http://www.brooks.ca/index.php?optio...242&Itemid=417

cheers siouxie have had a good look through that site already but there is nothing quite like hearing other peoples opinions on a place.

i've been to Diss in Norfolk , and some other rural places i forget - any parallels with a lot of southern alberta are as relevant as a trip to the mooon

@ beaverquest not sure that really helps but if I wanted to live somewhere that could draw parallels with Norfolk chances are I would be staying in Norfolk :-) .

Just to clarify, I never suggested "an extended period" apart - 2-4 weeks should be enough for you to settle into work, get SIN, bank account, buy a car, sort Health cover and get other essentials done, assess the job security, ask work colleagues about areas to live and do a recce to find a nice home for your family that you will all be happy to stay in for a decent while.

It is fraught to arrive here with family in tow right away, expensive to stay in a hotel and difficult to look for places to stay when you are working all day and want to be with family in the evenings, not to mention house-hunting with a small child or two.
Then consider the possibility of finding that the job isn't what you thought and you can't afford a decent place to live near to where you work.

If you come alone just for very short while, these things will be apparent to you and you have time to sort them before the family arrive.

On another issue - the red highlighted section - haven't you got any savings to cover yourself?
It has been said on here many times by the more experienced posters (they know who they are) that even with arranged employment, it is wise to have a few months living expenses with you if you have dependents.

Employment rules in Canada are not the same as the UK and employees can be "let go" without warning.
A new LMO would probably take 3 to 4 months to arrive (assuming you could find another employer to go for it) and in the meantime you could not work for any other employer, as the TWP ties you to the original employer.

Last time this was discussed on here when a family had to return home because a job wasn't what they had expected, I think 6 months living expenses was put forward as a reasonable buffer against such an eventuality.

I'd agree with that. The first time we came we arrived together (well we only had one car), but when we returned from a few years away, I came first, OH took the kids from Germany to Newcastle to spend a couple of weeks with her M&D. I sorted out the stuff and met them at YYZ in the new minivan (I know, I'm sorry), and drove them to their new home.

We still live there.

Mmmmm, Norwich. Time for another thread diversion about Norwich pubs? Sigh.......

Seriously, think carefully before leaving. It has a lot going for it.

My OH arrived 4 weeks before we did. Although I missed out on all the house buying/car buying etc it did make for a much smoother transition for the kids...

In Alberta its taking 6-8 weeks to get LMO has we recently applied for an extension on our permits until we get permanent residency...For a new work permit even less time but I would get as much info as possible and visit the Immigration job fairs as well but good luck

There is a timeline thread for LMO's in AB in the immigration section of the site - up to 16 weeks is not unusual at the moment if you take a look at that.

Seems to be about 10-12 weeks is the norm though.

Welcome to BE btw.

Yep... we are on week 13...

"but then I come from the countryside and it often smells also "

just seems like a huge leap of faith relocating to a place you have'nt a scooby about

good luck, whatever you choose

@hellcat cheers for clarification I can see the benefits of what you say and as things progress it may turn out that we can do that in answer to your savings question we don't have any savings but we will not be moving unless we can sell our house or perhaps put it on buy to let in both cases we would be freeing up equity before making any moves so we would have enough in the bank to live on if things did go wrong.

@lmartin999 we love Norfolk and you are correct Norwich is a pretty good place sadly the current state of the country and a distinct lack of prospects for either myself or my children have made us decide to try and make a better life elsewhere, we have decided on Canada and it seems my skills are in demand especially in Alberta hence the choice. I have to say I am not a fan of pub culture or at least not the way it seems to be going far to much trouble comes from the binge drinking majority which tends to ruin the atmosphere for the rest of us :-(.

@ all again thanks for info on LMO times I will be speaking again with prospective employer and will let him know that things have changed a bit hopefully he will still be interested.

@beaverquest you are right it is something of a leap of faith hence wanting as much info as possible it does seem that Brooks may have scent troubles but until we can see or smell it for ourselves I guess we wont know how much of a problem that is I have heard good things about the area from other sources. I guess I was hoping someone on the forum may have been living in Brooks or have lived there recently so I could get a better understanding of the place. Thanks for your best wishes I don't mean to sound ungratefull or argumentative any feedback helps.

Thanks

Norwich has Thorns though. Possibly one of the finest ironmongers in the world. Good ironmongers are important. Seriously.