stuart1997

Like many others on this forum i would like to leave the uk and start a new life in Canada.
Exactly where i dont know its such a vast country,but after a bit of reading BC sounds nice.
Im in the process of applying for a job as my uk firm has offices in Canada ,dissapointingly it seems i have to approach the Canadian offices myself as my Hr dept dosnt deal with employees wanting to emigrate
From what ive read about the points system it seems that to be accepted you must have employment lined up for you in Canada?
so its job fist and embassy next.
Good luck everyone.

sclewlow

Why do you want to emigrate to Canada if you have never even been there?? Don't want to cause offense or anything but it seems crazy to me to upheave your whole life to a new country and new lifestyle when you have not even seen what you are letting yourself in for.

That said BC is very beautiful but is also very large! The weather is very different in Canada depending where you are. For instance, Toronto is hot, hot, hot in the summer and fairly warm in Winter. Whereas parts of Alberta & BC get to around -30 in the winter and you get snow up to your armpits. Vancouver (BC) has weather very much like Enlgand and is also a very busy fast-paced place.

You best bet would be to check out the CIC website at www.cic.gc.ca for all the info you need. To apply you need to have at least 75 points (check the site) and having a job offer defintely helps - although most people find this difficult.

stuart1997

Me and my partner are looking for a "life change" i know it sounds corny!
I like my job in the uk and live in a nice house in a nice area etc etc
Im in my mid thirties and dont want to spend another 15 years with the same company doing the same things everyday.
I want to experience a different lifestyle/culture meet new people etc
Canada is one of the best places to live in the world (according to some world organisiation)
plus there are definite financial benefits for me selling up,like clearing everything i owe and being able to buy a nice property in canada with no mortgage and still having money in the bank.


looking at the points system
im between 22-44
speak fluent english!!
3 years after school further education
been doing my job photocopier/network enginerr for 15 years
my wifes not thick!

all i need is a job!

stuart1997

72 points without a job....doh!

Bushbaby

Hi there,

I just had to post a reply to you as I think that you are being rather misleading to our friend who is considering moving to Canada.

Toronto may well be very hot in Summer but to say that it is warm in Winter...!!! Where did you originate from - the North Pole!? Whilst Toronto may be warmer than say Calgary in Winter, Toronto is absolutely freezing. I'm sure that very few people could argue with that.

On the other hand, Vancouver, BC has a wonderful temperate climate with lovely Summers which can get very warm, although not humid like Toronto and the Winters hardly ever get below freezing and there is also very little snow, particularly when compared to Toronto.

Vancouver, BC is also one of the most beautiful places on earth and to compare it to the concrete jungle of Toronto is absolute sacrilege!

Sorry, but in my opinion, there is just no comparison to me made!

PS Toronto is a fast paced Metropolis whereas life in Vancouver is much more laid back West cost living.
:PARTY:

Bushbaby

Hi there,

I just had to post a reply to you as I think that you are being somewhat misled by some of the responses you have received to date.

Toronto may well be very hot in Summer but to say that it is warm in Winter...!!! Whilst Toronto may be warmer than say Calgary in Winter, Toronto is absolutely freezing. I'm sure that very few people could argue with that.

On the other hand, Vancouver, BC has a wonderful temperate climate with lovely Summers which can get very warm, although not humid like Toronto and the Winters hardly ever get below freezing and there is also very little snow, particularly when compared to Toronto.

Vancouver, BC is also one of the most beautiful places on earth and to compare it to the concrete jungle of Toronto is absolute sacrilege!

Sorry, but in my opinion, there is just no comparison to be made!

