Hi, I'm new to all this but need advice!
My Husband and I along with our 4 year old are hoping to move to Canada in a couple of years - a long way off i know but my Husband is finishing his training to be a plumber. We have done loads of researching on the net etc and have also registered with a couple of websites that are sending loads of info but we cannot decide on where to move to! We know that we will be going down the work permit then PR route but can't decide on where to go.....Barrie in Ontario or Halifax in Nova Scotia. We are planning a reccie in the next year or so but obviously cannot afford to go to both! Is there anyone that know Barrie in Ontario? I seem to find alot of people willing to recommend other places but no-one there! Any thoughts on the best place to live for a young family (My husband and i are in our mid to late twenties) would be very welcome........
Thanks in advance
xx

Hi Linz...welcome to BE

It's a tough question, one that we are asking ourselves all the time LOL

I think it all depends on your expectations.

You may need to let us know what you're interested etc.

Hiya,
We are really looking for somewhere that has an outdoor lifestyle all year - something that you dont get in England! I have visions of going out on a weekend and walking or biking, swimming at the beach or skiing! With lots to do but that is safe so i dont have to worry where he is all the time! i dont want to live right in the heart of a city but i want to be close enough that we can drive there for shopping or dinner.....This is the reason why Barrie was so appealing but then i love the scenary and the laid back atmosphere that i seem to envisage when i think of Nova Scotia.
I am also thinking about people visiting from England and where they could go - sightseeing i guess.
I know it all sounds very dreamy and there probably isn't such a place but as long as it is safe, clean and has loads to do i would be happy!!
Thanks

Hi and welcome to the forum.

If you will be going down the work permit route, then surely you'll just have to go wherever he can find a job?!? I wouldn't get too fixated on a location just yet as he may not find a job there (particularly given the current recession in Canada, which could go on for a while), so best not to get your hopes up and then have to adjust to the idea of life in a different location.

Just out of interest, has he checked into the requirements for the Red Seal for a plumber in Canada? It's just that I know most skilled trades have to prove a certain number of hours in the trade (i.e. for electricians it's 9000 hours, and that cannot include any apprenticeships), so I'd be concerned he wouldn't have the requisite number of hours in a couple of years time if he's not yet qualified. I'm sure he's checked it out but thought I'd better mention it just in case!

Best of luck with the journey ahead.

Hi
We have sent emails for info on the Red Seal program but so far no-one has replied....any info that i have found has not mentioned any requirements for proof of hours worked so i will def be checking up on that - thanks!!!

Hold on, will have a look and see if I can find out the requirements..........back in a mo!

Edit: have just searched the forum and it appears he'd need a minimum of 8000 working hours after qualifying and/or finishing his apprenticeship. So assuming a 40 hour week, and working 48 weeks out of the year, he'd need to work for 4 or 5 years before he would eligible. Sorry, probably not great news for you. When does he actually qualify?

not until the end of this year, we really wanted to move before our little boy is 6 or 7 so he is not disrupted too much and that he settles quicker. This means that we were hoping to move in approx 3 years! He could always get some work elsewhere until he is able to register. I don't think he would mind doing something different until the time is right - only problem then is whether he could get work being out of the job for a while!
Thanks for checking tho - wouldn't have known where to look.
x

OK...........hate to say this but two problems with that idea!

First is I don't know if he'd be able to get a job doing something else - remember that to get a Temp Work Permit his potential employer would first have to prove that they've advertised the job across Canada and been unable to find a Canadian to do the job. So I don't know how likely it is that he'll be more qualified than any Canadians if he's been training to be a plumber for the past few years and doesn't have any recent experience in whatever the job is.

And the second potential problem is that he wouldn't be able to go back to plumbing at a later date as he still wouldn't have the 8000 hrs necessary. So it's not just a case of 'getting work elsewhere' and then returning to plumbing when he can, as he still wouldn't have the Red Seal. If he wants to be a plumber in Canada then he'll have to get the experience in the UK first.

Really sorry to be so negative but just things for you to think about. Any chance that you could get a job and TWP, or would qualify for PR as a Skilled Worker? Then he'd get an open work permit or also have PR, which may make things much easier.

investigate the nova scotia community idetified route I would suggest

would just like to say that in the "real world" of rural nova scotia and I suspect the same applies in rural areas of other provinces

nobody gives two hoots about RED SEALs Green seals or any other kind of seals
so long as you provide a great service at a fair price and can fix the leak etc nobody cares a jot!!

plenty of tradesmen working around us with no canadian experiece or qulifications making a nice living thankyou very much

if he is thinking of own business/self employed then NS CI definly worth exploring

good luck

Hiya,
Thanks for that - where abouts do you live? if u don't mind me asking

the only thing that i am a little confused about - how do u get a job as a plumber over there then because surely to get a job u need to be registered but how do u get registered if u cannot get a job and work the required 8000 hours? Does that make sense? Surely its going round in circles a bit? am i missing something?
thanks

a rural local would say registered whats registered and laugh heartily

this is not the UK folk do not live by rigid rules and regulations all that stuff is for city dwellers well thats what they all say!!

plus of course he would be self employed anyway as most trademen are in the rural areas

if you wan ti bad just go for it

I know of a fair few immigrants who are doing just fine plumbers, electricains , carpenters etc etc not just from the Uk but from elsewhere why are they successful? well they didnt let a bit of red tape get in the way and they are great at what they do simple as that

we have had a few working on our home plumber, carpenter and a lekky all have no canadian quallys all have done a fantastic job!! and all are oin great demand

word of mouth and first class work at a fair rate is what matters to everyone here

I have never revelad exactly where I live and wont until I have pR ( there are sopme dodgy geezers on this site just one or two)

suffice to say I live a very long way from Halifiax out in the uhllu!

You're misunderstanding it a bit, there is no requirement for him to work 8000 hours in Canada. He just has to prove he's worked those hours somewhere (i.e. in his case, it would be the UK). So once he'd done his 8000 hours in the UK, he'd then be eligible for the Red Seal and could get a job in Canada.

He wouldn't be self employed if he was going on a TWP (as the OP has indicated). He may be if they decide to go the NS CIS route, but personally I wouldn't advise that if they have a child (I know you've said yourself in the past it's risky - imagine if you also had a child to consider!).

And I'm sure there are many who are working in NS without the Red Seal, I don't doubt what you are saying, but if caught they would be in serious trouble as they are *breaking the law*!! I think it best that we don't encourage other people to do the same on this forum, don't you?

I must admit that i would be worried about going about it without registration - especially in a new country, wouldn't want to push our luck!
I have just been looking at the Community Identity stream too and it says that we must have a long standing connection to the community which we do not have so im not sure that would be the best route.

Will keep looking into our options!!