the world. Watch roaming and data charges as they are shocking. Pay as you go is popular, however if you don't top up regularly the balance will expire. Shop around with the big providers, Telus, Rogers, Koodo, Virgin etc.

5. You will recognize many brands in the Supermarkets that you see in the UK. However remember you are heading to Canada so embrace what it has to offer and the desire for home comforts will diminish. But when you do get the urge for a packet of walkers crisps then there are 2 shops in Edmonton selling nothing but British produce. In the West Edmonton Mall there is a British Shop run by a Scottish lady and there is one just off Whyte Avenue. Both are well stocked and you can get some frozen items such as English Bacon, Pies etc. It can be pricey but it will satisfy the need.

Cheers

Andrew

Re: General advice
 

Thanks ever so much you have been such a good help andy

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My 2 cents

Re: General advice
 

Thanks ever so much