Regards

PS Toronto is a fast paced Metropolis whereas life in Vancouver is much more laid back West cost living. I was going to make the comparison and say that Toronto is to London as Vancouver is to... but there is nowhere that is anywhere as good as Vancouver in the UK or could possibly be compared to it!
:PARTY:

Chris

Winters in Toronto are similar with the ones in Western/Central Europe (45 parallel).
The worst you can get is about -10C, of course the wind-chill makes the difference.
But if you have a car, maybe parked underground (my case) you don't even care about
any winter in your life. Comparing with the rest of Canada, Toronto has very hot and
very humid summers (like most of the north-east) and fairly warm winters. Obviously
West coast has the warmest winters, but overthere there is no summer (like in
Scandinavia and UK), rain, rain and again rain. Not good for your poor bones...
Chicago (the 2nd largest US city) is much more colder in the winter than Toronto. I
have been in Toronto for 10 years and, as an European, weather, and kind of life you
can find down here, it suits me 'a la carte'. Best of luck in your endeavor. Chris

"Bushbaby" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
    > Originally posted by stuart1997:
    > > Like many others on this forum i would like to leave the uk and start a new life
    > > in Canada. Exactly where i dont know its such a vast country,but after a bit of
    > > reading BC sounds nice. Im in the process of applying for a job as my uk firm has
    > > offices in Canada ,dissapointingly it seems i have to approach the Canadian
    > > offices myself as my Hr dept dosnt deal with employees wanting to emigrate
    > > From what ive read about the points system it seems that to be accepted you must
    > > have employment lined up for you in Canada? so its job fist and embassy next.
    > > Good luck everyone.
    > Hi there,
    > I just had to post a reply to you as I think that you are being somewhat misled by
    > some of the responses you have received to date.
    > Toronto may well be very hot in Summer but to say that it is warm in Winter...!!!
    > Whilst Toronto may be warmer than say Calgary in Winter, Toronto is absolutely
    > freezing. I'm sure that very few people could argue with that.
    > On the other hand, Vancouver, BC has a wonderful temperate climate with lovely
    > Summers which can get very warm, although not humid like Toronto and the Winters
    > hardly ever get below freezing and there is also very little snow, particularly
    > when compared to Toronto.
    > Vancouver, BC is also one of the most beautiful places on earth and to compare it
    > to the concrete jungle of Toronto is absolute sacrilege!
    > Sorry, but in my opinion, there is just no comparison to be made!
    > Regards
    > PS Toronto is a fast paced Metropolis whereas life in Vancouver is much more laid
    > back West cost living. I was going to make the comparison and say that Toronto
    > is to London as Vancouver is to... but there is nowhere that is anywhere as good
    > as Vancouver in the UK or could possibly be compared to it! :PARTY:
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Andrew Miller

Chris, no offence but you obviously haven't lived in Vancouver or anywhere on the
West Coast as your description of it is based on some false perception.

"Chris" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
    > Winters in Toronto are similar with the ones in Western/Central Europe (45
    > parallel). The worst you can get is about -10C, of course the wind-chill makes the
    > difference. But if you have a car, maybe parked underground (my case) you don't
    > even care about any winter in your life. Comparing with the rest of Canada, Toronto
    > has very hot and very humid summers (like most of the north-east) and fairly warm
    > winters. Obviously West coast has the warmest winters, but overthere there is no
    > summer (like in Scandinavia and UK), rain, rain and again rain. Not good for your
    > poor bones... Chicago (the 2nd largest US city) is much more colder in the winter
    > than Toronto. I have been in Toronto for 10 years and, as an European, weather, and
    > kind of life you can find down here, it suits me 'a la carte'. Best of luck in your
    > endeavor. Chris
    > "Bushbaby" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
    > >
    > > Originally posted by stuart1997:
    > > > Like many others on this forum i would like to leave the uk and start a new
    > > > life in Canada. Exactly where i dont know its such a vast country,but after a
    > > > bit of reading BC sounds nice. Im in the process of applying for a job as my uk
    > > > firm has offices in Canada ,dissapointingly it seems i have to approach the
    > > > Canadian offices myself as my Hr dept dosnt deal with employees wanting to
    > > > emigrate From what ive read about the points system it seems that to be
    > > > accepted you must have employment lined up for you in Canada? so its job fist
    > > > and embassy next. Good luck everyone.
    > >
    > > Hi there,
    > >
    > > I just had to post a reply to you as I think that you are being somewhat misled
    > > by some of the responses you have received to date.
    > >
    > > Toronto may well be very hot in Summer but to say that it is warm in Winter...!!!
    > > Whilst Toronto may be warmer than say Calgary in Winter, Toronto is absolutely
    > > freezing. I'm sure that very few people could argue with that.
    > >
    > > On the other hand, Vancouver, BC has a wonderful temperate climate with lovely
    > > Summers which can get very warm, although not humid like Toronto and the Winters
    > > hardly ever get below freezing and there is also very little snow, particularly
    > > when compared to Toronto.
    > >
    > > Vancouver, BC is also one of the most beautiful places on earth and to compare it
    > > to the concrete jungle of Toronto is absolute sacrilege!
    > >
    > > Sorry, but in my opinion, there is just no comparison to be made!
    > >
    > > Regards
    > >
    > > PS Toronto is a fast paced Metropolis whereas life in Vancouver is much more laid
    > > back West cost living. I was going to make the comparison and say that Toronto
    > > is to London as Vancouver is to... but there is nowhere that is anywhere as
    > > good as Vancouver in the UK or could possibly be compared to it! :PARTY:
    > >
    > > --
    > > Posted via http://britishexpats.com
    > >

