familyof4

Hi guys

Firstly let me say Hi!! I have taken the biggest decision and decided to move to canada, i was born there 27 years ago and have been back for a holiday once and LOVED it, so me and my hubby and two kids are heading over there in 2013.

Now i stayed with family in pickering, toronto which was lovely, but i just wanted opinions on what other area's are like.

We are 31 the children are 13 and 5 (will be 15 & 7 when we go) so i need good schools close by.

Also my husband in a Police Officer in the Uk and wants to carry this on in Canada, so he needs to be able to apply for that too.

I work in an office doing accounts so i'm pretty sure i can carry on doing that.

Any thoughts would be welcomed and i hope to speak to you all more often

Michelle

christmasoompa

Hi Michelle,

If you could give a bit more info it would be helpful - do you definitely want to be in Ontario, where would you be commuting to, what kind of lifestyle do you want i.e. rural or city, what do you like to do in your spare time (i.e. do you want access to skiing, or shopping malls, or.....?), and what sort of housing budget will you have.

Then those that live in the area you are hoping to move to will be able to steer you in the right direction. Good luck with it, and if you need any help with your husband's PR application then the immigration section of the forum will help.

familyof4

Yes we definatly want to be in Ontario, hobbies, well i like taking the children out to places, i like to keep active with gym activities, hubby is the same really or what allows him to do things around his shifts.

I do like the odd shopping trip, but not too fussed. I dont want to be in the middle of no where, i would like a town close by for amenities but i dont want to live right in the centre of a busy town (do i make sense?? please say if not)

commuting is ok, i drive in the UK and will be doing my lessons and taking a test to be able to drive in Canada, but i will have to use public transport at first so i cant have schools to far away, walking distance would be ideal, but not too fussed.

House budget..well we have a house to sell in the UK which will free up about £60K in equity so we will have a lot to bring with us, obviously we will rent for a while until we sort jobs and things, i dont want to pay too much in rent at first until we find our feet, so i would say we would look at about $1000-$1500 a month rent.

We are also looking into bringing our Dog with us, she is almost 2 now and i cant imagine leaving her behind, so i need to find a rental that will take dogs too!

edmontron

Does that mean you bring over £60k ? I'd love to have your optimism!

familyof4

Yes after i sell my house at its lowest price i will have £60K to bring with me.

Why is that optimism??? I bought my house 10 years ago for a very low price and i have done alot of work on it and the houses in my area are selling at their lowest for tripple what i bought mine for, so thats fine by me as i have still made a good profit.

dbd33

Is that possible? Is there a force in Ontario that is recruiting foreign policemen?

familyof4

No they dont recruit from the Uk, he would have to apply once he gets Permenant Residency or became a Canadian Citizen.

He would then apply like any other person would wanting to join the police the fact he is one in the UK does not go for him nor does it give him preferance.

edmontron

I just don't think £60K is a lot if you want to buy a house near Toronto? That's why I thought at least it's nice that you think positive. Good luck.

familyof4

I havent even mentioned buying a house YET! I'm not that optimistic, the plan is to rent and build up a pot of cash before even considering buying a house.

But thanks for the help!!

HGerchikov

It makes a pretty good downpayment though if and when they decide to buy, and will definitely help pay the bills while they look for work. A lot of people move here with much less, so doesn't seem to be overly optimistic to me.

Dashie

Do they require you to take a driving test here now? when we came over, we just exchanged our license for an Ontario one.

I'd look into the police thing a bit more - not sure if they insist on citizenship (many government positions do, even fairly lowly ones), and also whether he would need to take the police foundation college course before being able to apply.

You'll likely hear good and bad about most cities, but you can generally live within half an hour of one, be pretty rural, but still close enough for shopping and activities. We live about that distance from London, ON, and find we only have to go in once every few weeks. There will generally be plenty of kids' activities in smaller towns too, you just might have to look harder for them.

magnumpi

Agreed, you get a nice detached or semi for $300,000 in and around Pickering and Ajax. $80~90,000 would be a tidy deposit.

Lots of places in Ontario to look at, but you most likley prefer to stay closer to rellies and friends in Pickering. Its ok round here, try it for a while.

bmnewmarket

You can still exchange your driving license.

You definately only need to be a PR not citizen to join the Police. If you are from the UK for example you would apply once landed and take their tests.

Dashie

I was actually talking to someone at the grocery store today whose girlfriend is trying to get into the police here in Ontario. He said she's just finished a criminology degree, and that's what they're looking for now, and even then it's very competitive.

I'm not trying to be negative, but was wondering if there are any OU courses that might help with this aspect, while you're waiting for applications to process, or maybe to get in touch with someone in recruitment in the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police), or the city you decide to aim for (each city has their own force) or something to see if they can recommend anything you can do while you're waiting to minimise what would need to be done once you get here?

pennyhp

If I have this right you have to have citizenship to join the RCMP, but only permenant residence for provincial police.