Philip Street

What a crock about the West Coast.

I live on Vancouver Island and the summers here are pretty hot. Havent had
rain in weeks.

As for Toronto, I watch the weather channel and I have also been there in January.
Froze my nuts off it was that cold.

It may not get as cold as Calgary , but it gets cold enough to get frost bite at
times.

Check your facts next time chris.


"Andrew Miller" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:Hu%[email protected]
t.net...
    > Chris, no offence but you obviously haven't lived in Vancouver or anywhere
on
    > the West Coast as your description of it is based on some false
perception.
    > "Chris" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
    > > Winters in Toronto are similar with the ones in Western/Central Europe
(45
    > > parallel). The worst you can get is about -10C, of course the wind-chill makes
    > > the difference. But if you have a car, maybe parked underground
(my
    > > case) you don't even care about any winter in your life. Comparing with
the
    > > rest of Canada, Toronto has very hot and very humid summers (like most
of
    > > the north-east) and fairly warm winters. Obviously West coast has the warmest
    > > winters, but overthere there is no summer (like in Scandinavia
and
    > > UK), rain, rain and again rain. Not good for your poor bones... Chicago
(the
    > > 2nd largest US city) is much more colder in the winter than Toronto. I have been
    > > in Toronto for 10 years and, as an European, weather, and
kind
    > > of life you can find down here, it suits me 'a la carte'. Best of luck in your
    > > endeavor. Chris
    > >
    > > "Bushbaby" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
    > > >
    > > > Originally posted by stuart1997:
    > > > > Like many others on this forum i would like to leave the uk and
start
    > > > > a new life in Canada. Exactly where i dont know its such a vast country,but
    > > > > after a bit of reading BC sounds nice. Im in the process of applying for a
    > > > > job as my uk firm has offices in Canada ,dissapointingly it seems i have to
    > > > > approach the Canadian offices myself as my Hr dept dosnt deal with employees
    > > > > wanting to emigrate From what ive read about the points system it seems
    > > > > that to be accepted you must have employment lined up for you in Canada? so
    > > > > its job fist and embassy next. Good luck everyone.
    > > >
    > > > Hi there,
    > > >
    > > > I just had to post a reply to you as I think that you are being
somewhat
    > > > misled by some of the responses you have received to date.
    > > >
    > > > Toronto may well be very hot in Summer but to say that it is warm in
    > > > Winter...!!! Whilst Toronto may be warmer than say Calgary in Winter, Toronto
    > > > is absolutely freezing. I'm sure that very few people could argue with that.
    > > >
    > > > On the other hand, Vancouver, BC has a wonderful temperate climate
with
    > > > lovely Summers which can get very warm, although not humid like
Toronto
    > > > and the Winters hardly ever get below freezing and there is also very little
    > > > snow, particularly when compared to Toronto.
    > > >
    > > > Vancouver, BC is also one of the most beautiful places on earth and to compare
    > > > it to the concrete jungle of Toronto is absolute sacrilege!
    > > >
    > > > Sorry, but in my opinion, there is just no comparison to be made!
    > > >
    > > > Regards
    > > >
    > > > PS Toronto is a fast paced Metropolis whereas life in Vancouver is
much
    > > > more laid back West cost living. I was going to make the comparison and say
    > > > that Toronto is to London as Vancouver is to... but there
is
    > > > nowhere that is anywhere as good as Vancouver in the UK or could possibly be
    > > > compared to it! :PARTY:
    > > >
    > > > --
    > > > Posted via http://britishexpats.com
    > > >
    > >
    > >

Bodza Bodza

"Chris" <[email protected]> wrote:
    > Winters in Toronto are similar with the ones in Western/Central Europe (45
    > parallel).

My ass. Western Europe doesn't have winters anything like those of Toronto unless
you're talking about Helsinki! You mean Eastern Europe. Winters in the UK, Ireland,
Germany, Holland, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy etc are NOTHING LIKE the winter in
Toronto, not in temperature, not in duration. The winters in Western Europe last only
three months, unlike the seven month stint you pay every year in Toronto.

The only favourable comparison you can make is that the summer in Toronto is
*excellent* compared to that in the rainier countries of *Western* Europe e.g.
Ireland, UK and lasts for 5 months.

I've lived in WESTERN Europe AND Toronto so I KNOW what I'm talking about. I prefer
the climate of Toronto to that of e.g. Glasgow or Manchester but I prefer the climate
of e.g. Amsterdam, Paris, London, Frankfurt, Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Rome, Milan a
thousand times better than that of Toronto because you don't have to suffer through
the LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG winter.

If you come from Siberia it's probably OK.

PatC

Wow, I feel compelled to defend the east here! lol

Ok, yes our winters are rather 'mean' at times but we have 4 very distinctive seasons, which some people find rather charming. Fall is awesome in Quebec (yup Quebec! lol), it's one of the most beautiful times of year. We have had 20 degree weather in October (our "Indian Summer"). Our seasons flow rather nicely into each other, so it's not like you have 30 degree weather one day and -20 the next.

And off the weather topic for a sec - Montreal culture rocks! We have great shops, great clubs, great cafés and restaurants! A truly multi-cultural city

Ok, I feel better now

Have a great day!
PatC

jenkins789

"My wifes not thick" that is a classic, one for the hall of fame.

Keep smiling

stuart1997

I should of edited that one out lol
All the fuss about the weather ! if i wanted hot (which i dont) i would be emigrating to Australia or somewhere similar.
Its the lifestyle ,beautiful scenery and friendly people .
A lot of people i know who have holidayed in Canada have encouraged me and said they would love to live there if they had the opportunity.
I know BC is large about 4 times bigger than the UK.
My company has offices in Nanaimo,Victoria,Burnaby.
Any views on these areas would be appreciated.
Cheers

Chris

Andrew, of course I have never lived in Vancouver and my only touch with the west
coast was a 3-day trip, by car, from LA to Tijuana, Mexico, stoppings in Long Beach
and San Diego. That was last Christmas. But I do not have to live in Vancouver, or
Victoria, in order to understand your weather conditions. I trust very much our
national weather network and also I am able to watch CBC Vancouver (I have satellite
at home). Gloria Makarenko and a pretty blonde girl were doing today the Canada Now
news at 6:00PM PT. So, from what these two TV stations are telling us every day,
Vancouver/Victoria area is the raining capital of Canada. Obviously is not raining
every day,
365/365, but it's raining a lot, and you cannot deny it! Why? Pacific Ocean is the
main reason. For instance, the forecast for Vancouver for the next 3 days is
24-24-20, and some rain. Well, down here in Toronto we have an excess of
temperatures over 32C, but with the humidex it feels like 40-42C!!! Anyhow
Andrew, rainy or sunny, hot or cool, Vancouver and Toronto, along with the rest
of Canadian cities, are both/all beautiful. But hey, as in sports, you are with
the Canucks, I am with the Leafs and the Raptors, everybody wants to make its own
city the best one in the world! We are just human... And by the way, Victoria is
not only BC's capital, it's also the garden capital of Canada. Take care, Chris

"Andrew Miller" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:Hu%[email protected]
t.net...
    > Chris, no offence but you obviously haven't lived in Vancouver or anywhere
on
    > the West Coast as your description of it is based on some false
perception.
    > "Chris" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
    > > Winters in Toronto are similar with the ones in Western/Central Europe
(45
    > > parallel). The worst you can get is about -10C, of course the wind-chill makes
    > > the difference. But if you have a car, maybe parked underground
(my
    > > case) you don't even care about any winter in your life. Comparing with
the
    > > rest of Canada, Toronto has very hot and very humid summers (like most
of
    > > the north-east) and fairly warm winters. Obviously West coast has the warmest
    > > winters, but overthere there is no summer (like in Scandinavia
and
    > > UK), rain, rain and again rain. Not good for your poor bones... Chicago
(the
    > > 2nd largest US city) is much more colder in the winter than Toronto. I have been
    > > in Toronto for 10 years and, as an European, weather, and
kind
    > > of life you can find down here, it suits me 'a la carte'. Best of luck in your
    > > endeavor. Chris
    > >
    > > "Bushbaby" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
    > > >
    > > > Originally posted by stuart1997:
    > > > > Like many others on this forum i would like to leave the uk and
start
    > > > > a new life in Canada. Exactly where i dont know its such a vast country,but
    > > > > after a bit of reading BC sounds nice. Im in the process of applying for a
    > > > > job as my uk firm has offices in Canada ,dissapointingly it seems i have to
    > > > > approach the Canadian offices myself as my Hr dept dosnt deal with employees
    > > > > wanting to emigrate From what ive read about the points system it seems
    > > > > that to be accepted you must have employment lined up for you in Canada? so
    > > > > its job fist and embassy next. Good luck everyone.
    > > >
    > > > Hi there,
    > > >
    > > > I just had to post a reply to you as I think that you are being
somewhat
    > > > misled by some of the responses you have received to date.
    > > >
    > > > Toronto may well be very hot in Summer but to say that it is warm in
    > > > Winter...!!! Whilst Toronto may be warmer than say Calgary in Winter, Toronto
    > > > is absolutely freezing. I'm sure that very few people could argue with that.
    > > >
    > > > On the other hand, Vancouver, BC has a wonderful temperate climate
with
    > > > lovely Summers which can get very warm, although not humid like
Toronto
    > > > and the Winters hardly ever get below freezing and there is also very little
    > > > snow, particularly when compared to Toronto.
    > > >
    > > > Vancouver, BC is also one of the most beautiful places on earth and to compare
    > > > it to the concrete jungle of Toronto is absolute sacrilege!
    > > >
    > > > Sorry, but in my opinion, there is just no comparison to be made!
    > > >
    > > > Regards
    > > >
    > > > PS Toronto is a fast paced Metropolis whereas life in Vancouver is
much
    > > > more laid back West cost living. I was going to make the comparison and say
    > > > that Toronto is to London as Vancouver is to... but there
is
    > > > nowhere that is anywhere as good as Vancouver in the UK or could possibly be
    > > > compared to it! :PARTY:
    > > >
    > > > --
    > > > Posted via http://britishexpats.com
    > > >
    > >
    > >

Chris

Sorry my friend, but what calendar are you following? Seven months of winter in
Toronto? Are you ok? Are you on drugs? Winter starts in December and ends up in
March, end of March. November we have maybe 10C to 15C. Yes, it's cold in the winter,
we are in the Northern Hemisphere, aren't we? December to March, that's 4 months, we
have temp. between -10, maybe -15C, up to 5C. Of course when it's windy it feels like
-30C, but that's anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere around 45 parallel. But even if
it was -30C, or -50C, this is the outside temperature, we all have 25C in our
apartments, and most of the Canadians have cars. So, when do you have time to feel
the cold? Personally, I do not have ONE winter coat in my closet, I usually don't buy
what I don't intend to use. My car is parked underground, the elevator takes me
straight there, I never worry about shoveling. And I repeat, to buy a car in Canada,
and drive it every day, is not a big deal. In 10 years I've had 6, the last two
brand-new. Canada is not a third world country, it's a rich country, and if you have
a job and a driving license there is no reason you should wait for the bus or street
car. You are saying that in Toronto is very cold, and long winters. What about
Chicago (the Windy City), or Minneapolis/St.Paul? Just tell Jesse Ventura that in
Toronto is very cold and I do not want to think about his 'reactions'. Some good
friends of mine, French nationals, born in France (so no immigrants) were in Toronto
for a year, 1999-2000. They are from a small village near Limoges. They told me that
the Toronto winter is warmer than in their place. And you know what they did, in
order to feel the 'real' Canada? They took a trip to Winnipeg, and from Winnipeg to
Churchill. This is in Northern Manitoba. That was in March 2000. And they lived there
for a full week. You know what temperature was at that time? -50C. And they were not
just two adults, they had their 12 yo kid with them. And they did not complain at all
about the weather. Why? Because they are STRONG! Me?, no, I am not from Siberia, but
what I can tell you is that I do NOT care about weather, hot or cool, sunny or rainy.
Because I can adapt to any kind of climate. I did not come to this country to keep
complaining and complaining and complaining. And as far as I know, this country was
built by strong and tough people, mostly immigrants, they did not care if they went
to Alberta, Manitoba or Saskatchewan, they were just happy to get an opportunity for
a new life in the New World. People work in Fort McMurry, Alberta, and they bring us
the energy we need to have a warm life. Take a look were Fort McMurry is, and they do
not complain about the weather. I have read all the weird things in this NG, people
complaining about the weather, about the job market, most of you are interesting in
how to get here and then going back to US or other Oriental destinations, others are
surprised because they are asked to provide their passport in order to get the visa
sticker, for others Canada must accommodate them in order for them to love Canada.
People, nobody forces you to immigrate to Canada. This is just your own decision. But
as long as you have taken it, as long as you have landed, start your new life and
STOP complaining. Are these the today's immigrants? Are these the people Canada
counts on? Complaining all the time is not going to make your life easier. And it's
true, it might be easy to get here, but it's a lot harder to make yourself happy.
Complaining is not the smart solution. Chris, a non-complainer.

"Bodza Bodza" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected] o-
m...
    > "Chris" <[email protected]> wrote:
    > > Winters in Toronto are similar with the ones in Western/Central Europe
(45
    > > parallel).
    > My ass. Western Europe doesn't have winters anything like those of Toronto unless
    > you're talking about Helsinki! You mean Eastern Europe. Winters in the UK, Ireland,
    > Germany, Holland, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy etc are NOTHING LIKE the winter in
    > Toronto, not in temperature, not in duration. The winters in Western Europe last
    > only three months, unlike the seven month stint you pay every year in Toronto.
    > The only favourable comparison you can make is that the summer in Toronto is
    > *excellent* compared to that in the rainier countries of *Western* Europe e.g.
    > Ireland, UK and lasts for 5 months.
    > I've lived in WESTERN Europe AND Toronto so I KNOW what I'm talking about. I prefer
    > the climate of Toronto to that of e.g. Glasgow or Manchester but I prefer the
    > climate of e.g. Amsterdam, Paris, London, Frankfurt, Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon,
    > Rome, Milan a thousand times better than that of Toronto because you don't have to
    > suffer through the LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG winter.
    > If you come from Siberia it's probably OK.